Today is our mother’s 82’nd birthday!

She grew up on a farm in Sicily where she and her mother worked together from sunup to sunset on the “women’s” tasks on the farm. She tells stories of picking almonds and olives, of harvesting wheat and taking care of the animals. It was not all work, she also tells us about sitting with her mother in the shade of a pomegranate tree and breaking open fruit for lunch. She played with the animals and listened as her older brother sang opera on the balcony.

She learned her early lessons well. Our mother is energetic and hard working. She loves people, music, animals and great food. She has no hobbies but she is always busy, doing her best to make our lives better and easier.

I tried to choose a food theme and images that represent her spirit and her energy, and selected our Tomato Picking and Canning tradition.

We pick and can tomatoes every year. We used to can out of our own garden but now visit a local farm. This year we picked over 100 pounds (meaning that my mother did most of the picking while I transported) and canned over 30 quarts of tomatoes. Our home canned tomatoes are hard work but worth the effort for the pleasure they bring to our palate and to our souls. Having them in our pantry give us a sense accomplishment that we have provided for ourselves. They represent our mother’s motivation, borne out of an abundance of love, to provide the best for her family.

Buon Compleanno, Mamma.