BY LOVINA EICHER
I have been busy the past week in the garden. Our cucumbers are really doing well this summer. I canned dill pickles and jalapeno peppers last week. I’d like to do a couple more batches of dill pickles yet and also a few more batches of freezer pickles. Our early cabbage is used up now, so that is history for another year. The boys have been gradually digging up the last of the red potatoes. We do have another patch of sweet corn ready that we have been using. Yum! And we still have one more later patch of sweet corn coming along, so we’ll enjoy it a while longer.
Friday was the funeral of 11-month old Clara. Clara is a little girl in our church and the niece of daughter Elizabeth’s boyfriend Tim. She left this world at such a sweet, young age. This will be a very hard week for her family as they get back to their normal schedule. Reminders will be around of her and memories will be all that is left. When feeding time comes around the mother’s arms will ache to hold and cuddle her. My sister Emma can sympathize with this mother, having lost Baby Marilyn last year. God’s ways are not our ways but He knows best.
Some of our church women took turns going over to help prepare meals. Everyone was assigned to help bring in a meal sometime over the viewing period. On the morning of the funeral I left around 6:30 a.m. along with some other women to help prepare sandwiches for the funeral. During the viewing slips of paper were made out for anyone who wanted to take one home. On it said what they should bring for the funeral. You could choose from the slips either chicken broth, potato salad, jello with fruit, or cakes.. Once the slips of paper were all gone we knew we had enough food coming in for the funeral. The broth is used for chicken and noodle soup. Eleven 12 quart cookers were made. And the morning of the funeral we prepared about 500 ham sandwiches, although we probably had about 75 to 100 left when it was over.
I stayed after the funeral to help clean up and we also served supper to the family in the evening. It was probably around 7:30 or 8 p.m. until I came home. It was nice to call it a day but I was happy to help out. The burden is much lighter the more people who help carry the load. I feel privileged to have a caring church and community during times like these.
Meanwhile, I am trying to decide whether I should do laundry today. So far it has been cloudy. I would be glad to get laundry caught up before Wednesday when daughter Verena’s surgery on her foot is. I think she is getting a little nervous about it.
Daughters Elizabeth and Susan are detasseling corn again. They are hoping to finish up for the season tomorrow. Their detasseling picnic is on Saturday. Sisters Verena and Susan will have our annual family gathering on Saturday, August 20. We all take turns to have the gathering. So next year it will be sister Leah’s turn again. There is always someone missing though. It seems we should see our dear parents there but God had other plans for our future.
Yesterday we had Emma and Jacob’s family come for a brunch cook-out. We made all the food outside on the open fire. Husband Joe grilled side pork and we had eggs, sausage gravy, biscuits, potatoes, cheese, tomatoes, hot peppers cider, milk and coffee, and also a Jello cake that Emma brought. After dishes were all washed and put away daughter Susan served root beer floats to everyone. It was enjoyable to cook and eat outside.
Verena, Benjamin, and Loretta are going to go get my peaches. A lady from our church takes orders for all of us ladies and the peaches are dropped off at her house for us to pick up. Here is a coffeecake recipe I will be fixing once I get the peaches.
PEACHES AND CREAM COFFEECAKE
Dough:
2 /3 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 /2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 /2 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter melted
1 quart canned or fresh peaches, drained, reserve the juice
Cream filling:
8 ounce cream cheese softened
1 /2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons peach juice
Topping:
1 tablespoon sugar
1 /2 teaspoon cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350. In a large mixing bowl, mix flour,, baking powder, and salt. Add egg milk, butter and beat for 2 minutes. Pour into a well-greased 8 inch round pan. Drain peaches and arrange over batter. For the filling, cream together ingredients and spoon over peaches. Topping: mix sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle on top. Bake at 350 for 30 to 35 minutes
Reprinted with permission from www.amishcookonline.com. Richard from Amish Stories.
A new post on Friday folks with image's of Lebanon's Amish settlement along with the history of the hex sign !
