“It was all hands on deck in those days.”
One summer my Mom and two of the neighbor ladies bought what FELT LIKE an entire semi-load of Sweet Corn. They gave us kids a nickle for each ear we shucked, and ALL of the silk had to be off of it and any bad spots had to be busted off or cut out. No exceptions, or no nickle!
After 12 weeks of shucking Sweet Corn (just kidding!) we took our loot and went to the Dairy Queen for treats while the Moms canned all of that corn.
I never have, and never will, can corn, LOL!
My pal Gary* makes the best frozen Sweet Corn ever, though. He packages it with a little sugar, a pat of butter and a dash of sweet cream then freezes it. OMG. Heaven on a PLATE! :)
*When Gary first met Beau he said, ‘Nice to meet you! Diana and I used to live together!” TECHNICALLY TRUE - but I lived upstairs and he lived downstairs in the duplex, LOL! That’s just Gary.
My canned corn ALL comes out dingy.
Very unappetizing looking. I just freeze it on a cookie sheet, loose, and then either vacuum seal it of put it in canning jars and stick it back in the freezer.
Veggies are far easier to vacuum seal when they are frozen first. Keeps the liquid from being a problem.
I love this post. For many reasons.
My family grew bell peppers for extra money (I joke that I had them with my Cheerios for breakfast, but it’s not that far off the mark.)
My parents had gone through a (forced on them) bankruptcy, so we became penniless. I have no idea how Dad and Mom made it through those incredibly difficult years. Six kids, 6-18. How do you feed them all plus your wife? How do you keep all of your kids in parochial school? There needs to be a trade off. Ok, the older kids go to public HS, and work at McDonald’s. You hold 2 jobs, no three! You live in a cinder block home with one bathroom for all 8 of you to share. Just a smitch better than a double wide. But!! You have access to a small farm plot that your brother in law will allow you to farm on his land, for nearly nothing. You decide you can grow bell peppers, and sell them to the big city farmers’ markets, for a few seasons, anyway. This was how my parents managed through that particular crisis.
It took me roughly 40 years to be able to even get close to bell peppers again. I never wanted to see them or more importantly, taste them or handle them again, ever in my life. Fortunately, the years heal many things.
As to Gary, my best friend in high school was a guy. I had no idea he was interested in me. None. Zip zero nada. When I introduced him to my then boyfriend in college, he was gracious, but let Mr FF know that he would be watching. Closely.
If all worked out.
We stayed in touch for 15 or so years. My “Gary” got to meet my kids, who were children. After a few years we lost touch, but I know that despite that, we still wish the best for each other.
Friends.