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MEMOIR Summertime Medley Sidney Saylor Farr When I was growing up on Stoney Fork of Straight Creek in Bell County, Kentucky, families ate what they grew on the place or found in the hills. In the years before and during WWII, the hills brought forth all kinds ofberries—at least until timber and coal companies came and stripped the land. There wereboth orchard-grown and wild fruits such as apples, plums, grapes, persimmons, and papaws. Fish in the creeks and wild game in the hills supplied meat for the table. Wild bees swarmed and settled again and again until numerous colonies were to be found in hollow trees. Honey was taken for use on the table and the bees put into domestic hives. Each little homestead had its cornfield, its patch of cane, and its beehives. Somewhere alongthe creek there wouldbe a watermillwhere corn was ground into meal. And somewhere in the hillside thickets would be moonshine stills where corn was bottled, sold, and drunk. In any culture people's activities concerning food quite often reflect their social customs and beliefs. In our community it was considered bad manners to eat a meal without inviting everyone on the premises to eat with us. The invitation would be extended several times—because it was not good manners for one to accept the first time offered—and the response, worded differently each time, made it perfectly clear to each party just what the result should be. They had to go through the ritual because it was the custom, the traditional thing to do. In the summertime we looked forward to fresh fruits and berries. Picking blackberries was not nearly as much fun as going high on the ridges to get huckleberries. There was no sense of adventure in taking a bucket down beside the road or up in the cow pasture. To us it was just another summertime chore. Mother canned dozens of jars of blackberries everysummer. Shewould open ajar andmake ablackberry cobbler, or sometimes she just served them in a bowl and we ate them that way. Best of all was when she made blackberry dumplings. 76 Wayne Lawson's Favorite Shoofly Pie Filling 1 cup sugar 2 cups water 1 cup light molasses 4 teaspoons flour 1 teaspoon vanilla Mix sugar, water, molasses, and blend in flour slowly to avoid lumps. Boil together for 5 minutes, then setaside and addvanilla. With fingers work together shortening, flour, sugar, soda and baking powder for topping. Pour filling into two unbaked 9inch pie shells and sprinkle topping over each. Bake at 350 degrees until filling is set and crust nicely browned. 77 Each of us has different types of memories and recollections from childhood to call up. Feelings about food are oftenentwined with those memories. I value the knowledge and survival skills that were handed down from the pioneers to my ancestors. These skills, and the knowledge andwisdomthat accompanied them—fromhunting inthe hills, tending the garden, feeding the family and providing that very special warm kitchen—are all part of the Appalachia I knew and still love. There's an integral ambience consisting of inherent values that surround me when I contemplate Appalachia. It resonates to my very core. The ways, events and customs of modern day cannot dissuade me from that sacred fidelity. 78 ...

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