Saturday, August 21, 2010

Sunday.. Southern memories..

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Back when I was a kid, summer vacation did not necessarily mean a trip to visit a theme park.
Initially as soon as school ended at Memorial Day, those next  three months of summer were utilized for harvesting crops.Needing as many hands possible, neighbors and their children all combined forces to get the crops harvested quickly.. Oftentimes  while the men were in the hay and cotton fields, the women and smaller children were busily preparing vegetables for canning.
Such was frequently the scene at my house on Sundays.
First we attended morning church services,
then  Sunday Dinner usually served boarding house style... the kitchen quickly cleared and cleaned..
.and afterwards..out to the back yard..under the pecan trees..
Many a Sunday afternoon  was spent beneath the spreading pecan trees in our back yard with a bucket of peas and butter-beans waiting to be shelled.
everyone helped do their part

I loved picking the peas and beans, even if my hands did turn purple!
 I can see my Daddy and Mom sitting in their cane bottom chairs..
shelling..
and talking..
and laughing..
sometimes dad would amuse us by yodeling..
or singing old country songs..
and then we'd all sing together..
off key.. just having fun..
At other times,  the same scene.. the vegetable was now corn.
Dad would shuck,


Mom would cut it off the cob.
 Each of us kids had a  role in getting the vegetables ready for canning and freezing.
and we all  enjoyed the fruits of our labors!




Summer was a busy time.. Fruits were ripening and weekends were to utilize all available family hands.
It was during these summers that I learned the secrets of my ancestors recipes.. how to make the best pear preserves,


 candied Fig preserves..

Dreaming of hot buttered biscuits and preserves
and the perfect pickle and pepper sauce.,,
 as well as jams and jellies.

Sweet freestone peaches..


I still  use those same recipes and secrets today, only not on as quite a broad scale. Mostly I can for the pleasure of sharing with other friends as gifts and Holiday treats..
Once everything was finished, we knew Daddy would be cutting the watermelon he'd earlier put on ice.

Those times spent as family in the back yard were magical. We'd listen in awe as Daddy spun tales of his exploits as a poor child living in the country on a farm. We heard tales of ancestors and their exploits. My Mom would talk of her fight to attend school. So much family history was learned as we worked together..
played together,
prayed together..
and stayed together.
Again, I do miss th simpler times when families  weren't spread to the four corners of the earth.. but rather just down the street or across the field..
On a simple Sunday summer afternoon..
*all photos courtesy of Google*

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Scenic Sunday

16 comments:

  1. Omigosh,now my mouth is watering! My mom made bread and butter pickles, and canned tomatoes every summer... :)

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  2. What a great way to spend you holiday!
    Great shots ...

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  3. I love when share your memories of growing up in the South, because it brings back some of the same memories for me. While my family left Georgia when I was very young, we traveled back each summer to the family farm my great-grandfather had started in the 1880s. For me it was better than Christmas! Runnin' around barefoot with my cousins, sitting under the trees shellin' peas and beans while we listened to the grown-ups tell stories. Chasing butterflies during the day and fireflies at night. Pulling peanuts out of the ground for boiling and going to town to buy watermelons for a nickel.

    I still visit that same farm and the bonus of my recent move is that it's only two hours away. You've made me want to jump in the car and go visitin' today, I know the door is always open.

    Warm Georgia hugs comin' your way, my friend, thanks for the memories.

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  4. Neat post! Very similar to the Sundays and summers I remember. Good job putting this together!

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  5. Fabulous post, Loui. It brought back many many many happy memories!

    I not only helped my grandparents in the garden and canning. When I grew up and had my own family, we too had a garden and I spent many summers canning and preserving foods, for our meals. I look back at those days fondly, even though it was a lot of work. It was rewarding in more ways than one.

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  6. Beautiful memories! Some of the best memories I have, too, are when I would work in the kitchen with my mother helping her with her canning.

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  7. This post reminds me of my mom and my aunt putting up strawberry jam, making pies etc. I don't do any canning but once in a while I will make jam or dried fruit leather.
    It was a good trip down memory lane!
    Thanks!
    Hugs,
    Rosey

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  8. I spent many a summer just like this with my mother's family in the mountains. I adore fig preserves. Thanks for kindling the memories. olive♥

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  9. This brings back so many memories for my own life!!! Thank you for sharing.

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  10. What a wonderful post. I love summers and remember the great times I has as a child with my family growing up in Massachusetts. Your post makes me realize I need to spend more time with my family...I wished I lived closer to them.

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  11. Better days.

    I remember peaceful Sundays as a child. My Mom canning peaches, oh those were our favorites.

    A great post.

    Jen

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  12. What a creative weekend. Thank you for showing us your world
    Elisabeth

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  13. What wonderful memories. Oh my! Looking at that photo of the biscuits with fig preserves has made me LONG for one with a hot cup of coffee. Hmmmmmmm

    Hugs,
    Kat

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  14. Wow!! Beautiful days and weather over there!! I enjoyed reading it a lot, as if I was there and enjoying every minute of it!

    Have a great week ahead!!

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  15. Your photos bring back great memories.

    Darryl and Ruth : )

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  16. Well, that is just the prettiest church I ever did see!

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welcome to my world of salty sunkissed breezes..
where time is not measured..
linger leisurely..
sift sugary white sand between your toes..
Make and take those wonderful memories..
leaving behind..only your footprints...