Monday, May 15, 2006

Farm Life of the Past: Breakfast Time

...one more little story from my husband's memories of growing up in a big family in Alabama..


Breakfast Time



Breakfast, to feed a family of twelve people, had to be a big thing.


There was the platter of sausage patties, piled in a mountain, perhaps, ten deep at it’s highest point… the biscuits counted in dozens…rolled out and cut in perfect round circles…to rise and brown to perfection… the butter, hand churned and molded in neat blocks, lightly salted… Jams or jellies from the summer’s bounty and canned by Mother and the girls, to mix and melt with the butter inside those biscuits… the eggs, gathered daily, cooked, sunny side up, stacked, one atop the other… the browned, milk gravy – to top it all off!

There was always milk to drink - and buttermilk!

And coffee, hot and black for the adults. It was the custom in those days to pour coffee from the cup into the saucer for cooling- a curious thing to do and something that is seldom seen in today’s world!

Some child among the ten, at almost every meal, would manage to spill a glass of milk!
Being one of the youngest it was often Ed who would have this mishap, resulting in a stern look, at the least, from the head of the family, Daddy! Invariably, with eleven sets of eyes watching, tears would follow!

Sausage, when available, was a favorite of one and all in the family. The platter was passed around the table and everyone took what they wanted. It was considered poor manners to take the last of anything left on a serving dish…(if you were a kid, especially)
in case somebody else wanted it.

Once there was one lone sausage left on the serving plate. Several eyes were on this fine morsel but no one had yet worked up the courage to make the move on it. Finally, one of the older sisters went for it! Her fork was half way back to her mouth with the sausage when it was taken, in mid air, by the older brother; and was gone in a flash!!

So much for manners!! ☺

June Kellum
May, 2006

10 comments:

  1. That sounds so familiar. Not quite as many people but the same artery hardening delicious breakfast.

    My uncle poured his coffee into the saucer. I'd all but forgotten.

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  2. :)

    I remember my grandfather did it that way too!

    I bet not too many young folks have seen that! :)

    sooo- that's at least ONE thing we know that they don't, eh? :)

    June

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  3. Hi June ~~ Another interesting story.
    I remember seeing tea put in a saucer to drink, but glad they do not do it now.
    I laughed about that last sausage.
    Thanks for comments "let's share the
    housework". Doesn't work too well.
    Take care June. Merle.

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  4. Hi Junie,
    That bike ride sounded fantastic, and I still love the farm stories.

    That tomato planr sure was remarkable, actually Morna sais today that what she bought home were only the prunings, not the whole bush.

    I love the movie, "Fried green tomatos" and have always wanted to try them, do you have the recipie?.

    hugs jacqui

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  5. All that delay for the last sausage and it gets pinched at the last moment!!!

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  6. :)

    Yep!
    Seems like it was always the oldest brother who got away with doing those things! :) Not surprisingly, I guess!

    June

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  7. Hi Jacqui,

    Thanks for reading my stories.

    As for the fried green tomatoes...all I do is slice them about 1/4 in thick, salt and pepper them, coat with flour and fry in hot oil til brown on both sides! Yummy!!

    Junie

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  8. Hi Merle,

    It's fun remembering how things change over the years- most for the better.

    LOL-- I remember, even as a kid, thinking that pouring coffee into the saucer, a strange way of doing things!

    Looks like rain here today- Hope things are going well in your world.


    June

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  9. Anonymous1:20 PM

    The last saucer that contained liquid that I can remember was in the hands of my Grandmother and it contained tea. She lived past 91 and her breakfast for years was a cup of tea, an apple, and a piece of toast. I'll have to write about her one of these days.

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  10. :)

    Seems like it's just us older ones of the blogging circle who remember seeing the saucer thing- so I guess it truly IS just of the past!

    Hope you will write about your grandmother.

    There's so many stories we need to tell of the past!! :) It shouldn't all be lost!

    June

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