Harriet’s World

By HARRIET BISHOP

When I was growing up we use to have our own jams and jellies. My mother canned all flavors and kinds and we had our own pickles. We didn’t know what it was like to go to the store for pickles or Miracle whip or bread.
We didn’t have a cow but we raised chickens and rabbits and turkeys and horses. We lived on a commercial acre of ground and we had plenty of room for things like that.
We grew our own garden and we had fruit trees and grape vines and boysenberry bushes. We even had walnut trees.
Mother put up every kind of pickle known to man . Dill was her favorite and watermelon pickles and bread and butter pickles and mustard pickles, which was my Dad’s favorite. Mom did not put up sweet pickles because the method required too much time. I loved sweet pickles but had to eat them at somebody else’s house because we just didn’t have them at home.
I can remember saying to myself, ‘when I grow up I’m going to eat sweet pickles the rest of my life.’ I have. Only once in a while do dill pickles cross my lips.
Another thing that we had in abundance was grape jelly. I hated grape jelly! As a matter of fact, I hate jelly period. I don’t like the way it clumps on the bread. I like to spread the jam. If I had a penny for all the grape jelly and peanut butter sandwiches I made for my brother and his friends so they could keep playing war on our back lot, I would be a rich OLE lady now.
I can remember telling myself,” when I grow up I will never eat grape jelly, ever.” I have kept my word.
I also made ‘toony ammies.’ In case any of you don’t know what that is, it is tunafish sandwiches drizzled with honey on whole wheat bread. Ugggggggh.
When my brother wasn’t eating peanut butter and jelly he was eating ‘tooney ammies’. He called them that because when he was little he couldn’t say tunafish sandwiches. So it just stuck with the family. I still eat tunafish sandwiches now but without the honey. The grape jelly does not pass over these lips.
Now I am sure you people have some very interesting concoctions that you have eaten over the years and I would love to hear about it.
Well, that is my world. Until next time remember a quote from George Burns: “I’m very pleased to be here. Let’s face it, at my age I’m very pleased to be any where.”