Sunday, March 22, 2015

A Traditional Farm Life 3-23-15 Grandma's Jello


March 23, 2015

A Traditional Farm Life

By Shasta Hamilton

Greetings from Enterprise, dear friends!  How delightful it is to begin to see lovely green spots creeping up everywhere.  I was surprised to see a few tulips spring up in our otherwise barren ditch last week.  About a block from our house the daffodils are already blooming.  Spring, glorious Spring!

Our two oldest boys planted potatoes on St. Patrick’s Day without any parental assistance, to our great delight.  (“Eyes” up, for those of you who are wondering.)  They planted two varieties—Red Pontiac and Red Norland.  We’re eager to see how our first garden in Enterprise will grow.  

We haven’t done a soil test, but the soil looks to be a nice loam without too much clay.  Thanks to the same kind neighbor who plowed our 80’ x120’ plot last fall, we now have a tractor-tilled great start to this year’s garden.  It’s a beautiful sight to look out upon 10,000 square feet of freshly tilled black earth.   Since Mom and Pop are pretty busy at the restaurant, this year it’s up to our boys to keep it from becoming a green carpet of weeds!

First, there was one.  Then, there were two.  Next, there were three, and now there are four. . . .Horses.

In the space of two weeks, our remuda has swelled from one lonely horse to a herd of four new “friends” trying to establish a pecking order in our relatively small pen.  Not surprisingly, fence building is on the docket for the boys as soon as possible.

As you remember, our buggy horse “Jack” was joined by “Bob” last week.  The same kind neighbor who gave our oldest son “Bob” completed his promised gift of a second Palomino horse named “Beauty.”  Our second son, with the help of his father, bought his first horse this week.  She is a buckskin mare named “Honey.” 

The boys have enjoyed socializing with their new friends this week. Next on their list—after fence building, of course—is building a round pen for horse training.  They are in the process of trying to secure enough wooden poles to get the job done. 

Meanwhile, at The Buggy Stop, we’ve added a couple Test Kitchen favorites to the menu.  Caraway Rye Bread and pastrami are now available for Pastrami on Rye lovers.  I didn’t grow up eating rye bread, but I’ve got to admit something wonderful happens when pastrami, Swiss cheese, and honey mustard are grilled between two slices of buttered Caraway Rye bread.  Delicious!

You might remember the Potato Salad Saga from a couple weeks ago.  It took a little tweaking in the Test Kitchen, but we are pleased to announce the addition of my mother-in-law’s Potato Salad to our custom sandwich lunch menu—no marriage counseling required, thankfully.

These admittedly one-sided chats we have each week have developed into two-sided conversations with many of you, dear friends, at The Buggy Stop.  It’s a privilege to speak with each one of you who mention reading this column.  How can I thank you for your continued interest in our family and for reading these weekly musings?

Come in this week and mention one of our horse’s names and we’ll give you a free cookie.  It will be fun to see how many of you take us up on our offer!

We had a birthday in the family this week.  Our second son—the same one who bought his own horse—turned 12 this week.  When we go to my parents to celebrate a birthday, certain components of the menu may change, but red Jello with mandarin oranges and pineapple chunks is always a constant.  It is so simple to make, you can easily enjoy it for a weeknight supper—no birthday party necessary.

Grandma’s Jello

1 pkg. (3 oz.) raspberry Jello
1 pkg. (3 oz.) cherry Jello
1 can (20 oz.) pineapple chunks
1 can (15 oz.) mandarin oranges
2 cups boiling water
2 cups juice, drained from above
fruits and reserved

Place contents of both Jello packages in a heat-proof bowl.  Add boiling water and stir until Jello is dissolved.  Add reserved juice (with water added to make 2 cups if necessary) and mix well.  Stir in pineapple chunks and mandarin oranges.  Pour into a 9x13 inch pan; Cover and chill in the refrigerator until set.

Shasta is a fifth generation rural Kansan now residing in Enterprise, Kansas.  She and her husband own and operate The Buggy Stop Home-Style Kitchen with their six home-schooled children.  You can reach The Buggy Stop by calling (785) 200-6385.

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