NEWS FROM THE HILLS
Dear Cousin,
Snow sparkles under bright sunshine today as blue skies are revealed between drifting dark clouds. Most of the hills are still covered by yesterday’s snowfall, although patches of bare earth appear here and there. The air is frigid and tonight promises to be even colder.
Although many folks dread winter, I am glad that we live where the seasons change. Winter is simply part of the yearly routine, and it really doesn’t last that long anyway. My friend Pat Dickson writes that we are already more than halfway through January, generally the coldest month of the year. She adds that we will tough out this weather, and spring really is just around the corner!
February brings sassafras tea to mind, that lovely, pungent tonic that every true mountaineer loves. When the ground begins to thaw and the roots can be harvested, we look forward to pots of that spring tonic. When it’s brewed to a deep red color, no potpourri on earth can equal the fragrance of that tea as it floats through the house.
Then March brings wind to dry up the mud and prepare for spring’s coming. Also, many times in late March, if the weather is warm enough, we begin finding morel mushrooms. Here in the hills, we always have something to look forward to. I am thankful that the Lord placed me right here, and gave me a lasting love for the hills.
Right now, though, while the bitter winds blow and we take refuge in our warm homes, our main activity is cooking and eating. That is sad too, as there seems to be a united effort made to diet and get in shape after the holidays. Cold days bring out the urge in me to cook and bake. It makes a person feel guilty though, when every magazine you pick up has an article on how to lose weight. Sometimes I feel so guilty that I simply have to go in the kitchen and bake something.
I purchased some fresh lemons a few days ago with the intention of baking fresh lemon pies. Looking for a good recipe, I looked through my sister Mary Ellen’s collection of recipes. Would you believe that in her vast cookbook of tried and true recipes, there was not a single lemon meringue pie recipe?
Mary Ellen writes a cooking column for a Jackson County weekly paper, and I always thought she was the final authority concerning culinary problems. When I questioned her about it, she replied simply, “I don’t like lemon pie.” I think I know why. She baked one for Criss one time, and I don’t know what happened to it; the filling turned a bright green. It may have been an aluminum cooker that she used. She has never lived that one down.
It wasn’t as bad as my eggplant casseroles though. (It flopped not one time, but twice!) My sister Jeannie said that we had to bury it with a stake in its heart. It is true that the dog turned up his nose and wouldn’t eat it. I’ve made plenty of spectacular flops since then, and still do.
When I was a kid, we ate anything Mom cooked. I can’t remember her throwing food out because we wouldn’t eat it. She wasn’t a short order cook either, making different foods at one meal because of picky eaters. She cooked it, and we ate it.
I do try to cook healthy, balanced meals, using olive and canola oil. I mentioned in last week’s column the fact that we no longer render lard, and grandson Jeremy sent along some information that came from one of the ladies where he works. It was a recipe for rendering lard, and included this:
“Nutritional Note: Ever since fear of fat entered the scene, lard has been looked upon with horror. According to our sources, store-bought lard is lower in cholesterol than butter, but higher in saturated fat because it has been hydrogenated. It is neither good nor bad, just like butter. However, home-rendered lard is not hydrogenated and is therefore not saturated fat. It ranks with olive oil on the nutritional scale.”
The article went on to include a recipe for rendering lard, using two pounds of fresh, unsalted pork fatback. I had to grin when I read it. Mom rendered lard in huge canners and heavy dishpans. I’m glad that I don’t have to do that. I’ll stick with olive and canola oil.
Clouds are moving swiftly across the sky, and the air is bitter. Snow frosts the tips of the branches on the hemlocks, and more snow is predicted for tonight. I guess the only thing to do is make a pot of steaming vegetable soup and an iron skillet of crusty cornbread. Yes, we will tough out this winter weather.
Give everyone a big ol’ hug for me,
love,
Cousin Alyce Faye
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