Hi Betty, Seems like ages since we communicated. I am counting down on my new book about our area of Wyoming County WV, namely Matheny and Turkey Creek. I am still looking for some pictures of the Spence girls and Cebert, particularly from the times when we were growing up. However, I would accept any of their family pictures. Can you help me out on this? Also, I would like to know Maggie's exact death date and an address for Cebert. Keep in Touch, STAN On Jul 31, 2008, at 5:15 PM, LifeBuyDesign wrote: > Stan: You made me hungry. The last year I lived with Grandma and > Grandpa > Cook we put up 200 quarts of tomatoes. > As I look back I rather enjoyed it, but at 16, oh well that's > teenagers. > Grannie always put up pickled beans and oh yes pickled corn. I can > almost > taste that Molasses Cake and fresh Buttermilk. Sure do miss the > good times. > > Betty Cook Martinez > Frederick Maryland > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Stanley Browning" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]>; <[email protected]>; > <[email protected]>; <[email protected]> > Sent: Wednesday, July 30, 2008 6:21 PM > Subject: [WVWYOMIN] Growin' Up in Appalachia > > > Our mailing lists have been unusually quite of late, and it isn't > even dog days yet! So I will throw out a little tidbit for you to > use as fodder to exercise your memories of how it was "back then." > How many of you helped make hominy? Sour kraut? Pickle beans? Other > old time staples? > > STAN > > Making Hominy > When Ira Cook, Jr. and I were discussing my notes for my new > book,"Matheny and Me," the subject of making hominy came up. I > remembered that my mother and granny made hominy several times, but I > could not remember the details. For that reason, I chose to ignore > the subject in my book and hope that no one would notice. Now Ira is > no ordinary reviewer, but I finally concluded that there might be > others who are just as picky and would feel that hominy should get > equal coverage with some of the other staple foods we made ourselves, > which most folks now pick from a grocery store shelf and could not > care less how they are made. > > I think I know the hominy preparation steps my granny May and mother > followed pretty well, but it's the relative measurements of > ingredients that evade me. I know that a unique and necessary > ingredient was lye.[1] They used lye water to make hominy that was > just like they used to make homemade soap. They soaked dried shelled > “field corn” for two or three days in the lye water until the grains > swelled and the skin came off. The mixture was stirred occasionally > throughout the soaking period. The corn was then washed repeatedly > to remove all the lye. The last step was simply to cook the corn > until it was tender. > > Our friends further south than West Virginia use cracked corn, thus > they get hominy grits. > > What happens beyond this point in the process is left to the > imagination of the cook. Most people just heat the hominy, add > butter and salt and eat it that way. Some make paddies and fry > them. I don't know how my wife, Connie, prepares that sissy- made > store-bought hominy she buys, but it turns out just as good as the > real stuff and it is a lot less trouble. > > > [1] One of my friends says that a couple of boxes of soda dissolved > in enough water to cover a gallon and a half of beans works just as > well as lye. I think I like that idea better. > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes > in the subject and the body of the message > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to WVWYOMIN- > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes > in the subject and the body of the message

Stan: It has been a long time. Re: the pictures. I personally don't have any of the old pictures. Timing is good. Aunt Zada's Son Jerry will be here Sunday to see me. It has been 37 years since I have seen any of the family. He said he is making the family rounds and gathering pictures to me. Uncle Cebert lives in Milton Florida. As soon as I get the exact address I will email to you. I gather he has been pretty sick with cancer. As soon as I visit with Jerry (Bledsoe) I'll email again Norma: I have lived in Frederick about 6 years, it's a good place. I work at Frederick Memorial Hospital. I am doing great. I really enjoy working with the Doctors. Very exciting work. How are all of you doing? Will email again soon Love Betty Love Betty ----- Original Message ----- From: "Stanley Browning" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, August 01, 2008 12:04 AM Subject: Re: [WVWYOMIN] Growin' Up in Appalachia Hi Betty, Seems like ages since we communicated. I am counting down on my new book about our area of Wyoming County WV, namely Matheny and Turkey Creek. I am still looking for some pictures of the Spence girls and Cebert, particularly from the times when we were growing up. However, I would accept any of their family pictures. Can you help me out on this? Also, I would like to know Maggie's exact death date and an address for Cebert. Keep in Touch, STAN On Jul 31, 2008, at 5:15 PM, LifeBuyDesign wrote: > Stan: You made me hungry. The last year I lived with Grandma and > Grandpa > Cook we put up 200 quarts of tomatoes. > As I look back I rather enjoyed it, but at 16, oh well that's > teenagers. > Grannie always put up pickled beans and oh yes pickled corn. I can > almost > taste that Molasses Cake and fresh Buttermilk. Sure do miss the > good times. > > Betty Cook Martinez > Frederick Maryland > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Stanley Browning" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]>; <[email protected]>; > <[email protected]>; <[email protected]> > Sent: Wednesday, July 30, 2008 6:21 PM > Subject: [WVWYOMIN] Growin' Up in Appalachia > > > Our mailing lists have been unusually quite of late, and it isn't > even dog days yet! So I will throw out a little tidbit for you to > use as fodder to exercise your memories of how it was "back then." > How many of you helped make hominy? Sour kraut? Pickle beans? Other > old time staples? > > STAN > > Making Hominy > When Ira Cook, Jr. and I were discussing my notes for my new > book,"Matheny and Me," the subject of making hominy came up. I > remembered that my mother and granny made hominy several times, but I > could not remember the details. For that reason, I chose to ignore > the subject in my book and hope that no one would notice. Now Ira is > no ordinary reviewer, but I finally concluded that there might be > others who are just as picky and would feel that hominy should get > equal coverage with some of the other staple foods we made ourselves, > which most folks now pick from a grocery store shelf and could not > care less how they are made. > > I think I know the hominy preparation steps my granny May and mother > followed pretty well, but it's the relative measurements of > ingredients that evade me. I know that a unique and necessary > ingredient was lye.[1] They used lye water to make hominy that was > just like they used to make homemade soap. They soaked dried shelled > “field corn” for two or three days in the lye water until the grains > swelled and the skin came off. The mixture was stirred occasionally > throughout the soaking period. The corn was then washed repeatedly > to remove all the lye. The last step was simply to cook the corn > until it was tender. > > Our friends further south than West Virginia use cracked corn, thus > they get hominy grits. > > What happens beyond this point in the process is left to the > imagination of the cook. Most people just heat the hominy, add > butter and salt and eat it that way. Some make paddies and fry > them. I don't know how my wife, Connie, prepares that sissy- made > store-bought hominy she buys, but it turns out just as good as the > real stuff and it is a lot less trouble. > > > [1] One of my friends says that a couple of boxes of soda dissolved > in enough water to cover a gallon and a half of beans works just as > well as lye. I think I like that idea better. > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes > in the subject and the body of the message > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to WVWYOMIN- > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes > in the subject and the body of the message ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

----- Original Message ----- From: "Stanley Browning" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, August 01, 2008 12:04 AM Subject: Re: [WVWYOMIN] Growin' Up in Appalachia Stan, You forgot something when you listed all of the veggies. What about Leather Britches? Norma Russie

I didn't forget leather britches, Norma, they are covered elsewhere in my book. Did you make yours by stringing the beans on a thread or did you just spread them out on the roof in the sun to dry? On Aug 1, 2008, at 8:36 PM, <[email protected]> <[email protected]> wrote: > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Stanley Browning" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Friday, August 01, 2008 12:04 AM > Subject: Re: [WVWYOMIN] Growin' Up in Appalachia > > Stan, > You forgot something when you listed all of the veggies. What about > Leather > Britches? > Norma Russie > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to WVWYOMIN- > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes > in the subject and the body of the message