Virginia Tadrzynski wrote:
"George Shirley" wrote in message
.. .

snippage of a wonderful story


I fall in the midrange (48) and I didn't have a mom who cooked. I grew up
with the aunties cooking mass quantities and putting up some. I was never
invited as they felt the kids had no place in the kitchen. Thank God for
Aunty Mary, my next door neighbor and friend's mom. She worked full time as
did her husband and they had a 50 acre garden in the Piedmont Sandhills of
NC. She would grow and can anything and any extra pair of hands was
appreciated. She taught me rudementary cooking and some basic craft skills
(my mom was crafty but had no patience to teach it). I remember being the
'littlest kid' I had the job of intestine holder when they butchered the
hogs (hold the the intestines while boiling water is rinsed thru them to
remove the poo so the intestines can then be washed and used as sausage
casings)......for this I got to later (after washing my hands of course)
help mix the sausage meat.

Moved on, went to college, got married, had 1 kidlet, and started wondering
just how to cook. Bought a few cookbooks, remembered some of the aunties
doing certain things with certain items. Had a few more kidlests and
started to really wonder how to save money. By this time, we lived in
Philly, so I started a little garden in my back yard (13'x24' and that
includes the paved area with a clothesline - older neighbors smiled when I
hung out clothes, new ones asked about why I didn't use a dryer). Grew
tomatoes and peppers. Ate them as soon as they came off the vine.

Moved north of Philly and put in a little garden, not much to write home
about, but the squirrels and deer appreciate my efforts. Eldest son in
scouts at time and an older woman was canning one day when I had to drop off
something for the scout unit. I was intrigued. She invited me in and the
rest was history. She took me to a couple of 'pick your own' orchards
(sadly, now housing developements) and I got to pick what I wanted to can.
Now I rely on farmers' markets, but at least they were grown at someone's
home.

Then I discovered or shall I say, was discovered by Barb, the Queen of all
canning, and the rest is history. She initiated me into how to really become
a Ribbon Whore. I started canning and putting things in fairs, and the rest
is history.

So to the originator, Betty, and the instigator, Barb, I tip my hat.

I have discovered a website called the Urban Homemaker. They sell canning
items, tell stories and give general advice. To the more religious of the
lot, they teach a premise called the Titus 2 woman, where the younger are
taught skills to care for the older when they need it (referenced to the
book of Titus in the Bible). They actually have a syllabus on how to teach
young girls (and I add boys to the list, as my boys can cook, my girls -
forget it) the homemaking arts, from cooking, to canning, to bread making,
to sewing, homecrafts, etc. I am trying to encourage my church's youth
group to look into buying the syllabus, and I would try to gather up some of
the more seasoned ladies who remember how to do this and teach it. If we
don't try to teach the next generation, they will be looking in the pantry
after we're gone and ask where the pickles went to......

-ginny


You stirred my memory Ginny. My great grandmother lived with us for a
few years when I was a wee laddie. She taught me to knit, crochet, and
tat lace. Skills I have since lost for lack of doing it more often.
Learned to cook at my Dad's knee and his mother's side, she ran small
cafe's as she was widowed at about age 50 and still had two kids at home.

I had forgotten about clothes lines. I welded some two inch pipe
together into "Tees", put them in the ground and cemented them then
strung galvanized wire on them, four strands. Miz Anne had a clothes
line, which by the way, was all her parents ever had or mine. We lived
in an 8X49 mobile home on a half acre we owned, gardened on the adjacent
land which belonged to my Dad, fished in his pond, hunted squirrels and
rabbits on the same land and made ends meet until I got a really good
job with benefits. It's amazing what we will do to improve our way in
life when we have too. Sounds like you grew up in about the same way but
twenty years later than we did. Good thing you found the folks to teach
you, including Barb. She's been a big help over the years for all of us.
I think I've been reading this newsgroup since about 1992 but don't
really remember anymore.

George