Saturday, August 29, 2009

Harvesting In the Holler

Ah, the joys of home grown vegetables… Not at our home, mind you, but at the home of almost-90-year-old Mamie Murphy.

It all began when Richard declared that he didn’t think I should plant a vegetable garden last spring unless I planned to stay home this summer to take care of it. As you know, I’m very commitment phobic when it comes to committing to stay home. What to do?

I became enamored of Mamie when I interviewed her for a Coker Creek newsletter article about the history of the Coker Creek post office. After spending 50 years as postmistress, she retired to a life of selling eggs and raising and canning produce -- along with attending church, various club meetings and cooking for a vast array of family and friends.

One early spring morning, she mentioned to me that, with the economy the way it is, she thinks we need to reinstitute victory gardens. She said that with her increasing age and her several years’ worth of canned vegetables in her basement, she didn’t really need to grow any vegetables for herself. She sure would like to have other people plant gardens on her property. I suggested that we could help her with her garden in exchange for her gardening knowledge and half the produce. Richard was agreeable, and the game was on.

Now, I was used to the South Louisiana growing season where we could plant many things in March and April and harvest until Thanksgiving. March and April in Coker Creek, the ground is prepared and cool weather broccoli, cabbage and spinach are planted. Mother’s Day comes and goes before any summer vegetables are put in Coker Creek soil, and everything better be in cans well before Halloween. This leaves a lot to do in a very short time. We were going to have a full workload. “We” meaning Richard.

My Uncle died in late March in Louisiana. Scott’s kids in Mississippi were on spring break in mid-April. Richard tilled and planted while I attended the funeral and squeezed on the grandkids. In early June, my niece Nikki and her daughter came for a two-week visit. Richard weeded and staked while I socialized. Mid-June, we both traveled for two weeks. We came back to weeds to pull and cucumbers, yellow squash, onions and beans to pick. Richard kept the garden going while I had a nervous breakdown.In early July, my niece Ginette -- with her four children, along with Rachel and her girls came to visit. Once again, Richard toiled while I was otherwise occupied.

In late July, we began to harvest onions, corn and green peppers. We took these with us when we went to Louisiana and Mississippi to, once again, visit with family and friends before school started. With the addition of a little butter, cream and fresh Louisiana crabmeat, what a feast of corn and crab chowder this bounty made!

Upon our return, we had house guests from Florida and an overflowing garden. Terry Sue and Theresa Ann brought a gift of cooking pears with them. Since a late frost last spring killed any hope of Coker Creek pears this fall, I was thrilled. Their first night, we introduced “the Theresas” to the bluegrass “pickin’” that’s the center of our Coker Creek cultural experience. The next day, we pressed our guests into service as part of our itinerate labor pool. We picked bushels of beans, pots of peas, carloads of corn, several squash, a peck of peppers, a bit of okra and tomatoes, and one watermelon. Our reward that night was a fabulously fresh vegetable plate with corn muffins and ice cream sundaes.

No sooner did this set of guests leave with a carload of produce, but we had another couple arrive. Holly and Don helped us de-cob the corn, pop out the peas, string the beans, and eat the okra. They departed with a bushel of beans and several ears of corn. We closed the door behind them and headed to Mamie’s to dig potatoes (both red and white), thin carrots, and pull up beets – and we had more beans and tomatoes to pick and process.

All of August, We’ve picked, pulled and pickled. Our freezer is bursting with maque choux, field peas, and green beans. Our pantry is pregnant with pickled beets, pepper jelly, tons of tomatoes, a bounty of beans and a bit of ginger, cran-pear chutney. Meanwhile, I’m researching recipes for butternut squash while waiting for the rain to stop long enough for me to harvest more okra, tomatoes and carrots.

Maybe I’ll cut up one of our watermelons to snack on while I wait…