And somewhere hidden away, I have his recipes. Yeah, we'll do just fine.
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
My grandmas rocked.
Grandma Evelyn taught me how to garden, can, and make jellies and breads. Grandma Doris taught me how to knit, crochet, quilt and sew. She also taught me how to make pastas and sausages. I've even got my great great uncle's still that he brought West when the family was run out of Tennessee.
And somewhere hidden away, I have his recipes. Yeah, we'll do just fine.
And somewhere hidden away, I have his recipes. Yeah, we'll do just fine.
My grandmas were the same way. And you didn't waste anything! If it could be repurposed, or a moody spot trimmed off, you'd better believe they did it. I once got chewed out for my sub par ability to trim chicken breasts. Never did that again.
ReplyDelete-CM
And Sam stole your picture. No credit, no nothing.
ReplyDeleteCan't believe somebody with a still got run out of Tennessee...
ReplyDeleteMy parents were children of the Depression also and were still putting in a garden, etc. forty years later.
Never learned that from my mom and only saw the grand parents every 4 or 5 years.
ReplyDeleteI am teaching those skills to my kids though.
Exile1981
You know what, wirecutter? It's all good.
ReplyDeleteWhen you see brilliance and you can't match it, you steal it.
And my grandmas also taught me how to say, "Well bless your heart, Sam."
I too was taught to grow, can, hunt, and dress out meat and all the other stuff you need to know to survive when the store is gone, and you can't get stuff on Ebay.
ReplyDeleteHa, once I asked my depression era dad about the game wardens during the depression; if they arrested poachers and such.....he just snorted and said, "they were just as hungry as we were".
ReplyDeleteSteve
Those of us who learned from our grandparents will always be able to feed ourselves,and make pretty much anything we want or need.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I asked questions,got recipes,and learned by watching.
I wish I knew how to can.
ReplyDeleteDD,
ReplyDeleteIt's not difficult to learn to can.
The initial outlay is the most expensive part: jars, rings and lids, sugar, a canning pot or steamer (I prefer a steamer), and a book of canning from either Ball or Kerr. Some of the stuff (canning pot or steamer) can be found at a local GoodWill, if your timing is right. And obviously, most of the material can be reused, year after year. The only thing that would need to be re-purchased would be the lids and sugar.
And then there's the fruit. Buy fresh, ripe, and unspoiled/unbruised.
Start with small amounts. That way, until you get a feel and practice for the process, you won't be wasting a lot of time and money and food if you do it wrong.
Hopefully you have a friend, neighbor, or relative that can help you and walk you through step by step. Besides, it's more fun and goes faster with 2 or three doing the canning.
I was a back-east city boy, had never done any canning at all, never even heard of it, until I moved out west, met my future wife, and we canned some apricots. More fun than a basket of kittens, and we do canning every year now. It's a regular part of our food storage. And delicious, too.
Good luck, and have fun.
B Woodman
III-per
My grandparents were dairy farmers during the depression. They always had a big garden, chickens, the lot. The farm work was back-breaking but they never stood in a soup line.
ReplyDeleteMy wife was bitten by the canning bug, and she came from Hong Kong, so anybody can do it. Crazy about her garden too. She loves seeing those rows of jars that she put together. We've been doing it for many years.