Cooperative Living July 2024 - 14
CO-OP PEOPLE
To Can ...
or Not to Can?
Mecklenburg County, Va., teacher
recalls father's passion for gardening
by Michelle Greene Dean, Contributing Writer
T
o most people, a jar of canned
string beans is just that: a jar
of canned string beans. Some
Lawrence Ray Greene, above,
in his garden and, left, on his
tractor. He was known to many
as " High Pockets " because he
was 6 feet, 6 inches tall.
feel that canning any vegetable is
unnecessary. Th ey say, " Just buy them
in the supermarket. Why waste all
that time, water and energy doing it
yourself? "
I would like to counter that canning
vegetables is a spiritually rewarding
eff ort. Looking at all the jars lined up
on my pantry shelves, in all their sundry
colors, they remind me of bountiful
summers and a job well done.
I would like to counter that canning
I am thankful for the many blessings
I am thankful for the many blessings
of the summers, especially those with
plentiful rain, like last summer. When
I look at those jars, I remember the
mornings picking those beans. Th e warm
ones, windy ones, cool ones and cloudy
ones; just my family and I, and the
mockingbirds
in the cedar
tree beside the
garden.
As I was
picking several rows
of string beans last
summer, I was
reminded of how
Daddy worked in this
garden for as long as I can remember.
He used a Farmall-140 tractor to plant
each row straight as an arrow. He kept
weeds at bay with a garden hoe that
he owned for who knows how long.
Th at particular hoe is special to me. Th e
metal blade once had two pointed corners
but they are now smooth and rounded;
a symbol of Daddy's dedication and
hard work to keep the garden weed-free.
He enjoyed growing and sharing fresh
produce with his family and neighbors,
and that memory makes me smile.
Rural living is where memories
are made daily. For me, those memories
are precious, as we lost Daddy in 2020.
As I weed and pick the produce in his
garden now, memories of him can't
12 * Cooperative Living * July 2024
co-opliving.com
help but fl ood my soul.
As my family sits down for supper
(it's not called dinner where I'm from)
at the end of the harvest season, we
talk about how many quarts or pints
we canned, and what we might do
diff erently next year. We also discuss
what seed varieties might grow best
in our sandy-loam soil. Th ese
conversations continue until the pie
is served. It's all part of a " take pride
in your work " thing; a concept Daddy
taught us, and one that we continue
to live by.
*
PHOTOS COURTESY MICHELLE GREENE DEAN
http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living July 2024
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living July 2024
Cooperative Living July 2024 - 1
Cooperative Living July 2024 - 2
Cooperative Living July 2024 - 3
Cooperative Living July 2024 - 4
Cooperative Living July 2024 - 5
Cooperative Living July 2024 - 6
Cooperative Living July 2024 - 7
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