Five Childhood Food Memories (Meme)

Pancakes
One of my favorite memories has to do with pancakes.  It was pretty common for us to have pancakes on the weekends but every now and then we’d get a real treat.  My Dad was normally the pancake maker, being the early riser in the family.  On certain days instead of regular pancakes he’d make dollar pancakes or our initials or pancakes in the shape of animals.  This was all without the aid of any molds, he just used his imagination and a steady hand to create the edible works of art.  I’m not sure why I liked these so much, I guess just because they were so much fun.  :-)

Our Meals
Another favorite memory is about our "own" meals.  My parents always had some sort of garden but when I was 16 we moved to a place that was over an acre.  We had actually owned the property for some time before the house was built so early on we planted an orchard of mixed trees on the very back of the property and the grapes and berries – many of the non-annual crops were also planted then so they were all bearing by the time the house was built and we moved in.  Then, of course, came the vegetable garden: rows of corn, tomatoes, carrots, lettuce, peas, onions; big tangles of squash, pumpkin and cucumbers; and things like horseradish and herbs. 

In addition, we had friends who raised 4-H steers each summer and after they were entered and judged (and often won) at the Oregon State Fair in late August, they would be slaughtered and we’d buy half a steer.  My Dad also knew someone who raised hogs so sometimes we’d purchase a hog, too. 

As summer progressed and crops ripened we’d often look at the table and realize that everthing on it was "ours" – nothing had come from a retail store.  And that would even carry over well into the fall and winter, since we froze or canned much of what we grew.  It was always just a great feeling to look around and know that you’d truly "made" your meal – all the way from beginning to end! There are lots of sub-memories associated with this, too.  One of my favorites is picking corn just as we put the water on to boil.  You just can’t get any better, fresher tasting corn than that!

Family Picnics
Each summer both sides of the family would have big family picnics on the Santiam River east of Salem.  There were many parks along the river and all of its various forks and each family had its own favorite place.  My Mom had three siblings and my Dad had eight living, and all of them had on average four kids so both picnics were always big affairs with lots of adults hanging out in lawn chairs, kids swimming or playing softball and just general controlled chaos.  The focus though was the food.  As some designated time all the aunts would start pulling food from coolers and baskets and lining it up buffet style on a couple of tables (sometimes we’d need three there would be so much stuff).  Everyone brought basically the same thing:  chicken; potato salad; rolls; pickles; and then some sort of specialty item and a dessert. 

The trick was to learn from year to year who made the best of each item and then learn to identify it by serving dish or signature look so that you could hone in on it every year!  I was always partial to my Mom’s chicken but I loved others’ baked beans! 

These were always such fun times!  As the years have gone by I have cousins on either side who have tried to have some sort of annual summer gathering.  I get down to Salem whenever I can but I can’t always make it.  However, with most of my aunts and uncles now passed away and many of the cousins and their families living somewhere distant it’s not quite the same.  Still fun and great to see everyone.  It’s just that "everyone" is now a much smaller group than it used to be. 

Picking and Preserving
Another family memory is of picking fruit, mainly, and then preserving it or even going out to farms to purchase bushels of fruit and the preserving it.  Many of my relatives had some sort of fruit tree on their property.  So, depending on the season, you could often find the extended families helping pick when the crop was ready.  Most people only had one or two trees but even one tree will provide bushels of fruit.  After we’d picked whatever it was, the fruit would be divided among the family and we’d all take home our haul and preserve it – normally canning, but as years went on, sometimes freezing, depending on the crop. 

In addition, my family would often go to one or the other of my grandmothers’ houses to help them put up their share.  I loved these assembly lines of preservation!  It was so much fun to be part of a family tradition and process!  My Dad’s Mom was a preservation machine.  I’ve mentioned before that my Dad came from a large, farming-background family. And for years, preserving food was a necessity, not just a choice.  One of the coolest places in her house (both literally and figuratively) was the "fruit room".  It was a fairly large room in the basement with shelves of preserved fruits and vegetables on all four walls.  I loved going in there!  Dimly lit and always chilly, even in summer, it was just a magical place.  I’m still fascinated with preserving ,today. 

Local Establishments
 Finally, one of the things I miss are the little local establishments where we used to buy certain things.  For instance there was a little shop near the "falls" on Mill Creek called Duck Inn.  Stopping in for a soft ice-cream cone on a hot summer’s day was always a treat – both as a child and as a teenager with a date.  Or Bob’s Hamburgers:  a local chain with basic meat in a bun burgers but with a "special sauce" that made them yummy!  And the best deal was when they’d have specials and you could get 10 for $1!!!  Or A & W root beer, which was actually a national chain but each location managed to keep it’s own hometown feel.  Homemade root beer, root beer floats, Teen Burger Baskets with fries and coleslaw and car side service – what more could anyone want? 

1. Sal at Virtual Tapas Bar, not really a food blog but as an Expat living in Spain I know he’ll have some food memories about things he just can’t find!  Plus he’s a very entertaining writer so you should check his blog out.  Sal’s post
2. Next, Haddock at Knife’s Edge because I always wonder what drives a chef.  Haddock’s Post
3. For a local connection, I think I’ll tap Viv at Seattle Bon Vivant. 
4. Last, but not least!, I’d like to tap Elise at Simply Recipes, although I"m not sure this will fit in her format.  Well, we’ll see I guess! 

Next, I need to give you the trail of those who have come before me.  I like this idea – it’s fun to see how it traveled.  

If you are tagged, here’s what you do: Remove the blog at #1 from the following list and bump every one up one place; add your blog’s name in the #5 spot; link to each of the other blogs for the desired cross-pollination effect.

1. Do or Do Not
2. BeautyJoyFood
3. Farmgirl Fare
4. Becks & Posh
5. Culinary Fool