Memories on the Farm Are the Best
Growing up in the 1940s and 50s on a farm at the end of nowhere was a terrible life to a teenager. Milking the cow every night was my job. Washing clothes with the wringer washer on Saturday (without fail) was a shared job with my sister. And worst of all was cleaning the chicken house every week (it’s a wonder I ever eat eggs). Looking back I can see that I was the luckiest girl in the world. It makes me sad that teenagers today have no idea where milk or eggs come from. It was as they say “a wonderful life”. I just didn’t know it!
Written By Sharon Sorenson
Sharon and I were close buddies down in the Valley. We had each other to play and get into trouble with. Together, we discovered the challenges of growing into the people we are today. Of all my cousins, she and I were continually looking for something beyond the fence, and we usually found it! Our farm had so many animals. There was always lots of pigs, (I mean between 100 to 200) and their troughs ran for many yards down the field. Our job was to help feed them! Sharon, her two sisters and her mom and dad lived close to me, my six siblings and my mom and dad. In those days as a small child, trying to grow older, it felt like that is all we had was each other. When I was twelve, we finally got electricity and running water. My job like Sharon’s, was to hitch up the work horse, Prince, go to the spring and haul water to heat on the cook stove for the wringer washing machine. We were both young when we milked the cows and made lots and lots of butter on the farm. As Sharon stated, “It was a wonderful life”.
Buttermilk Pecan Waffles
A great recipe from Stacey Foley. She tells me her family loves these waffles topped with Greek honey yogurt and chokecherry syrup from a sweet lady at the farmer’s market in Watford City, North Dakota. Any tart syrup is good. We use jam on top.
3 eggs
1 2⁄3 C. buttermilk
1 1/2 C. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sugar
3 Tbsp. butter, melted
3/4 to 1 C. pecans, chopped
Mix eggs and buttermilk in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients. Slowly add the dry ingredients into larger bowl of eggs and buttermilk. Blend in melted butter. Add 1/2 cup of the batter to a hot waffle iron. Sprinkle some of the chopped pecans on top of batter. Cook. This batter can also be used for pancakes.
