Grandma things

I used to watch my gran like a hawk. She had little unique ways of doing everything. We knew something was wrong with her mind when she put ketchup in her famous butter tart recipe.
Save the grease from cooking for the dog dish.
When it is cold, put a pot on the wood stove, put cinnamon sticks, orange slices, 50 other spices in it and let it simmer all day...take a deep breath everytime you walk by... we rarely had colds as kids on the farm.

My Grandma (on my Dad's side) was a materialistic individual who always complained about everybody - I never got on with her. My Grandmother (on my mothers side) was (apparently) into a lot of the things I am (she passed away just after I was born) so unfortunately I don't remember her. I've spoken to mum about her and she told me about the "soup on top of the stove that they had for every meal except when visitors were coming". Mum grew up in the Depression era just after the war. Mum is "losing it" a bit, so info is very slow in coming sometimes. Mum grew up on a small "soldier settlement" plot and she remembers her father having horses (no cars), chickens, dogs, 7 kids (of which mum was the youngest) and a massive vegie garden. Lot's of rabbit on the table in those days. Extra income was earned from selling flowers to the local florist.

Grandma(when mentioning is always my dad's side) used to set an extra plate just incase someone came by. At Xmas she said the plate was for those that could not he with us.

I don't know why but she severed tomato juice with every meal except breakfast.

If she served tomato sauce with every meal I'd have said she might be Aussie! Setting the extra place is very respectful - reminds others to not take things for granted!

If she served tomato sauce with every meal I'd have said she might be Aussie! Setting the extra place is very respectful - reminds others to not take things for granted!

I had no idea on the Aussie thing.

As I grew older, I figured it was because there were no more critters cause my grandfather had gotten sick and there were few apple trees however the tomato garden was hugh

It might also have been the vitamins in tomatoes - to prevent colds etc.

My Grandparents had 10 children through the depression. They were lucky to have a farm where they raised chickens (eggs and meat), cows (milk, butter, cream to trade), pigs, cattle, apple trees, and a huge garden, on the east coast where the growing season is short. Even when I was young, in the '50s, they had 2 big horses, before they got a tractor, to do the hard work of plowing, cutting hay, raking, hauling the trailers.....My Grandparents had several bachelor sons who stayed on the farm and worked it until this century. They always stored their veggies (potatoes, lots of potatoes, onions, carrots, turnips, parsnips) in a dirt-floored root cellar under the house. My Grandmother made bread until the 1990s - I was given her bread pans. They were very self sufficient. They'd do fine when TSHTF. My Grandmother lived over 100 years.

WOW - that's great.

My grandmother apparently used to make "pressed tongue" using ox tongues (YUK) because they had a fairly large family and meat was rationed. I didn't ask how she made it - I just don't want to know!

My grams had the bluest eyes and would dump out her change purse when ever i came over, so i could buy sweets. When I was much older after she passed, I discovered a lot of time that was her only money.

I was blessed to have one grandmother live with us for a few years on the farm when I was eight to 10, she taught me how to knit among many other things, on the other side, my grandmother lives till I was in my mid-twenties and my grandfather until I was 19, they would come for a month at a time to stay with us and we would go up for a week or two to help them thoughout the year..

I learned so much from my grandmothers in regards to cooking, canning, gardening, baking, knitting, rug making, candle making and the lists goes on.. my grandfather taught me about animals, horse's, teams, milking, gardening, fruit tree's and many, many thing that are now called wild bush crafts, back them gramdpa just called it learning about the life all around you.. how to read the signs for if it was going to be a mild or a hard winter.

Just one example of something I use many times every single day of my life, it was my grandpa who I remember teaching all of us grandchildren on how to learn to watch the sky, to listen to the wind and use your sense of smell in regards to tracking the coming weather. It is a long learning process to watch the sky, to learn what it means when the wind typically comes from this or that direction and what it means, he didn't watch the weather channel, he watched the sky, the farm, and the animals on it..

I still remember the first time on the farm that it went grey and started to lightly spit, and I said to hubby, pack it in, its going to pour soon, and he kind of looked at me, looked at the sky, and went, lets just stay, it's only a light rain, it will go away soon, and I was like, no it won't.. look at the sheep, it was their regular grazing time, they had just been let into that new graze paddock, and the leaders were taking the whole flock back to the barn, sure enough we have pounding rain for a few hours..

Anyway, I have very fond memories of my grandparents, but bringing it back to very useful bit, Grandma used to make superthick wool rugs for the babies to play on, in a area by the wood stove to keep the little ones from playing on a cold winter floor, something to think about if there are to be baby's or grandbaby's and lack of central heating.. Also grandma would not clean her wool for certian things she knitted until after it was made, so that the wool kept her hands in shape during the cold winter months.. very clever..

Farmgal, I'm speechless! I'd have loved to learn about nature like you did - I'm a late starter but I get out into nature as much as I can these days. Fabulous post, thank you.

My grams had the bluest eyes and would dump out her change purse when ever i came over, so i could buy sweets. When I was much older after she passed, I discovered a lot of time that was her only money.

Aw she must have really loved you.

Farmgal - wow, your post made me cry.

Your grandfather and mine sound the same. I learned so much from mine and still miss him after all these years.

It seems most of us that prep had amazing grandparents that took the time to teach us the things we needed to learn.