Grape Leaves in yard

Today working on removing the grass in the front yard for a ‘rain garden’ my thoughts turned to cosmology, an evolutionary spirituality. Digging up the earth my mind opened up to the wonders of the universe and creation, especially human beings. How all the parts of the human body relate to each other has always been fascinating. The wonders of nature are to me the best evidence of God or a higher power. From the lowly creature, the worm, to the top creature, a human being, one can see if we have eyes to see, the divine intervention that started with the beginning of the universe, the big bang, and evolved till today and will grow tomorrow.

One wonder of creation is the grape leaf from the grape vine that does not produce grapes. ‘Tis the season to pick these plentiful leaves, which grow everywhere and all over the world. My Lebanese mother, when we were children, would take us over to a park or in some fields to pick grape leaves. Although the leaves right here are coming in a little late this year, the best time of the year to pick grape leaves is June. Besides being fresh and clean, one of the wonders of picking grape leaves is that they grow back quickly. So if I pick the grape leaves off the vines on my backyard fence they will grow back again in a few weeks so I can pick them again.

Of course the wonder of the grape leaf is not in the picking, cleaning or freezing of them, but in the cooking and eating of them. My wife learned how to make grape leaves from my mother and passes on the recipes to friends and family. See Grape Leaves. At the Graf Family reunions they are the food of choice.

Last week on a ride on the Oak Leaf Bike Trail my grandsons and I stopped to pick grape leaves. We washed, cleaned and froze them. Some of us can pick them, eat them and even help make them but leave the actual cooking to the chosen few like my wife.

Like I said this ancient wonder of the Universe is everywhere, on fences like in my backyard, in parks or growing along side of roads. If you are looking for this wonder of the world you will see it.

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