El olor a frutas y verduras (The smell of fresh vegetables and fruits)

During the spring, summer and fall I love going to the farmers market on Saturday mornings. Last week, I went to the closest farmers market where I live, the Santa Clara Farmers Market, between Benton and Homestead streets. I went around nine thirty; it was overcast and cool. As I started walking along the different stands, the wonderful fresh smells of fruits and vegetables caressed my nose and mouth. Those smells brought me back to my childhood in my hometown, specifically, the kitchen of the house where I grew up in Chile.

 

In my parent's house, the kitchen was spacious and with lots of light coming from the three windows that surrounded the room. There was a big old-fashioned wood stove where the most delicious dishes were cooked and baked. Every morning, lunch was prepared and cooked in the kitchen. Before starting the cooking process my Nana José would go outside to our huerta (vegetable garden) and collect papas, acelgas, zanahorias (potatoes, Swiss chards, carrots) to make a delicious almuerzo (lunch). I still remember the smell of fresh soil when she would come back into the kitchen with a bunch of vegetables.

 

Nana José would go to the sink and start washing them. I watched how the papas (potatoes) would start showing their yellowish color and the zanahorias (carrots) would display their bright orange look. Las acelgas (Swiss chards) showed their dark green shiny color and white leaf stalks. On the wood stove there was a pot with boiling water to welcome these delicious verduras (vegetables).

  I would like to pause and tell you a little about Nana José. Nana José's real name was Filomena but we, children, called her José, because her husband's first name was José. For us kids, he was "el José" and she was "la José". La José worked at my house her entire life. She had no formal education. Nana José didn't read or write but she had such incredible wisdom about life and love for nature. She had freckles on her face and she wore her long hair braided around her head. We never found out why she had a tiny limp when she walked. Nana José loved working in the garden and cooking. She was an early riser and she would stop working around 4:00 o'clock in the afternoon. At that time she would sit down, eat and take care of her pet animals.

El almuerzo (lunch) always ended with a delicious homemade postre (dessert). The one that comes immediately to my mind is manzanas asadas al horno ( baked apples). Nana José was the cook but my Mom was the baker in the family. When I was a girl, I watched my Mom make this dessert several times. My Mom never followed recipes, she said that she had everything recorded in her mind. To make this delicious postre (dessert), my Mom would go to the pantry which was outside the kitchen. There, she would pick the best apples displayed on the shelf. My Mom always said:

-Las manzanas tienen que ser del mismo tamaño. (The apples have to be of the same size).

-Para que se horneen de la misma forma.(To bake evenly).

She would wash the apples in the sink and then on a wood cutting board she would cut both ends of the apple. While she was doing all this preparation, the kitchen would be surrounded by this delicious sweet apple smell. The climax of all these smells would be reached when the apples were baking in the oven and the cinnamon spice would start fighting with the delicious sweet apple smell. The room was warm and the oven was making its magic. The result: 

-Unas deliciosas manzanas asadas con una cáscara de azúcar encima. (Delicious light brown and juicy baked apples with a light layer of caramelized sugar on top).

To add more flavor,  you could eat the manzanas asadas al horno (baked apples) with a dollop of fresh cream on top. ¡Buen provecho! (Bon appetit!).