“I spy something green.” Sophia says. Ugh--not again... Oh hi there! That’s me and my cousin playing I spy in the car on my way to my aunt Michelle’s house. I know, the most boring game ever, and you're probably just as bored as I am right now but you won’t be for long. Ok, so we’re finally here. Honestly, I think I would have screamed if I had to play one more round of “I spy.” But, you probably don’t care about that, but you will care about this.

Big colorful bins, wooden crates filled with ripe juicy red tomatoes, humongous stainless steel pots, a Kitchen Aid grinder, cases and cases of jars, the pungent smell of fresh basil, and a BIG Italian family! Welcome to my family tradition of making our own tomato sauce. Now, you might think, whatever anyone can do this? But who else wants to spend hours and hours washing, grinding, and jarring tomatoes, not to mention the mess and clean up! While these may seem like good reasons to avoid this family tradition, it isn’t about the sauce made at the end, it’s about time with family. I get to see my little cousins, my aunts and uncles, and many family friends. When I’m washing tomatoes I hear my mom complaining about her boss and gossiping with my aunts. When I'm helping with the grinding, I hear my dad talking with my uncles and laughing about “old times.” And when I’m helping jar the tomato sauce, I’m laughing and joking with my aunts and cousins.

Finally, when I’m taking a break, I listen to my little cousin Sadie complaining about how her brothers are so annoying and bother her all the time. It all happens so seamlessly--the entire family working together in perfect harmony. This tradition isn’t my favorite part of the entire year because I get to make tomato sauce--it’s because I get to spend time with my family that I don’t get any other time of the year. So, go ahead and /spend some time with your family, make some memories--and maybe even make some sauce.