Thursday, December 19, 2024

DAY 19

 

Vance's rendering of the old living room fireplace

One late evening after the dishes were cleared away, Dad popped two kettlefuls of lovely corn and we sugared one and put taffy over the other. We heaped a large platter with balls till Dad said, “Oh, that’s enough,” for he wanted some left to eat. Well, I sent him off to the living room to eat and read. Then I prepared my dressing and sweet potatoes for the morrow and put my buns to rise, for I’d baked lite bread and roasted beef too. At last I repaired to my seat before the fire with a pan of sugared corn, nuts and candy and filled eleven little Christmas boxes for the tree.

Ah! Those last-minute preparations when we work late into the evening. In my mind’s eye, I can see Jack and Ina working together to make this popcorn treat for the guests who will come to their Christmas Eve gathering.

The popcorn was grown right there on the farm, and Grandpa Jack was in charge of popping it on the old wood range, and then Ina and Jack worked together to coat it with sugar and taffy.

I saw this process as I grew up. Coming from this tradition, my dad would occasionally make caramel corn. He popped the corn and then set to work to make the caramel coating in the heavy cast iron skillet. When the syrup was ready, he would call Mother, and working with two forks, Mother would turn the corn while Daddy steadily poured a stream of the hot syrup over it. It was really a two-person job because it was important to coat the pop-corn before the syrup hardened. (It didn't always happen either.)

It was a labor-intensive process from beginning to end, and I guess some part of me realized this because it didn’t transfer into my life. I never did it for my family, though the doing of it is now a treasured memory. KW

2 comments:

Chuck said...

Wonderful story. It shows the value of working together to get projects done.

Chris said...

I remember eating caramel corn at your house at Christmas time. Whenever I make it, that memory comes back to me.