WATER

A lull between storms

If I had known it would be this cold in June, I would have replanted the peas and spinach. Well, I don’t know about the spinach. Something ate it. But the something that ate the spinach, doesn’t care for peas. It did like the zucchini, though. The only zucchini sprout I noticed has disappeared. The tomatoes are slowly growing and blooming, and the strawberries still look good. I have to wonder what signals this cold snap is sending to the plants and fruit trees, though.

Hallie suggested I plant marigolds to ward off insects, but Walmart didn’t have any. I had thought I would jumpstart my zucchini by buying plants, but Walmart was selling single plants for $5 each. Okay – I know I have a concept of $5 that’s straight out of the ‘70s, but it’s still too much for just one plant, especially when it could be like throwing $5 away. I’ll just replant, and if worst comes to worst, maybe this year I’ll have to buy zucchini. I wonder how much zucchini $5 will buy. Maybe not much.

Mike has now completed his annual farmhouse window washing. Knowing the forecast was for rain, he saved the protected downstairs windows for Tuesday, and it was a good thing because we had intermittent storms much of the day. It was also chilly – between 50 and 60 -- and today is yet another cold, rainy day. I was glad for the rain, though, because we need the moisture and it replenishes the cistern (my garden water). 

Southern view obscured by weather

On the subject of water, Hallie and I recently discussed water conservation, specifically the sharing of bath water. In Ina’s house, the family bathed in the wash tub just once a week – on Saturday night – whether they needed it or not. The cleanest people – women and children – bathed first and then the men.  Perhaps they occasionally added hot water, but they didn’t totally change the water. The water source was a distant spring or the cistern. Either way, water was a precious commodity to be used sparingly. My brother Chuck told me that when the men were working, such as during harvest, they did bathe in the evening. And I also think that everyone washed up as needed. 

And it was “dry land farming,” too. They didn’t irrigate the crops or the garden, and they didn’t need to because in those days it occasionally rained during the summer. I don’t know if they might have carried a little water to some struggling plant. Perhaps they did, but they certainly didn’t have sprinklers or drip systems.  

Hallie commented that the sharing of bath water seems like a practice born of poverty. Well, maybe so, but they had to conserve, AND we should be rethinking our water use today because the future of water in our world is at risk. I don’t think Hallie liked what I was saying, but even in Seattle where we think of frequent rain and lush gardens, she speaks of the need to water. She also said that their lawn is already turning brown and questions how much money she wants to spend to keep it green. It’s a question that homeowners have pondered for decades. KW 

HOW TO CAN CORN

 We have so little popcorn this year as something got so much of it before we gathered it in. Nearly half of it must have been gone when Mama and I went down to gather it. – Shirley Dobson, December 1932

Several posts ago, I wondered why Ina made no mention of corn in her little canning notebook. My dad enjoyed growing a large patch of corn at the farm, so I naturally assumed that he was carrying on the family tradition. I still think that Ina and Jack must have grown corn. At any rate, I found a number of corn recipes in Ina’s recipe box. Perhaps the corn was Jack’s responsibility.

“Ettie” sent this recipe to Ina with the following note: “Maybe you already know this method. If you do, no harm done. Lots of people don’t.” To can corn on the cob, remove husks as to cook. Place in pan. Blanch by pouring boiling water over it and let stand in water til cool. Pack in jars. Take vessel bigger than jars and fill with cold water. Immerse jar sideways in water. When bubbles stop, seal and cook about 15 minutes or ½ hour. And to cook, remove, wash and cook as usual, only add a little sugar. You can shave corn from cobs after blanching and can same way.

Here’s Mrs. Cordell’s recipe for canning corn. (Mrs. Cordell was a neighbor.)

10 cups corn cut from cob and milk scraped out,

1 cup sugar, 2 tbsp salt. Put on in open kettle. Add no water. Cook 10 minutes stirring constantly. Put in sterilized jars; seal and boil one hour.

And there are other corn recipes:

Corn Chowder

Corn Casserole

Corn Salad

Corn Relish

Here’s the recipe for corn relish:

Chop one head cabbage, sprinkle with salt, let stand one hour. Boil 12 ears corn, cut off cob. Grind 4 large onions, one large or 2 small peppers. Add chopped cabbage and cover with 1 ½ quarts vinegar [That’s what it says. No wonder I remember a house that smelled like vinegar!], 1 tsp mustard, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp celery seed, 1 cup sugar. Let all come to a boil and cook about 20 minutes and seal.

On the back of this recipe in Ina’s penciled scrawl is this recipe for corn and tomatoes:

Corn, tomatoes, onions browned in butter

Bacon diced and browned – added.

If I were to try this simple dish, I’d brown the bacon and remove from pan. Then I’d saute the corn, tomatoes, and onions in the same pan with a small amount of bacon fat. I’d crumble the bacon and stir it into the vegetables and add a sprinkle of pepper. I bet it would be pretty good.

[The photo here is of my other grandfather, Charlie Portfors. He planted a garden on a vacant lot he owned on Brown Avenue near “A” Street in Orofino. He was proud of that garden, and rightly so. It looks like he has squash in front of the corn. No date on the photo, but it was the mid-1950s.]

JUST A QUICK REAL-TIME UPDATE

We were in town all last week while Mike attended the NAIA World Series. Our local Lewis Clark State College lost out early in the week, but Mike enjoyed the games. And while he was busy, I enjoyed quiet time with my projects.

The three of us – Mike, Bess, and I – drove to the farm in the old pick-up on Sunday (May 31). The old Dodge RAM is a gas-guzzler, so we made the trip count both ways. We carried pavers and treated wood to the farm which will be used to renovate the raised bed when Hallie comes later this month. After offloading those supplies, we loaded the disappointing Whirlpool washing machine which we delivered to the shop in town today. Murray had volunteered to come help us on Monday, but Mike was able to load it with a dolly and my assistance. We senior citizens like to solve our own problems as long as we can.

The first thing I noticed as we drove into the farm was the bed of dazzling purple iris on the bank behind the house. I regret they were not in bloom on Memorial Day weekend.  

The tomatoes and strawberries seem to be doing well, but “something” is eating my green beans and zucchini sprouts. Hallie suggests I plant marigolds in that bed, and maybe I should. I’ll have to buy them. Too late to start from seed. I’ll also buy a zucchini plant – and some slug bait. I don’t think it’s too late to replant the beans and hope for the best. KW

 

PLEASE PASS THE KETCHUP

I have a childhood memory of my sister Nina explaining to her boyfriend that everyone says “ketchup,” but the word is really “catsup.” I’m not sure she was quite right, but catsup and ketchup are essentially the same product.

Hallie commented that maybe Ina made ketchup with her tomatoes, and in fact, I found a recipe for “Jiffy Ketchup” in her recipe box.

1 cup tomato juice or puree

1 medium onion chopped

Vinegar, salt, sugar and spices to taste

I don’t think I’ll try it. I’ll let the folks at Heinz or Hunt’s make mine.

In my research, I discovered that ketchup can be made from other ingredients. Here’s another variation from Ina’s recipe box:

Cucumber Catsup

Grate about 3 dozen large cucumbers. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Allow one small onion for each bottle. Heat enough cider vinegar to pour over and seal jars.

On the other hand, maybe Ina did have a lot of tomatoes. Read on:

Tomato Pickles

Take about 8 quarts (1 peck) tomatoes. Slice and sprinkle with salt. Let stand overnight. Next morning, drain. Add ½ dozen large onions sliced.

Mix:

1 ½ scant cups sugar

1 tbsp mustard

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 tbsp allspice

1 tsp cloves

A little cayenne

Sprinkle over tomatoes and onions. Add sufficient vinegar to cover. Let simmer on back of stove till tender or pack into two quart jars, bring to a boil, and let boil for about 15 minutes.

Yes, well – I had never heard of tomato pickles, but you can find recipes online. Interesting. KW

CLOTTED CREAM -- INA'S RECIPE

Same house, different era

After Grandpa Jack Dobson died in 1946, their daughter Myrtle came to the farm to serve as Ina’s caregiver. In late middle age herself, Myrtle was still spry, energetic, and strong. Her early years with Ina were productive. They spent many hours together while Ina dictated her life story. Perhaps they also sorted things in the house. Myrtle was a great organizer.

AND – Myrtle reorganized Ina’s recipe box. I know she did because she initialed notations on recipe cards and also added recipes to the box. It’s easy to tell Myrtle’s even, legible cursive, always written in ink, from Ina’s penciled scrawl. Ina’s recipes are disappearing, fading right off the cards. It’s too bad, but I’m not going to use those recipes anyway. Modern methods are so much better.

Myrtle’s recipes reflect an interest in the expanding cuisine of the 1950s, while Ina’s are for cakes, cookies, bread, a few salads, canning, and preserves. I also come upon oddball recipes that are such fun to read. Here’s one for clotted cream:

1 gal milk. Let stand 24 hours. Place in pan of water on stove and heat till a ring forms around edge. Do not boil. Then stand this aside for another 24 hours, when it will make a heavy new firm cream. Delicious.

Ina's recipes, written in pencil, are fading away

I had never heard of clotted cream, so I googled it, and AI gave me this brief overview: Clotted cream is a thick, rich, and luxurious British dairy spread made by slowly heating heavy cream so the cream rises and forms buttery "clots" on the surface. It boasts a silky texture similar to softened cream cheese, a nutty-sweet flavor, and contains 55-64% butterfat. So, it’s a cross between cream and butter and is delicious when spread on scones and topped with jam.

If you want to make clotted cream, I recommend searching a recipe using today’s methods. Remember, Ina’s milk was actually raw milk from the cow. Today’s recipes call for cream. I’m intrigued, but I probably won’t go to the trouble since we seldom use cream. We don’t even stray from skim milk to one-percent unless we absolutely have to, and yes, my custards are watery. That’s just the way it is.

But – when I was a child, we always had a jar of cream in the fridge. My dad loved cream, and in those days, we could buy raw cream from our “egg lady.” Daddy used it frequently on his cereal, in his coffee, and on whatever else he thought would be enhanced by a tablespoon or two. I considered that jar nasty and didn’t touch it.

And Mother would whip cream for strawberry shortcake. We use non-dairy whipped products instead – or nothing at all. Mother also made cream puffs, which she would serve to the ladies of her sewing circle. Don’t look to me to make them for you.

As we move into summer, I think of Ina's big vegetable garden and tasty fresh produce – so good for us – but the farm diet was also heavy in fat – eggs, bacon, cream, butter, and don’t forget about lard. Today we worry about fast food, but perhaps every generation has its food challenges. KW

PLAIN FOOD AND LEFTOVERS

 

We have about three feet of snow and it is cold. It began piling up week before last and we have had sub-zero weather off and on ever since. Dad keeps a lantern in the cellar “of a nite” and nothing has frozen. – Ina Dobson, February 1936

Hallie wonders: “Now I’m curious about the recipes. Was it mostly, ‘here are your peas, here are your potatoes and here’s your chicken’ or did they make casseroles and soups and such? Did they have an ice box / refrigerator? Could they ever just heat up leftovers for dinner or did they have to cook every night because they couldn’t store the food?”

The short answer is that it was just plain food – meat, potatoes, garden vegetables and berries in season, and homemade bread. If they had leftovers, I’m sure they used them up quickly.

Refrigeration was not available at our farmhouse until Vance (my dad) brought in a propane fridge in the ‘50s and parked it where the water tank sits today. In the old days, the family had a cold house built into the bank off the kitchen porch, which they called the “cellar.” It had sawdust between the walls, and it was cool even in summer but as the above note indicates, things could freeze there in the cold of winter. In 1996, when the pine tree hit the house, it also obliterated the cellar and that was that. It was time for it to go anyway.

So, yes, they had a way to preserve food, though not to today’s standards. Sunday’s pot roast might have been stored in the cellar and served again on Monday. Next, any leftover meat and vegetables could be cut up and warmed in gravy. My mother did this, and I loved it. Or, they might grind up leftover beef roast, potatoes, and onions for a tasty hash, a favorite of mine that I haven’t tasted since childhood and likely won’t again.

Of course, Ina roasted or stewed chicken, and in those days, chickens were smaller than today. Chicken probably wasn’t left over too often, and that was a good thing since it doesn’t keep well. I know that Ina made soup, and this was another means of using leftovers. My dad said homemade soup was better than the canned variety we all know so well. I didn’t agree. If canned soup is an acquired taste, I have acquired it.

I think the main meal was usually at noon, so meal prep took place in the morning, especially in summer. When the farm crew was working, they needed a good midday meal, and then perhaps the family ate leftovers in the evening, but sometimes they were so tired that they just had bread and milk. And it wouldn’t surprise me if during strawberry season they had strawberry shortcake for supper. (I would if I could get away with it.)

Myrtle Dobson

Recipes? I believe that cooking for the homesteading farmwife was less about following a recipe and more about what she learned at her mother’s elbow or through her own experience. I have Ina’s recipe box, and I see that she exchanged recipes for cakes and cookies with her neighbors. It does not contain recipes for casseroles except for those written by Myrtle c. 1950. Frankly, Ina took to the grave the recipes for family favorites, reinforcing my opinion that she wasn’t much into recordkeeping.

Coming soon – Ina’s recipe box

MEMORIAL DAY BOUQUETS

 

Cottonwood Butte from Gilbert Cemetery

It was cold this morning as Mike and I visited the Gilbert Cemetery with two fresh bouquets – one for Milo’s grave and the other for my dad’s. Sometimes I place artificial flowers on all the family graves, but this year I have other things to do.

Yesterday as I toured the yard, I thought I had enough flowers for the two bouquets – lilacs, iris, spirea. This morning, the lilacs are turning brown, the remaining iris are few, and the spirea flowers are dropping like snow. More iris will bloom out in a day or two but too late for us. We must visit the cemetery early this year.

The caretaker was mowing in preparation for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend. We had a nice visit and expressed appreciation for his work. This is an old cemetery, and we know from experience that not many will visit, which makes his efforts all the more meaningful. I suppose we have more graves here than any other family – 24.

Milo’s marker is next to Ina and Jack’s, his great-grandparents.

Coming up – more about farmhouse kitchen practices. KW