I don't know about you but the best pickles I have ever ate were made on the back porch of our house between the Maytag washing machine with a ringer built right in. Now just for a moment lets talk about that Maytag.
For anyone under about 50 Maytag was the premier washing machine and it had a ringer which squeezed the water out of the clothes by manually putting each piece of clothing between what looked like two rolling pins and you better be careful because if you got your fingers in there you were in for some serious pain. After getting those clothes squeezed flat (remember how they looked?) then you took them to the clothes line which was two T shaped posts about 6 feet tall with two or three wires strung between to hang your clothes on. Just another side note but we had GREEN done up right before all this new stuff. We washed by hand and dried by air using (before detergent) home made soap made from hogs (go figure or I will explain some day). The wind would dry your clothes and boy did they smell fresh and in my mind they were a little itchy. Now what most people use today to hold a bag of Frito's or potato chips closed were called clothes pins. The early version without the spring was interesting.
OK back to Pickles.
Just for clarification but since when I worked for EDS back in the "good old days" I had a friend from New York who thought pickles came from trees and cucumbers were a different vegetable. Well let me tell you pickles come from cucumbers which grow on cucumber vines which are on the ground and grow flat like watermelon vines. Well my mom, Opal Olson, made the crispiest green lime sweet pickles that would make you pucker in a hurry. In fact when I was talking to Sally and Darrell Stinchcomb after the tornado hit their house we talked about those pickles for a long time. Sally still makes them and they are Darrell and my favorite pickle.
It was always interesting as we would gather buckets of pickles and mom would choose just the right size for her pickling operation. She would prepare the salt brine in five gallon crock pots which set on the back porch. When the other elements were added and then the right amount of pickles the concoction would bubble for days as the fermentation would take its toll on those cucumbers and make pickles. If you are interested I will get the recipe. After the pickles were ready we would put them in Ball jars and store them in the cellar for the winter and of course have a bunch in the house for sandwiches and just plain "good eatin", as my dad would say. Dad loved Mom's pickles and so did I. I don't know just why right now but mom put a cloth over the crocks and checked them every day. It took about 3 to 4 weeks to make the pickles but I loved the smell throughout the house.
Those were great times of anticipation on the farm.
What did I learn from the Osage?
Thanks for your time,
gary@thepioneerman.com
For anyone under about 50 Maytag was the premier washing machine and it had a ringer which squeezed the water out of the clothes by manually putting each piece of clothing between what looked like two rolling pins and you better be careful because if you got your fingers in there you were in for some serious pain. After getting those clothes squeezed flat (remember how they looked?) then you took them to the clothes line which was two T shaped posts about 6 feet tall with two or three wires strung between to hang your clothes on. Just another side note but we had GREEN done up right before all this new stuff. We washed by hand and dried by air using (before detergent) home made soap made from hogs (go figure or I will explain some day). The wind would dry your clothes and boy did they smell fresh and in my mind they were a little itchy. Now what most people use today to hold a bag of Frito's or potato chips closed were called clothes pins. The early version without the spring was interesting.
Just for clarification but since when I worked for EDS back in the "good old days" I had a friend from New York who thought pickles came from trees and cucumbers were a different vegetable. Well let me tell you pickles come from cucumbers which grow on cucumber vines which are on the ground and grow flat like watermelon vines. Well my mom, Opal Olson, made the crispiest green lime sweet pickles that would make you pucker in a hurry. In fact when I was talking to Sally and Darrell Stinchcomb after the tornado hit their house we talked about those pickles for a long time. Sally still makes them and they are Darrell and my favorite pickle.
It was always interesting as we would gather buckets of pickles and mom would choose just the right size for her pickling operation. She would prepare the salt brine in five gallon crock pots which set on the back porch. When the other elements were added and then the right amount of pickles the concoction would bubble for days as the fermentation would take its toll on those cucumbers and make pickles. If you are interested I will get the recipe. After the pickles were ready we would put them in Ball jars and store them in the cellar for the winter and of course have a bunch in the house for sandwiches and just plain "good eatin", as my dad would say. Dad loved Mom's pickles and so did I. I don't know just why right now but mom put a cloth over the crocks and checked them every day. It took about 3 to 4 weeks to make the pickles but I loved the smell throughout the house.
Those were great times of anticipation on the farm.
What did I learn from the Osage?
- a watched crock just bubbles
- patience and anticipation make for the best occasions - like eating pickles or a date with that special girl
- sampling along the way can ruin your prize
- age makes things look better
Thanks for your time,
gary@thepioneerman.com
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