By Franklin T. Wike, Jr.
Growing up, I used to spend the summers with my grandparents, Warren and Marion Hostetter. They had a small truck patch type farm consisting of around 10 acres in Mishawaka, Indiana. The main reason I spent my summers with them, was to help out on the farm and while those years created some great memories, I think my favorite memories involve the time I spent in Grandmas Kitchen. My grandmother was ALWAYS cleaning fresh vegetables and canning them. She was a fantastic cook and I still miss the great foods she used to make.
Another reason my favorite memories revolve around the kitchen is because while my grandmother had some type of fresh vegetables, jams, jellies or some other creation on the stove cooking, she would sit down at the kitchen table with me and we would play some type of game together.
It took many years for me to realize that is was during the sharing of her time, attention and love, that many of my ideas about life, family, food, love and happiness were formed.
It has been decades since my grandparents passed away, but the lessons, values, and memories have become a daily and vital part of my life.
What did you learn from your grandparents and more important, what will your grandchildren and great grandchildren learn from you?
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Canning and Freezing; Cooking and Baking
by Linda Clark
Recently I went to a produce auction and came away with a bushel basket of early green beans. I canned half and froze the other half. Of course, I kept out enough for a big pot of beans seasoned with Ham Hocks. Boy! Were they good, too!
As for the green beans, you clean them and snap in small pieces. Use them the same way for canning as well as for freezing. Except when freezing, don’t put salt in them and don’t blanch them, it makes them wither up. Just put the raw beans in freezer bags or boxes and put them in your freezer. As for canning green beans, I use wide mouth mason jars. Fill them up to within an inch of the top of the jar. Fill each jar with warm water.
You can choose to, or not, add one teaspoon of salt per jar. Make sure the jar top is clean before putting the two piece lid on. I pressure can mine at 15 lb pressure for thirty minutes. Lower your heat down to medium after your canner reaches 15 lb pressure. Remember, always make sure the pressure is completely down before taking the lid off. If you don’t, you could get burned bad, and no one wants that.
Cherries are getting ready to pick. The trees are loaded with them here. Besides canning and freezing, I like to cook and bake and experiment with things.
Local tomatoes are starting to ripen up now. Is anyone interested in how to make homemade Ketsup or Horseradish relish or corn relish or even chow chow? I have these recipes if anyone wants them. I have a favorite that my mother and I used to make every summer. It is called Sweet Pepper Relish. I’ll enclose it with the recipes.
for 4 people
Fried Apples
Legacy of Sara (Sallie) Clark nee Wike
5 large cooking apples
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt cup butter or margarine
Peel and core apples. Cut into 1 inch wedges. In shallow pan, stir together sugar, salt. Drop apple wedges in mixture. Coat all sides.
In large skillet melt butter or margarine. Add apples and cook partially covered 15 minutes, or until fork tender, carefully turning apples occasionally with pancake turner.
Serve with cooked meat and good serving of fried potatoes on other side.
Mom Sara was my mother in law. She liked to make these at Thanksgiving and we put them on the platter with the turkey. Boy, did that ever smell good, too.
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Corn Drying
Contributed by Knapper
One of my favorite memories was when my grandmother would dry corn on the stove. She had this square gray container that was as big as the entire top of the stove. She sat it on top of all the burners and filled it with fresh corn cut off the cob. She would stay up late at night drying load after load of corn. I slept in the attic right above the kitchen. There was a vent hole cut in the kitchen. When she was drying the corn, the aroma would fill my head all night. What a wonderful aroma to be surrounded by as you fell asleep. To this day, corn is my favorite vegetable.
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Easter and Spring Memories
By Rita Redd
My early Easter and spring memories started at my grandmothers (Loma Redd). We called her Mama. The thrill of dyeing eggs the old fashion way. Watching her bake a cake and prepare other dishes for Easter dinner.
Mama always made my Easter dress and bonnet. Peddling that old Singer sewing machine in a song-like rhythm. She would look at a dress in a store window and then draw the dress on a piece of paper. At home she would cut the dress pattern using a brown paper bag.
I remember trying to go to sleep on the night before Easter, while all the time I was wondering how many goodies would be in my Easter basket. Time seemed to stand still as a child. Dinner on Easter Sunday seemed to never end. Then it was time for the Egg hunt.
I remember the lavender blanket of ground cover called Thrift. It was the only time of year we trampled the flowers without the adults objection!
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Canning Sausage
Contributed by Rita Redd
Make sausage into patties.
Fry, saving all liquid.
Pack cooked sausage into jars.
Cover with hot sausage grease.
Allow jars to seal.
I have seen this method used for years. It is now recommended that jars be processed.
Peanut Butter Cookies
Legacy of Boltz, Born in Lebanon County, PA
Contributed by Franklin T. Wike, Jr.
1 cup White Sugar
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 cup Peanut Butter
1 cup butter
1 Egg
1 cup Flour
1 tsp soda
1 tsp Baking Powder
pinch salt
Directions
Mix well, Make marks across with fork and bake.
Directions (adapted)
Cream sugars, butter together.
Add peanut butter, mix well
Add egg mix well.
Add dry ingredients mix well
Roll into small balls, Place on greased cookie sheet.
Dip fork into flour or sugar and make cross design on cookies with fork.
Bake at 350 until slightly brown.
Note: Self-rising flour can be used. Omit soda, baking powder and salt to use self-rising flour.
Published in U S Legacies Magazine April 2003, August 2004
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