The complex English language is ever evolving to include new words or phrases. Google, DIYer, and hashtag are words that weren’t part of our everyday language until recently (and for some, they still are not). It seems that the term ‘gardening’ is ever evolving as well. The act of gardening in the 1950’s primarily referred to growing vegetables. As gardening evolved to include all types of plants (perennial flowers, herbs, annual flowers, vines, groundcovers, etc.), the term “gardening” took on a broader definition. In the past few years, the term Edible Gardening, has become more a part of our vernacular. Edible gardening refers to growing plants either in the ground or in containers that can be eaten by humans. For most of us, 100% of our diet consists of food that has been grown or manufactured by someone else. However, growing even a very small amount of your own food is relatively easy and can have tremendous benefits.
Vegetable gardening has been a part of my grandfather’s life for eight decades. Growing vegetables was done at first out of necessity and then, later in his life, for enjoyment. As he grew the vegetables, my grandmother would either prepare and serve them or preserve them for use throughout the winter.
While my grandfather still has a vegetable garden this year, unfortunately, my grandmother will not be in her kitchen cooking or canning. She passed away last week. During her visitation, many people made a point to mention her cooking. We heard from cousins that enjoyed many of Aunt Jean’s meals, as well from members of the Women’s Fellowship group at her church. For this week’s column, I would like to share a few of her recipes with you.
Fast Cobbler
½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 cup self rising flour
¼ cup plus ½ cup sugar
¾ cup milk
2 cups sliced strawberries
½ cup water
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Pour butter into a shallow 1 ½ quart baking pan. An 8 inch square pan will work. In a large bowl, combine flour, ¼ cup sugar, and milk then pour evenly over butter. Combine strawberries and ½ cup sugar and water in a separate bowl. Then spoon evenly over the flour/milk layer. Do not stir. Bake 40-45 minutes or until lightly brown. Serve hot or cold. A double recipe will work in a 13 by 9 inch pan.
Rhubarb Cake
Put in a glass pan 9” by 13”
4 cups of cut up rhubarb
1 cup sugar
1, 6 oz. package of strawberry Jell-o
Make a yellow cake mix according the box directions and pour over the mixture in the pan. Bake at 325 degrees for about 1 hour. Serve with Cool Whip, if desired.
Taffy Apple Salad
Dressing:
½ cup sugar
1 Tablespoon corn starch
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 egg beaten
Other ingredients:
1, 20 oz. can pineapple chunks
1, 8 oz. Cool Whip
3 medium delicious apples, cored and chopped, not peeled
2 cups mini marshmellows
1 ½ cup salted peanuts
In sauce pan, mix corn starch, lemon juice, egg, and the juice from pineapple. Cook over heat until thick. Cool. Stir in Cool Whip. Mix apples, pineapple, marshmallows, and peanuts in a large bowl. Toss with dressing. Chill 2-3 hours before serving.
I hope you and your family enjoy these recipes as much as our family has. Do you have your own favorite family recipes? Please, please consider writing them out or assembling them for your family members.
Kathleen Carr is the owner of The Growing Scene, Inc., a garden center and landscaping company. She can be reached by calling 815-923-7322 or tgsinc12@msn.com. Have a gardening question? Please contact her. She may address it in an upcoming column.
