Corn Drying
Sent in by: Knapper
One of my favorite memories was when my grandmother would dry corn on the stove. She had this square gray container that was as big as the entire top of the stove. She sat it on top of all the burners and filled it with fresh corn cut off the cob. She would stay up late at night drying load after load of corn.
I slept in the attic right above the kitchen. There was a vent hole cut in the kitchen. When she was drying the corn. The aroma would fill my head all night. What a wonderful aroma to be surrounded by as you fell asleep. To this day, corn is my favorite vegetable.
Old Fashion Custard Recipe
Cup Custard
½ cup sugar Directions
3 eggs
beat together Beat sugar and eggs, 2 minutes medium (electric mixer).
1 qt milk Add milk beat 1 minute medium speed
vanilla Add vanilla mixing well
cinnamon on top Pour into buttered baking dish, top with cinnamon
Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.
Recipe of: Lizzie Fink Hostetter nee Long
From: South Annville, PA
Born 1881
Contributed by: Franklin T. Wike, Jr.
Kitchen Memory
Hog Butchering
Sent in by Tom Packard
I just read Melinda Longs story in Grandma’s Kitchen. She states that nothing was wasted when butchering a hog and burnin lard.
I remember the early 40’s living on our farm in Stevens Point Wis. We raised hogs, and in the fall all the neighboring farmers would gather. My dad had a big steel barrel, maybe 80 gallons or bigger. A large fire was started to get the water boiling in the barrel. A block and tackle was hug over the barrel. The men would slaughter hogs from 200 to 500 pounds. The hogs would be dunked in the boiling water, scalding the skin. The hair could then be scrapped off. The only part wasted was the hair, hoofs and the squeal. The intestines were stripped and cleaned for sausage casings.
The rendering or (burnin lard) was melting down the excess fat. The chit links were a delicacy. The lard wasn’t used only for cooking. The women would have the old the wood burning kitchen stove ready. They would be roasting the meat to just about done. The meat was taken to the cellar and placed in 25-gallon porcelain crocks, covered with the liquid lard leaving no air. The liquid lard would solidify and be white like Crisco.
There were no refrigerators, this was how the meat was stored and preserved.
When Ma wanted a roast, she would either go to the cellar, or send one of us. You reached into the soft white lard, grabbed a roast. Ma would put it in a pan with the trimmings and finish the roasting. I have till yet to find a pork roast that has the same flavor.
The meat that wasn’t used this way, was made into sausage and stuffed into the intestine casing, or hung in the smoke house for salting or smoking to make ham or bacon. Lots of work for all, but the benefit of neighbors and family working together somehow isn’t there today.
Recipe for canning sausage:
Contributed by Rita Redd
Make sausage into patties. I have seen this method used for years.
Fry saving all liquid. It is now recommended that jars be
Pack cooked sausage into jars processed.
Cover with hot sausage grease
Allow jars to seal.
Easy Recipe of the month
Peach Cobbler Directions
1 large can peaches Melt margarine pour into 8 by 12 baking dish
1 cup sugar Pour drained peaches on top of margarine
1 cup self rising flour sifted Stir sugar, flour and milk together,
1 cup milk pour on top of peaches
1 Stick Margarine
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