Saturday, July 31, 2010

Canning Corn

After talking about the plum jelly, I got to thinking about the time that Mom showed me how to can corn. Now, I will confess right up front that canning corn really was not at the top of my list of things to do---I like Del Monte corn just fine. Freddie and I had been married for 5 or 6 months and Mom came out to stay the day with me,which was great--she opens the trunk of her car and it looked like someone had dumped a trailer full of corn on the cob in the trunk--she was so happy to be the bearer of this mother load of corn!! I asked her what on earth would we do with that much corn--she looked at me like I was a mite narrow between the eyes and says "Well, can it of course!" Silly me --17 years old I should have known..
Well. we get a big wash tub --put it under neath a mesquite tree by the house--add a couple of chairs for us and some big bowls to place the corn in, We shucked the corn first (peeling off the husk)--Now came the fun part--(I lie a little) she showed me how to hold the big butcher knife--resembling a small machete in my opinion and we cut the corn very close to the cob. Started at the top of the cob and brought the knife down to the bottom. She then told me to flip the sharp side of the knife upward and run the backside of the knife over the cob to extract the sweet juice from the corn, This may sound very simple but let me tell you for certain that it turned out to be a back breaker, when you handling enough corn to supply H.E.B.
FINALLY. the last ear was finished and we go to the kitchen to finish up this "simple" canning of the corn. We boil it for a short period then pour it into canning jars and seal them.
When Mom cooked her canned corn she would add butter-salt-pepper and cook it in a skillet, sort of frying it...Good doesn't describe it but what can I say except that she could make ANYTHING taste great... Just give the woman some flour, shortening, milk and eggs and she could create heaven.
We enjoyed visiting while we worked and she taught me how to do yet another homemaking skill---she thought my husband should have a wife that could put vegetables away in this manner...Yep, that is a biggie for you soon to brides!!
I don't recall how long it took us eat all of that corn--which was very good and made me feel like quiet the little wife! Guess that I am glad to know how Mom processed her corn but to be perfectly honest, I have never done it again..I just shuck the corn -blanch it--bag it and throw those little suckers in the freezer..

Friday, July 30, 2010

Plum Jelly

You know for sure that you need a little excitement in your life when your son tells you that he "spotted" some wild plums beside one of our local roads and you feel the thrill of hitting a jackpot! Yep, we REALLY do love wild plum jelly but most years we are not fortunate enough to have the yield of plums.
There are several factors that are to be considered and to rationalize if the jelly would be worth the bother. First of all the price of sugar, canning jars etc, will more than likely amount to twice the price of ready made jelly-- with the temperature hitting the 100 degree mark, even with air conditioning--standing over the boiling jelly and stirring it until it is the right consistency will not be the most fun of the day.
Oh, did I mention that to get to the plum thickets you have to cross through grass and weeds about chest high.. I just know without a doubt that there are chiggers as big as ladybugs and snakes that are just waiting for some fool to try and take the plums that they are coiled up beneath. It is enough to make a sane person decide that the Walmart jelly is a good deal and so what if it is tasteless--just eat it fast and you will never notice.
Like I said a sane person would make the obvious right decision--BUT what the heck, I need the the excitement and suspense of the unknown awaiting in the weeds for who ever dares to go, I love the sweet tantalizing smell that cooking jelly spreads throughout the house---better than any candle you could buy. I even enjoy hearing the lids pop as the hot jelly is cooling in the jars--the pop is letting you know that the jar is sealed.. Many of you know by now I must enjoy making jelly because nothing compares to homemade and doing it in the "old way" just makes it better. Oh, did I mention that our precious grandson JUST LOVES it?? Yep, you know the real reason now why Pappa will wade through the weeds and fight with the snakes to get the plums and his Meme will standing stirring the hot liquid with sweat rolling down my sides to get this red wonderful jelly ready to pour into the jars.. In a few months on a blustry cold morning I will make Pappa and the precious young boy some hot biscuits and they can enjoy this delicious sweet/tart jelly..Gotta remember that nothing this good is ever easy!!!

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Legs Hurting?? Here is your Cure

Months ago I shared with you some of the "good old days" prescribed treatment of various ailments, I have a couple more that I MUST share with you. Now, don't start rolling your eyes and groaning "Oh- please no more"!! You have to remember that people did not have the luxury of running to the Dr. if they had the sniffles etc. etc. as we do today. What they did have was the various treatments that had been passed down for generations--probably some worked but who knows?? I think that it is interesting to know what they practiced in curing various things though--
My sister and I were talking about our legs hurting at night and that we thought of Mom as she suffered the same thing. Someone told Mom many years ago that if she filled a cast iron skillet with "something" and put it underneath her bed -( neither of us remember what the something was)--that her legs wouldn't hurt. We were very curious about that "something" that you put beneath your bed, so a call was placed to our cousin that is well acquainted with the old ways. She was no help in solving our mystery, but offered a solution for charlie horse leg cramps that she vows will work.
Are you paying REAL close attention--here goes---you put a bar of soap in the bed with you and if by chance you get a charlie horse cramp, you rub the bar of soap on your leg and it will cure the charlie horse.
A friend was visiting the cousin and said that she had always been told for leg pain of any kind that you put your shoes underneath the bed --and be sure that you get this part right--you turn them up side down!
As strange as some these seem I do know a couple of of the old treatments that Mom did use on all of us and by gosh, they worked! If we had a sore throat we drank sour pickle juice--VIOLA--no more sore throat.. For a cough we "enjoyed" a shot of whiskey with honey--I don't remember if I still coughed but I sure did like the cough syrup!
Heck, why be out a lot of money going to these high priced Doctors today when you can just throw a bar of soap in your bed, turn your shoes upside down and slide them under the bed -- takes a shot of whiskey and honey, oh what the heck- better takes a couple of shots to be safe and if it doesn't cure us at least we will smell clean, have our shoes real handy and be feeling pretty happy to boot!!

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Mom and Dads Anniversary

I have shared with you some of stories about Mom and Dad that I enjoy thinking about---as you know it is not possible to relate to someone else EVERYTHING about a person.. Those of you that knew them will understand very well that it is impossible to describe their personality or at least I can not do it.
Today July 21 is their wedding anniversary --They shared many years of love, laughter,high times and low times--through it all they remained devoted to each other. Rest assured that raising six children really put them to the test many times, but they managed just fine..At least I think that we all "turned out" pretty good!
I only wanted to post a short note honoring their many years of marriage--how blessed we were the day they were united in marriage and began their "walk" together.
The memories of spending the cold winter nights around the wood stove and sharing our thoughts with one another, listening to them sing together, Dad playing his harmonica, Mom with all of her pranks, the delicious meals she prepared for all of us and always there to cheer anyone up..dealing with 6 children there were many times one would expect her to throw a "hissy fit" over some of the things we did but she always found laughter quicker then she did anger.
Yep, saying that we were blessed to have been their "off springs"
Is putting it mild!!!

Monday, July 19, 2010

Old Friend

I suppose that I REALLY am getting old--I get something on my mind and cannot put it away. For some unknown reason I got to thinking about a girl that was my best friend in the 4Th,5Th, and 6Th grades--haven't seen her since we moved away in my 6Th grade year. We were very close and it is surprising that we did not stay in contact....guess that LIFE just happened and we didn't travel the same path.
She married at a young age and they moved to California---heck, I married at a young age and we moved to College Station--WHOOP IE!
I found her brothers name in a forward e-mail and contacted him and got her address and phone number. I called her tonight and we talked as though we had been visiting through all of these years. She moved back to Texas after her husband passed away. We enjoyed our walk down memory lane and laughed like we were school girls again--even discussed Elvis Presley...she was a Hugh fan. I liked his music but sure did not paper my bedroom walls with his posters like she did.
Guess it goes to show you that friends do make a mark in your life and in your heart, regardless of age ...

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Dog Days Of Summer

The "dog days of summer" are here and electricity companies are grinning from ear to ear! As much as I love to think on the good ole days and the lifestyle everyone had, I am VERY thankful for the air conditioning---I just don't believe that we are as tough as our ancestors were. On second thought they may not have been tough by choice, it was just the way it was--no one had ever heard of air conditioning.
The older homes were built with a open space in the center of the house, hence dividing the rooms into 2 different units. This area was called the "dog run" and I am certain the dogs did take advantage of the shaded cool space--the breeze could blow completely through the "run". It was the favorite place during the hot days for the family as well. You normally found a bed of some sort in this space because they would sleep out there at night. Don't you know that they had trouble making their dogs (probably hounds) get off of the bed so they themselves could go to bed. Now I don't know about you but that doesn't appeal to me AT ALL---first of all You know the mosquitoes would eat you alive..the dogs most certainly had fleas--makes me want to scratch just thinking about it.. bless their hearts, working like all get out during the day and having to contend with the bugs at night.
Makes me wonder what they would think of our air conditioned homes of today--- after feeling the cold air they may decide that it was hog "killin' time..
You often hear summer referred to as the lazy days of summer--they may be for some of us but there was not anything lazy about their summer days. They worked from before sun-up until sun down & after. As tired as they must have been I guess a few bugs eating and crawling on you wouldn't matter..
Goodnight and sleep tight and don.t let the bedbugs bite you!!!!!

Monday, July 5, 2010

Putting Foods By

Well, its that time of the year that that our beloved mothers, grandmothers and the other women of the "good old days" were busy little beavers...Gathering the squash-beans- tomatoes, black-eyed peas etc. from their garden and most likely using the skirt of their apron to carry some of it to the awaiting bucket or basket. I don't think that it was a dreaded chore for them--it was just simply what they did in the summer--preparing and preserving food for their families to eat during the long cold winter when vegetables would be scarce unless they had thought ahead and canned the wonderful tasting vegetables and fruit.
The shelling of the peas, snapping the green beans, peeling the peaches etc. etc. was most often done outdoors underneath the shade of a tree and hopefully a gentle breeze to cool the sweat of their brow. Visiting was abundant while their hands were busy snapping, shelling and peeling. If you had a storm cellar more than likely you stored the jars of can goods on shelves in the cellar. The earthen cellars were the most common and I am here to tell you that most of the time when entering one--well lets just say that all of your senses were on high alert--pretty spooky and I have never found many things that I considered spooky. Rattlesnakes were very fond of the cellars and considered you a trespasser if you walked down those dirt steps. Having little showers of the loose dirt to fall on your head wasn't a hoot either. Being the strong and brave women that they were it was a simple matter to them to go below into the dark cellar and carry out the empty jars that had been saved from the previous year. The washing and scalding the jars was next. The "goodies" from the garden and orchard were prepared and put into the jars--now the BIG ole pressure cooker got into the act --goodness I remember the hissing sound they made and all of the vibrating--sounded like it was going to" blow" at any minute. Mom always made the children stay out of the kitchen when the cooker was on the stove. If anyone needed anything from the kitchen she always sent me into the danger zone for whatever it was. Guess I was the brave one OR maybe the stupid one---??
I have been so hungry for black-eyed peas--maybe its just that time of year that makes me think along those lines..you know what I am talking about--black-eyed peas, fried squash, hot buttered corn bread, fresh tomatoes , fresh onions and top it all off with a fresh peach cobbler or fried pie.
I will close this little chit chat while you digest your food and I will go churn my butter for the next meal---

Thursday, July 1, 2010

4th ofJuly

Well, here it is time to celebrate the 4th of July once again--gosh, seems like we just did that not long ago! Time sure flies by --the older you get the faster it flies!!
Today Stamford Tx. had their rodeo parade downtown and as always I think of the many years that we were always there. It was a hugh parade in those days but I know without a doubt it no longer compares to the old days----seems nothing does!
We would arrive early in the day and park behind the main street stores where all of the horse trailers were to be located. The horses would be un-loaded from the trailers and tied underneath some trees in the area. There would be visiting amoung the men and women, well in short it was a reunion. Perhaps that is why the big rodeo 3 day event is called "The Texas Cowboy Reunion."
Around lunch time the women would began bringing out the food that they had brought with them. Everything from roast beef- fried chicken to sandwiches of all sorts. Most families were large so I am sure that is the reason the food was prepared at home..You just did not "eat out" much. After we had lunch we were allowed to go to the main street square and select a spot from which to view the parade. Mom would take one of her worn quilts and spread it on the curb for us to sit on. The parade would last for a hour or longer--as I said the parade was always a good one.. Afterwards everyone headed to the rodeo grounds --we ran around and played while the adults visited. Later in the day everyone went to the chuck grounds on top of the hill near the arena to eat "supper"--the ranches in the surrounding counties would all have their chuckwagons there and bar-b-que cooking along with beans, potatoes of some sort, corn, sourdough bread and big cast iron pots of cobbler--You selected which of the ranch chuckwagons you wanted, bought the tickets and "chowed down."
Afterwards you headed to the arena to get in your seat before the rodeo kicked off. Daddy, Mickey and Mike would head down to the arena. In later years the two of them were participating in the bucking stock events. Daddy roped for many years there and Jerry would be in the barrel racing competion.
Yes, there are memories galore of our days spent at Stamford every 4th of July--I often think that I would like to go one more time but I doubt that I do, I don't want to be disappointed by the way things have changed .. I want to keep my memories of the fun filled 4th of July spent there as they were in the good ole days...