This afternoon I was cutting corn off the cob so I could make a nice summer salad. We’re at the tail end of a very hot, very humid stretch of weather right now and the corn/humidity combo made me think of the food I grew up on. Back then, my mother either froze or canned every bite of food we ate. I have no idea how she, and most other women back then, managed to do this, but that’s how it was.
There were so many delicious things in the freezer and on the long shelves lining the basement. Here’s what I can remember, but I’m sure there was more.
JAMS AND JELLIES:
- strawberry
- raspberry
- rhubarb
- pear
- currant
- peach
- cherry
- grape
CANNED FRUIT:
- applesauce
- peaches
- pears
- plums
- yellow cherries
- red cherries
- sour cherries
- grape juice
- raspberries
CANNED VEGETABLES:
- corn
- pickled beets
- pickled corn
- chili sauces and relishes
- pickled cucumbers of every kind: sweet, dill, bread and butter, etc.
- tomatoes
- tomato juice
CANNED MEAT:
- sausages
- beef in broth for stew
- chicken
IN THE FREEZER:
- peas
- beans (yellow, green, and lima)
- carrots
- beets
- corn
- peaches
- cherries
- all of our meat
This astounding feat was accomplished by my mother, alone at first, and then with the help of her daughters when we got a bit older. I’d often wake up in the morning and see bushels of peas or beans sitting in the shade of our two big chestnut trees, ready to be podded or snapped after breakfast. While we worked we played “I Packed My Trunk” or “Twenty Questions” to keep us older ones entertained while we worked, and the younger ones played nearby. Sometimes we were excused from our jobs before we were quite finished. I’m sure it’s because we whined about helping and to mom’s ears it probably sounded like the stationary equivalent of, “Are we there yet?”
But the podding and snapping was only the beginning of mom’s work.Vegetables had to be taken into the kitchen, blanched in a pot of boiling water for a few minutes, and then plunged into cold water before being put into plastic freezer bags. Repeat, repeat, repeat … a few cups of vegetables at a time.
Peaches also had to be blanched so the skins would peel off easily before they were pitted and packed into jars. The jars filled a canner so big it covered two burners on the stove, and there they boiled for a long, long time. Tomatoes had to be prepared in the same labour-intensive way. Jams could only be made one small batch at a time, with constant stirring while it cooked.
So, where am I going with all of this? The corn. In my memory, corn days were always hot and muggy. Bushels and bushels of corn were picked from the garden and husked. Then the cobs were put into large pots and blanched for several minutes. After that, the ‘fun’ part began.
Grandad and Granny, and my Great-Aunt Ada, who lived on the farm with us, plus children who were finally old enough to be trusted with sharp knives, sat outside in lawn chairs, with large wash pans in their laps, and the messiness began.
A cob of corn was held in one hand. With the other hand, the knife was moved in a sawing motion toward the cutter, removing several rows of corn at a time. Then the dull side of the knife was run down the sheared area, away from yourself, to remove juices and little pieces of corn still clinging there. The cob was given a bit of a turn and a few more rows were cut off, and so on.
On and on the process went, and the cutters were soon covered in bits of corn and sticky juice. If you wore glasses it became nearly impossible to see through them after awhile. One lucky person took the full pans of corn into the house and filled plastic freezer bags. That was a clean job.
By the end of a canning or freezing day, the house was hot and steamy and I’m sure my mother felt bedraggled. Somewhere, in the extra hours of the day, she also managed to prepare three large meals for my farmer father and get laundry and cleaning done.
By comparison, my life is a cakewalk. I’m sitting in a comfortable air-conditioned house as I write. I can put up fruits and vegetables if I please. If not, I buy them. I go to a nice job in a clean environment, and when I’m not working I can mostly fill the hours as I choose.
I hadn’t started out to say this, but hats off to my parents and all the others, who through generations past, worked hard to feed their families in such a wholesome way, simply because they had no other choice. It really wasn’t easy, but it sure tasted good.
I always love seeing that picture of your parents, Phyllis, and I remember your Granny and Grandpa, Aunt Ada ..I can see them in my mind’s eye right now. They were all such special people …
My mother, too, put up all those things for our family, and I’m amazed at the work involved. We do need to remember, though, that our mothers didn’t have off the farm jobs ..their jobs included putting up. I would love to be able to spend my days tending my garden and preserving the harvest, rather than trying to squish a bit of it in between work activities and running my business. I think I am looking forward to retirement!!
Keep up the writing! Always enjoyable.
Emily
Thanks, Em. It’s always fun to hear that my words resonate with someone else.
When you described doing corn, that’s our family. My parents still grow it on the farm and send out word when it’s time for a “corn party”. Kids and teenage grandkids show up to be given aprons and sharp knives while we sit around under the trees cutting corn off the cob. Some have the job of husking, some blanching and cooling the cobs, some bagging it and some even nibble here and there. The finished bags are divided among all who come to help. My kids call it “Sider corn” because it comes from the Sider farm. Why do we still do it? Because it tastes so fresh and so good in the winter. Because my dad may not be gardening much longer, I’m cherishing these times as special. Thanks for the vivid description.
Wow! I loved hearing all about your “corn party”. It makes such good memories for future generations, doesn’t it?
I remember those days too! What a lot of work, but it was good clean work. I still do quite a bit of “putting down” but I leave the corn to my favourite frozen vegetable and fruit orchard located in Whitby.
Your mom did it all like my mom did, Marlene. I should do more, but at least I know how. Beth is doing a lot and I love that she’s learning.