- Submitted by Jean
- Mama was a good everyday cook. She did not get into anything fancy though, She cooked the kind of food that was more nurishing than it was pretty. She didn’t do cakes except molasses. The only pies she made were cobblers, egg custard and fried pies. She made what she called TEA CAKES. Of course we didn’t have high tea in Concord, Al., but they were good . You will find a few of her recipes at the end of this story, or at least the best I can remember them because she never used a recipe.
- Mama told me a lot about her family, however I was like most kids, I didn’t write it down. She told me about hoop snakes, coach whip snakes, rabid dogs, ghost stories and the dog they had that kept the ghost out of the house one time. The only ghost story that I remember goes like this: Mama’s brother Jim was married to Mary and she was sickly. One day while talking about death and the hereafter,, Uncle Jim, Aunt Mary, and Aunt Novia (she was Uncle Lonnie and Tom’s Mother-in-law) decided that the first one of them to die would show themselves to the others to let them know for sure that there was life after death.
- Well, Mama, being the youngest about 12 or so and a coward said she didn’t want any part of that.
- Sometime Later Mary died and a little later after that, Uncle Jim, Aunt Novia and mama were sitting around the fireplace. An open hall ran trough the house and the door was open. Mama had her back to the door. Uncle Jim and Aunt Novia could see out this door. They both jumped-up, very excited, shouting, ‘did you see that?” Mama was flabbergasted since she saw nothing. The other 2 swore that they had seen Mary walk past the door.
- You can see that I had a very interesting childhood if I could only remember it. Sometimes I’m like the old lady on the stair landing, She couldn’t remember if she was going up or down. Or like the gentleman that the preacher went to see. He was getting up in years and was not a Christian, The preacher asked him if it wasn’t time for him to consider what he was here for. The old man answered, “Oh! I do that all time. I go from one room to the next and turn around and ask what I’m there for.”
- Back to mama. She had all the right remedies to treat any illnes you might have. There was peach tree leaf tea, sassafras tea,, rabbit tobacco tea, catnip tea, Oh! How I wish I could remember. She taught me how to pick cotton, crochet, embroidery, quilt, piece quilt tops, sew, cook, how to make kraut in a churn, how to churn milk to make butter, how to milk a cow, how to mark eggs to set a hen. You had to mark the ones that were to hatch with a pen that would not rub off so you could tell if another hen layed with the setting hen. You had to look under that hen everyday and most of the time they pecked you. She taught me how to bait a fishhook with a red worm, how to kill a chicken (that I couldn’t do), dress the chicken, and cut it up
- She showed me how to kiard (pronounced kee-ard) cotton or wool to separate the fibers, then she took the fibers to the spinning wheel and made yarn. The yarn went to the loom where she made cloth. This cloth was called homespun.
- We hunted hickory nuts (scaly barks), muscadines, possum grapes, and huckleberries all in the fall. In the spring we hunted eatable weeds very early. The only two I can remember by name are lambs quarter and dandelion. These were to give you a spring tonic. I have since learned that we were probably low in vitamin C as we had no fruit in the winter except canned berries and the big red apple and an orange that we got for Christmas.. A little later in the spring, we hunted “poke salet.” We picked the young sprouts and mama boiled them. She called this par boiling. They cooked until tender, then pour the water off and wash good in cold water, place in skillet, heat. When hot, add grease and the desired number of eggs to scramble with the greens. I never cared for this dish but some of my family will bring in poke salet.
- Mama believed in decorating in some way, the grave of every relative she ever knew. She made flowers out of crepe paper and later, tissue. There were 2 big decorations, Union Hill on the 1st Sunday in May and Fergason on the 3rd Sunday. She started making flowers not long after Christmas. Roses, tulips, hycinths, rose buds, They were pretty but the 1st little shower or big dew and they were ruined. We were not through though. She made some more. There was no set day for this one and it was not easy like the others. When she decided the day had arrived, we went to Old Prospect Cemetery. There we hacked our way across the cemetery to where her parents, grand-parents and great-grand-parents, were buried. There were also 2 or 3 nieces and nephews. We cleaned off anything that had grown there since the year before. We then scraped the ground clean and put out these last flowers. I’m very glad that I can take anyone who wants to know and show them where 3 generations of my family lay side-by-side. . I’m afraid that mama would be disappointed in me because I don’t go there every year and couldn’t clean it if I did.
- Mama was in charge of foot washing and communion at church, which was done once a year during what they called “big meeting”. That was a 2 week revival, beginning the 1st Sunday in Aug. Along toward the end, one night they washed each others feet. (women-women) (men-men) and they observed the Lord’s Supper. The items used were provided and cared for by mama. There were long towels, long enough to tie around the waist and still have enough to dry feet. Mama made these from fertilizer sacks. She made the wine from grape juice. The grapes grew in our back yard. It was fermented, Not just juice. There was no water at the church house, so we carried the water and the pans to be used.
- She made the unleavened bread from flour and water. This was not taken lightly. Those towels had their special place the rest of the year.
- Mama always wore a bonnet when she was outside working and she never went to church in the daytime without a hat unless it was real cold, then she wore a scarf. She believed that a woman was to keep her head covered in church and was to keep her skin white, which was the lady custom at the time.
- I’m so glad that your parents (1st cousins) thought enough of mama to teach you all to call her grandma because I know that she thought of you as her grand-children. After papa died she was so pleased when any of you came to see her, for she knew that it was for her alone.
- We are very blessed to be as close as we are. I hope we can keep this closeness at least as long as there are 1st COUSINS.
- Mama told me a lot about her family, however I was like most kids, I didn’t write it down. She told me about hoop snakes, coach whip snakes, rabid dogs, ghost stories and the dog they had that kept the ghost out of the house one time. The only ghost story that I remember goes like this: Mama’s brother Jim was married to Mary and she was sickly. One day while talking about death and the hereafter,, Uncle Jim, Aunt Mary, and Aunt Novia (she was Uncle Lonnie and Tom’s Mother-in-law) decided that the first one of them to die would show themselves to the others to let them know for sure that there was life after death.
- Butter Roll
- Make a stiff biscuit dough, roll it out in an oblong shape. In the middle long ways, place a lot of butter. If The dough measures 6” wide by 19” long you will need about ½ c butter, ½ c. sugar, sprinkle with ¼ t vanilla. Fold one side of the dough over the sugar and butter, then fold over the other side. Mash ends together so butter and sugar won’t run out.
- Make as many rolls this way as you will need to fit the pan you will use. Place the rolls in a deep pan. Cover the rolls with sweet milk. Bake at 350* until rolls are done. You might want to add more butter. Cut the rolls in serving size and spoon on thickened milk, or just dip out with a spoon.
- Make as many rolls this way as you will need to fit the pan you will use. Place the rolls in a deep pan. Cover the rolls with sweet milk. Bake at 350* until rolls are done. You might want to add more butter. Cut the rolls in serving size and spoon on thickened milk, or just dip out with a spoon.
- Tea Cakes
2 eggs 1 T/ milk 1/2c butter room temp. 2 c flour 1 c. sugar ½ t. vanilla - Cream sugar and butter. Add other ingredients starting with eggs. Put a small amount on dough boar and knead, roll out and cut cookies. Place on oiled cookie sheet and bake at 350* till brown. To make sugar cookies, sprinkle with sugar. while hot.
- Molasses Cake
½ c Milk 1 c sorgham molasses 1/3 c. butter 1 egg, ¼ t ginger pinch of salt in self-rising flour - Mix all ingredients in a large bowl using enough flour to make batter to desired thickness. Pour batter in a 10” iron skillet and bake at 300* till done.
- European Cake
3 eggs 1 c pecans 1 tsp soda 1 c. sugar 1 t. cinnamon ½ c buttermilk ¼ t. cloves 2 c flour ½ c butter 1 lb. Raisins 1 c blackberry jam - Roll raisins and nuts in flour so they won’t sink to the bottom. Mix all ingredients and bake in greased floured pans at 350* till done. This recipe makes 4 or 5 layers depending on size of pan.
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- Icing
- ½ c chopped orange and 1 t. grated peel some recipes call for one orange, I don’t think that is enough
- 1 c. sugar
- 1 T. flour
- 1 c coconut
- Cook first 4 ingredients until thick. Spread between layers and on top and sides. Sprinkle Coconut all over.
- When I was growing up, mother, Aunt Gladys and Aunt Hycinth always got together before Christmas to make this cake. The spices made the house smell so good. This recipe makes 2 cakes with just a little left over for the kids. To this day I still think of this cake at Christmas but my family doesn’t like it. They had rather have mother’s German Chocolate or her Ice -Box Fruit- Cake.
- 1 c. sugar
- Blackberry Cobbler
- Place enough canned blackberries in a pan big enough to hold the size pie you want to make. (maybe a dishpan) You might have to add some water. Sweeten to taste. Make very sweet. Heat to boiling.
- Make the desired amount of pastry, any recipe. Take about ¾ of the pastry, roll out and cut in strips about 1 ½’ Squares.(dumplings) Drop the dumplings into boiling berries. Make as thick as you wish. Cook until dumplings are done and juice is thick.
- Remove from heat. Roll out the other pastry and cover the pie. You can use one whole piece or cut in strips and make a lattice top. Dot the top with slices of butter. Bake at 350* until brown. If you are not watching your weight , you can add more butter to your serving while it is still hot. It’s so GOOOOOOOOD
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- Make the desired amount of pastry, any recipe. Take about ¾ of the pastry, roll out and cut in strips about 1 ½’ Squares.(dumplings) Drop the dumplings into boiling berries. Make as thick as you wish. Cook until dumplings are done and juice is thick.