In praise of the edible bouquet

Texas celery, broccoli, radishes and beets from a dear friend

The next time you muse over whether to send flowers to a memorial service, think about this: Give a fresh bouquet of vegetables.

It's a brilliant gift that keeps on giving when transformed into maybe a celery soup, radish tea sandwiches, broccoli cheese casserole, dill pickles and beyond.

A week after the back-to-back funerals, my dear friend Ellen arrived, handing over her share of her co-op box. First she gave me a dozen eggs in various sizes and colors. Who gives eggs to a grieving family? Someone who knows an egg's versatility for breakfast, baking, deviling - and brownie/cookie/cake making. It surprised me, how much I wanted those eggs.

Then came the long, leafy green celery, the purple beets, the broccoli, fresh dill, red leaf lettuce and radishes. She also brought a Tuscan bean soup and artisan rye bread from The Village Baking Company. As I looked at the haul, I realized she had done exactly as I had suggested in earlier posts about food for grieving families: Bring out the soup, salad and bread. Don't forget the power of a good cookie. Ellen made snickerdoodles.

How clever she was to wait a week, when the floral bouquets had finally been removed, the thank-you notes had been mailed and there was little interest in grocery shopping. Actually, there was zero interest, for shopping involved decision-making, and that was hard. Even Julia Child was known to say "I hate making decisions about things."

Ellen had struck gold with her vegetable bouquet. This lovely gesture reminds me that if we could only crank back the clock to life on the farm, this is exactly what we would have received from the neighbors - good eggs, fresh produce and baked goods. Ellen's vegetables have dirt on them, real dirt! No wax, no weird twisty ties or bar codes.

Her edible bouquet is a tender mercy.