Scribed In Light

Some blossoms never become pumpkins.
That was the case in my garden this year. I planted late, hoping against hope, but it became clear the ground wasn’t going to yield fruit. Instead of sulking over the loss, I decided to make use of what the soil did give me: blossoms.

As I stood there cutting them, I couldn’t help but drift back to memories of my sisters and me as girls, sweating it out in the sun over a one-acre garden that felt endless at the time. Row upon row of weeds to pull, plants to hoe, and chores that stretched from dawn to dusk. We grumbled, wiped sweat with dirty hands, and swore we’d never love it.

But when harvest came? Oh my, did we eat well that winter. Every jar, every basket, every bite tasted of sacrifice and toil. Looking back, the labor had meaning we couldn’t see then—but time has a way of clarifying the gift hidden in the grind.

This morning as I snipped each blossom from its vine, memories wafted through my senses, like fragrant bacon grease and flour sizzling in a iron skillet I could already taste the harvest, and it carried me back to childhood. Back to a time when we didn’t understand that beauty could grow even in barren places, that feasts could be found even where “failure” seemed to reign.

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Simple Fried Pumpkin Blossoms

Ingredients:

1. Fresh pumpkin blossoms (rinsed & patted dry)
2. 2–3 Tbsp bacon grease (measure with your heart)
3. 1 Tbsp butter
4. 1 egg + splash of milk (for wash)
5. ½ cup flour, seasoned with salt & pepper

Steps:

• Heat skillet with bacon grease and butter.
• Dip blossoms in egg wash, then dredge in flour.
• Fry until golden and crisp.
• Serve hot, with gratitude

Lemon-Garlic Aioli (Bright & Fresh)

Lightens up the richness and adds zing.

• Mayo base
• Fresh lemon juice + zest
• Minced garlic (roasted garlic if you want it mellow)
• Pinch of salt & pepper

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Stuffed Pumpkin Blossoms

Ingredients:

• Fresh blossoms, cleaned (stamens removed)
• ½ cup cream cheese
• ½ cup shredded sharp cheddar
• 1–2 Tbsp diced pickled jalapeño
• Bacon grease & butter (for frying)
• Egg wash + flour (same as above)

Steps:

1. Fill blossoms with cheese + jalapeño mixture; twist tips to close.
2. Dip in egg wash, then dredge in flour.
3. Pan-fry in bacon grease & butter until golden.
4. Serve warm, and watch faces light up.

Bacon-Honey Drizzle (Savory & Sweet)

• Rendered bacon fat (a spoonful, cooled slightly)
• Warm honey
• Dash of smoked paprika or cayenne
  • optional sour cream/or mayo

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Reflection

Life doesn’t always hand us the pumpkins we expected. Sometimes all we get are blossoms. And yet, even in those places where the ground seems barren, there is still nourishment, beauty, and memory to be found—if only we choose to see it.

Like a kaleidoscope, life shifts and refracts. What looks broken in one view, blooms into a mosaic of unexpected color when the light hits just right. It’s all about perspective.

So maybe today, instead of staring at what didn’t grow, we can take hold of what did. And maybe—just maybe—it will turn out to be exactly what we needed.

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Closing Prayer

Lord, thank You for blossoms where pumpkins should have been. Thank You for the silver threads in barren soil, the gifts hidden in disappointment, and the nourishment that still comes in unexpected ways. Teach us to shift perspective, to see beauty where we thought there was failure, and to savor the feast You prepare even in the unlikeliest of places. Amen.

With flour on my cheeks, and Grease dripping down my chin,

Tina N. Campbell | Scribed in Light