Food, Family, & Traditions

For the past couple of weeks, I have been baking and canning jellies and jams to take to our local farmer's market. Believe it or not, it has been a dream of mine to be able to bake and make items to sell. While I would really love to own a little restaurant, similar to what my dad owned, at this time the farmer's market is about all we can handle.

Baked goods for the farmer's market

As I stood last night at my kitchen sink, looking out the window and stemming strawberries to make strawberry jalapeno preserves, I got a strong sense of déjà vu. I realized that the food itself was bringing back memories. Memories of my childhood, of when my mom and dad would can jams and jellies. When we would get together with my grandparents and make pies to go into the freezer for winter. The food connected me to my childhood. In fact if I stood there long enough I could imagine standing at my parents' kitchen sink, looking out their window, helping to get whatever produce was ready to either can or go into the freezer.

Strawberry Jalapeno Preserves and Pepper Jelly

Tradition in our family and in many families can be found in the food that we eat and make. There are certain things that we always make on holidays. For Easter it is ham, deviled eggs, and my grandmother would always make angel food cake with strawberries. For the Fourth of July, growing up we always had watermelon and homemade ice cream. Thanksgiving of course means turkey, our family's special dressing (stuffing), and pumpkin pie. And of course on Christmas we would have homemade candies that was only made during that season.

Homemade deviled eggs, a tradition at many of our family gatherings.

I try to carry on some of these traditions for my children, but I also try to start new traditions for them. They will grow up eating strawberries and pie crust for Easter, and for the Fourth of July, since my daughter is allergic to dairy, there is no homemade ice cream. Instead we stick to fruit kabobs and of course grilled hamburgers and hot dogs.  Thanksgiving we still have our traditional family meal, and for Christmas, I make several of the candies that I grew up with.

Homemade buns using my dad's recipe that he used when he owned the Pastry Shop

One of the best gifts I have received was from my cousin Jim. To most people it would have no value, in fact it really has little monetary value, but to me it is worth everything. It is our grandmother's rolling pin. It still has the dough on it from the last time that she used it. She passed away in February of 1988, I was only 14 years old. When I look at that rolling pin, I think about her and her raisin pie and her stacked applesauce cake. I also think about how much she loved all of her grandchildren and how kind she was to us. I know that when Jim looked at the rolling pin, he had different memories of her, but still loving memories. He is older than me and while we didn't grow up together, we share what matters most, a grandmother, a rolling pin, and sweet memories.

My grandmother's rolling pin.

So as I make the jams and jellies, as I bake my dad's famous hamburger buns that he served at his restaurant, I am making new memories and traditions, while still carrying forward the old. These memories are ones that my children can look back on and remember, fondly I hope. Memories that I hope they will carry on as they raise their children. Memories that are all founded in food.

What food traditions does your family have? Let me know in the comments below.

Leave a Comment baking, bread, canning, cooking, family, farmer's market, food, growing up, Jelly, traditions

Saying Goodbye to My Little Boy

Today is my son's birthday.

Clowning around with his sister.

I know this should bring happy thoughts and excitement, parties and celebrations, but this year I can't help but being a little sad.

I have always heard about people having a midlife crisis. They hit a certain age and become depressed with the knowledge that they are getting older. I think I might be having one of those. My thoughts race back to past times and my younger years. Times that were happy, and some that were sad. Times that I would never want to repeat, and yet there are some memories that I would like to experience again.

Date night with my little man.

But all of this has nothing to do with my age, not really. Even though I am in my 40s, I haven't hit an age that depresses me.

No, my midlife crisis has nothing to do with how old I'm getting, but how old my kids are getting.

It could be that the problem is made worse with all the babies that seem to be arriving. In fact we will have a new baby in our family in May (my great-nephew). Going against what I said in an earlier post, I am now looking at Drew and longing for the days when I could hold him and cuddle with him.

At our town's 2015 Christmas Parade.

This birthday is especially hard because we are having to say goodbye. Drew is now 10 so we are saying goodbye to the single digits. And while it is not unanimous on when the tween years officially begin, the consensus seems to be at age 10, which means we are also saying goodbye to childhood.

So this year we are celebrating Drew's birthday by going away. We were invited to stay with some friends at their land (in the Ozarks, people don't have vacation homes, they have "land") there will be no big "friend" birthday party, (well maybe later, it is his 10th afterall) just a basketball cake, good friends, and we will quietly say goodbye to childhood and hello to the tween years.

My Mona Drew

But somewhere deep inside, my little boy is still there.  The little boy who still calls me mama. The little boy that still let's me hug him and give him kisses. The little boy that still snuggles up to me on the couch while I'm reading aloud. But while that little boy is still there in certain ways,  it is getting harder with each passing year to still see the little boy in him. He is almost as big as I am.  And will soon be bigger.

So goodbye single digits, goodbye childhood, goodbye little boy. I know you are growing into a wonderful young man.

Leave a Comment birthday, celebrations, Drew, family, growing up