God will provide all our needs!
Nasturtium Vinegar
How beautiful are the nasturtiums in these jars?
They almost remind me of the snow globe paper weights we made as kids...however, that isn't what they are!
Just in case I forget that our God will provide all our needs, He allowed me to stumble on to this idea while doing some herb googling!
I plant nasturtiums because they are beautiful, have prolific blooms that keep on giving through the summer and long into the fall, and because they are so easy to grow from seeds. I love how the lively blooms hide under the vivid green leaves of the plant and peek out as if they are playing hide and seek.
Now I have a new found interest in these exquisite and edible flowers. Putting the leaves in salads has always been a favorite zip in creating a savory taste. The peppery flavored leaves are always a hit and everyone always wants to know what that mystery spice is in the salad.
Now, an added benefit! Apple vinegar laced with nasturtium flower blooms, cloves, pepper pods and a sprig of Thyme. In about 6 weeks, I hope to have the most sumptuous vinegar to add with olive oil for a flavor burst salad dressing.
Sometimes we need to look no further than our own back yard to see how God provides for us. Isn't that what our grandmothers did? Backyard chickens, making quilts from worn-out clothing and dandelion tea! Dresses and tea towels made from printed feed sacks, gifts wrapped in burlap potato bag fabric, and soap made from several days of saved lard...all just a lifestyle then!
Sometimes I look around my home and the "stuff" I have collected smothers me. This has caused me to take a closer look at what I have and how I can use it without running to the mall. How can I look for the ways God has provided before I automatically assume I need to buy something?
As with the nasturtiums, even my back yard has potential for gifting and providing delicacies that you can't purchase in a store. It's my experience that what God provides is so much better than what mankind provides.
God has also provided us with knowledge and the most sufficient means to obtain it these days. As we move into a time in life where we all may have to learn to rely on God's provisions...I pray that women are preparing, learning and asking questions of their elder generation. I was blessed to have a mom who taught me some of the old traditions, however I still wish I had asked more questions when she and my grandmother were alive.
1 Timothy 6:17 says- Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God: who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.
Today nasturtium vinegar...tomorrow, who knows...maybe lavender jelly!