Wilted Lettuce and warm Dinner Rolls/Butter

[Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172]

Bob's thread on Vidalia Onions triggered flashbacks to my Grandmother's  Wilted Lettuce and Rolls. 

 

A little background on that sweet lady. She had thirteen children, 11 survived the birth.  I suspect all were born on their farm, with a midwife or neighbor lady to assist.  Being a farmers wife she baked fresh bread for the clan every day.  She certainly mastered the art.  My Grandfather grew all of their vegetables in a garden, butchered his own hogs for their table,  and they churned their own butter. Nearest store was miles away. 

 

When she made Wilted Lettuce,  She used lard, sugar and vinegar, lettuce, onions and bacon pieces, all home supplied except sugar and perhaps vinegar. The dinner rolls were baked in a cast iron skillet in the stove oven, with wood supplying the heat. A very large carbon  footprint, eh? 

It gets rather warm and humid in Southern Illinois in the summer months. But she baked every day. 

 

The salad was delicious. Make a growing boy cry or more. But those warm rolls and fresh butter. I hope I get to heaven, just so I can ask her to make some more. 

 

Thanks for stopping by, Pilgrim. 

[Linn Keller, SASS 27332, BOLD 103]

Reading your words ...... I can smell Great-Grandma's cast iron stove, and her sweet rolls ... she taught my Mama how to make 'em ... that's why they're mentioned in the Firelands tales ... good memories!

[South-Eye Ned]

Mouth-watering!

 

Where in Southern Illinois?  My grandfather was born in (New) Grand Chain and his father was married in New Pinckneyville.

[Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172]

1 hour ago, South-Eye Ned said:

Mouth-watering!

 

Where in Southern Illinois?  My grandfather was born in (New) Grand Chain and his father was married in New Pinckneyville.

Just down the pike from Pinckneyville. My Dad and Mom lived in the river town of Chester, Illinois where I grew up.

Roughly 10 miles south of it, was Cora City.

Grandpa and Grandmother's farm was on the hill above Cora City, population circa 35, not counting farms around it. 

 

When in High School we played the Pinckneyville teams in the South West Egyptian Conference. They had an all star basketball team, taking State a lotta years in a row. IIRC Dustin Thomas was the BB coach. He could have coached pro I believe.  He was that good. 

[Choctaw Jack]

My maternal grandparents were" gypsy sawyers"in southern Oklahoma,up until a bout the time I was born.They operated a portable sawmill that they moved from place to place,usually in the riverbottoms of that area.

I remember Granny Stone making 

"  Wilted Greens " a  salad of mustard greens,turnip  greens,Polk salad greens,and whatever greens that happened to be available at the time.The key ingredient was the hot bacon drippings that were used to dress the salad thereby "wilting"the salad.

Tastier than it sounds,to most people,I'm sure.

Choctaw Jack 

[Black Angus McPherson]

26 minutes ago, Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172 said:

Just down the pike from Pinckneyville. My Dad and Mom lived in the river town of Chester, Illinois where I grew up.

Roughly 10 miles south of it, was Cora City.

Grandpa and Grandmother's farm was on the hill above Cora City, population circa 35, not counting farms around it. 

 

When in High School we played the Pinckneyville teams in the South West Egyptian Conference. They had an all star basketball team, taking State a lotta years in a row. IIRC Dustin Thomas was the BB coach. He could have coached pro I believe.  He was that good. 

 

That's interesting.  The father of my buddy grew up in that area.  I remember him talking about both Pinckneyville and Chester.  I think he had family in both towns.  Always talked about the big family Thanksgiving meals:  'Coon, 'Possum and a bunch of other stuff I've never tried.  Oddly enough, I don't recall him ever mentioning Turkey.

 

My grandmother also used to make a wilted salad.  Wonderful stuff.  I wish I'd learned to make it from her.

 

Angus

[Allie Mo, SASS No. 25217]

OMG, my family is from that area of Illinois. I recently learned from Lawdog Dago Dom that it is called Little Egypt.

[Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172]

19 minutes ago, Allie Mo, SASS No. 25217 said:

OMG, my family is from that area of Illinois. I recently learned from Lawdog Dago Dom that it is called Little Egypt.

Yep, it is. Cairo, pronounced kayro, is about 80 miles south of there, and the farmers and merchants would ship things to Cairo for transportation up the Ohio River to places like Pittsburg, and down the lower Mississippi to New Orleans,  or up river to St. Louis or Northern Illinois,  hence Little Egypt. The river was and is a major transportation route. 

 

My Grandfather told me of shipping his hogs to the slaughter houses in East St. Louis and then riding the packet boats south as far as New Orleans. I guess he knew most or all of the Boat Captains. 

[Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172]

2 hours ago, Black Angus McPherson said:

 

That's interesting.  The father of my buddy grew up in that area.  I remember him talking about both Pinckneyville and Chester.  I think he had family in both towns.  Always talked about the big family Thanksgiving meals:  'Coon, 'Possum and a bunch of other stuff I've never tried.  Oddly enough, I don't recall him ever mentioning Turkey.

 

My grandmother also used to make a wilted salad.  Wonderful stuff.  I wish I'd learned to make it from her.

 

Angus

As  a lad, my buddies and myself would hunt squirrels on a plot south of town. We would clean them and take them into the clubhouse and put them in the freezer. At the end of the season, the adults would have a squirrel feed, and we lads were invited to join. My grade school janitor was the cook, and he did those bushy tails justice.  Ah the memories. 

[Pat Riot]

My Mom baked bread and rolls twice a week. I miss that very much.

 

My  favorite meal was slowed cooked roast beef on fresh "pull apart" bread slathered in butter, made like a sandwich. 

 

My Nanny (paternal grandmother) made homemade bread, rolls, donuts, cinnamon rolls, coffee cakes, cake, pies, pretty much any baked pastry, bread or item from scratch.

 

I must admit that I am a pretty good bread baker but my waistline  pays the price when I make bread so I pretty much don't any more.

[Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172]

3 hours ago, Pat Riot, SASS #13748 said:

My Mom baked bread and rolls twice a week. I miss that very much.

 

My  favorite meal was slowed cooked roast beef on fresh "pull apart" bread slathered in butter, made like a sandwich. 

 

My Nanny (paternal grandmother) made homemade bread, rolls, donuts, cinnamon rolls, coffee cakes, cake, pies, pretty much any baked pastry, bread or item from scratch.

 

I must admit that I am a pretty good bread baker but my waistline  pays the price when I make bread so I pretty much don't any more.

Well Pat, we never discuss diet food at my house. All the good stuff is outside the fence of "diet food".

Plow another few furrows with the mules and that waist line will come richt down. 

 

[Sedalia Dave]

My Mother in law's side of the family is also from that area. Wife was born just across the river near Burna Kentucky.

 

Y'all got me reminiscing about grandma's light rolls. Fixed them every Sunday for family dinner. made from scratch and baked in an aluminum cake pan. Stood about two inches taller than the pan when grand ma pulled them from the oven.  Boy they were good with slathered in butter.

 

[Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172]

1 minute ago, Sedalia Dave said:

My Mother in law's side of the family is also from that area. Wife was born just across the river near Burna Kentucky.

 

Y'all got me reminiscing about grandma's light rolls. Fixed them every Sunday for family dinner. made from scratch and baked in an aluminum cake pan. Stood about two inches taller than the pan when grand ma pulled them from the oven.  Boy they were good with slathered in butter.

 

You never forget those things. 

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

On 7/15/2020 at 1:35 PM, Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172 said:

Bob's thread on Vidalia Onions triggered flashbacks to my Grandmother's  Wilted Lettuce and Rolls. 

 

A little background on that sweet lady. She had thirteen children, 11 survived the birth.  I suspect all were born on their farm, with a midwife or neighbor lady to assist.  Being a farmers wife she baked fresh bread for the clan every day.  She certainly mastered the art.  My Grandfather grew all of their vegetables in a garden, butchered his own hogs for their table,  and they churned their own butter. Nearest store was miles away. 

 

When she made Wilted Lettuce,  She used lard, sugar and vinegar, lettuce, onions and bacon pieces, all home supplied except sugar and perhaps vinegar. The dinner rolls were baked in a cast iron skillet in the stove oven, with wood supplying the heat. A very large carbon  footprint, eh? 

It gets rather warm and humid in Southern Illinois in the summer months. But she baked every day. 

 

The salad was delicious. Make a growing boy cry or more. But those warm rolls and fresh butter. I hope I get to heaven, just so I can ask her to make some more. 

 

Thanks for stopping by, Pilgrim. 

Lord that sounds good. When I get my kitchen back I'll have to whip up a batch.

 

Go for broke.