Crocuses and the taste of summer

Do you feel the sunshine hit your skin and instantly rush up through your blood into your heart causing one hard beat that ripples all the way up to your face turning the corners of your mouth up to meet the squinting corners of your eyes into that nearly forgotten sunshine smile? This was a long winter in Charlottesville…it made life heavy and thick--dreams of warm soup prevalent and a warm blanket the only reprieve. But here we are, midway through March (really?!), the crocuses are in full bloom, birds are singing into kitchen windows and the slow stroll of winter life is turning into a spring sprint.

Seems like these days all I have time for is a good ol’ five-minute peanut butter and jelly sandwich. While running into the house to let my dog out and gobble my rushed lunch, I saw all of my crocuses gently dancing in this unexpectedly chilly spring breeze and literally stopped in my tracks. I fixed my PBJ with my new favorite raspberry jam from Brightwood and got down on the ground to take a few minutes of peace with my summer sweet berry jam and my early spring purples, oranges and whites.

If you’ve never tried Susan Vidal’s jam from Brightwood, you need to. Until I tried it last week I would have probably gotten into a physical fight with anyone who tried to tell me that my grandmother’s jams and jellies weren’t the best in the whole world…but sorry Meem, you’re out. While sitting with my flowers, my dog and a sandwich full of pure, organic summer raspberries, I think I actually transported 3 months into the future when the berries are so ripe they look like they're about to explode and the very slightest brush with a red-stained finger makes them fall into my hand (which leads directly to my mouth...).

For 10 years Susan and Dean Vidal have been striving to be good stewards of the land on their 100-acre farm and vineyard in Madison County. Their diversified farm is home to chickens, goats, sheep, donkeys, certified organic berries, grapes and veggies all thriving in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Plus they recently renovated a cottage overlooking the Robinson River into an eco-friendly bed and breakfast get-away…delightful, really. I do believe I visited it in my summer daydreams.

Get outside, stretch that sunshine smile, taste a little summer, bond with your crocuses and enjoy the spring sprint!