I'm grateful for {tradition}

Last weekend we dedicated a whole day to making the Italian Sugo.   The weather was perfect.

The tomatoes were ordered, they were sublime....perfect sauce quality.

I decided that I would photograph the day as this is a tradition that I'm sure many European families uphold, but the finer details, well....they are not recorded.  So I thought I would ensure that this tradition lives on... I snapped away, and took notes of each critical step.  I donned an apron and worked at it all day, eager to experience it all.  All the while the Italian coffee was on tap, the music tarantella in the background and the conversation entertaining.

My in-laws are experts in their field.  What was probably originally a very thrifty way of preserving tomatoes, is now a labour of love.  We did the whole process outside...using the big brick oven in the shed to boil tomatoes and then sterlise them once bottled.   I doubt that it is cost effective now a days given the amount of work that it involved in comparison to the cost of a tin of tomatoes...but two differences.  First the joy and love of having this annual experience, and secondly of course is the taste.  Nothing can compare.   One days work and I have a years supply!

So today, I'm grateful for...

Traditions....That they are passed on from one generation to the next.  For the joy of seeing my in-laws excited that the next generation is taking an interest and appreciation of 'the way it used to be'.   And my excited that I will ensure that I uphold it in my generation the one that follows.

Join in and be grateful here...

Do you have a family tradition that you love?
Are you making your own family traditions that you will pass onto your children?






Apologies for so many photos!  I couldn't refrain plus I know our italian relatives will love looking at them!!!!