As a child, my grandmother would tell us about our family’s past, about our ancestors, and about our history. Much of our history dates back to Europe and other interesting things my Aunt Ruth discovered while she was in the DAR or Daughters of the American Revolution. Our history is rich and full of life!
The story that most interested me as a child was the story of “Glendale.” Glendale was a plantation home owned by my family during the Civil War era. Our ancestor, Bettie Pulliam, wrote a diary describing her life as a child at a girls school, her summers at Glendale, and her everchanging perspective of the war. Bettie was sent to school to learn French and Music and well, a little bit of everything. She saw the effects of the war both at school and at home at Glendale. Many people resided at Glendale one time or another. My family hid soldiers and slaves and often helped heal the sick and injured. This young lady saw many things most children have never seen. To a child, it is a scary thing to see 7 or 8, much less 80, men riding up on horses with guns, Confederate or Yankee. Throughout the diary, her perspectives and political views change due to her experiences. Her fond descriptions of visits to Germantown and “walking down The Macon Road,” still a prominent road in Memphis, TN today, are beautiful and easy to imagine. Now, when I travel down Macon Road, I can imagine The Depot and the ladies dressed in calico with hats and gloves (a few of the items Bettie recorded buying). I hope you will see this story, not as a political viewpoint, but as the tale of a bystander, a youth. Her story is rare since few women were sent away to school during this era and forced to return home due to the Civil War. It is a way to remember both the good and bad of our past because…
“What you need to know about the past is that no matter what has happened, it has all worked together to bring you to this very moment…”
Anonymous (from www.quotegarden.com)
This is our moment to change the world and make it better. It is easy to remember things like old fashioned recipes and landmarks, but sometimes we would rather forget the past. This diary written by a girl and later, a young lady, depicts how no matter what occurs in the world, such as war, we all still enjoy reminiscing about our home, the recipes we made there, and the people we love.
Bettie Pulliam begins her diary New Year’s Day of 1864. She is often a happy child and she enjoys her books, schooling, and friends. She often heard news (both true and false) about Gen. Forrest coming into town or the count of those on her friends’ watch, or sometimes when the “Yanks” were coming. If the later was to occur, preparations were made. Jars of preserved food were buried underground, so they would have fruits, vegetables, meats and other canned goods after the enemy came.
On Wednesday, March 30, 1864, Bettie writes, ” This evening about 8 o’clock, the remainder (of Col. Hurst’s men) came by, they were going double quick,
most of them were loping their horses, but for all their hurry did not prevent them from stealing, Mrs. S gave some of them something to eat in a pan and they took the pan and all and rode off with it. ”
Personally, as a chef, I’d be pretty angry if someone took my pan too! I have a sincere love for my equipment, especially my cast iron pan! (To learn more about cast iron, go to http://www.southernsimmerings.blogspot.com/2012/01/down-low-on-cast-iron.htm.)
Here’s a recipe you can make for your pantry at home!
Paprika Pickled Green Beans
Ingredients:
1-2 lbs fresh green beans, washed, trimmed, and “strung”
4-6 garlic cloves, peeled and in brine
4-6 fresh dill heads, seperated
TT Paprika (I recommend starting with 1 tsp then add or subtract according to your palate.)
2 1/2 cups water
2 1/2 cups vinegar
1/4 cup canning salt
Directions:
Prepare jars in hot water (not boiling but simmering). Pack beans into 4-6 hot 1 pint jars to 1/2 inch of the top of the jar. (You can measure this with a bubble remover and headspace tool.) Add garlic cloves, dill heads, and paprika to each jar.
Bring water, vinegar, and salt to a boil in a large saucepan. Once it is boiling, begin to ladle hot mixture over beans. Continue to leave a 1/2 inch headspace on the jars. Remove air bubbles, wipe rims and adjust rims until “finger tight,” or as tight as your two fingers can turn them without using the whole hand. Set on a warm towel and let cool for 12-24 hours. You may hear popping noises coming from your kitchen. Don’t be alarmed! It is the seal on the jars! Popping is a good thing! Once cooled, check seals to ensure the center is down and the lid is not easy to remove. If sealed properly, add ring and fabric, ribbons, labels and any other decorative items you wish to use! You can serve immediately, but I recommend refrigerating them first! It makes the texture more crisp and the flavors more prominent! Enjoy!
For more information and canning recipes, check out Ball Canning and Recipes online and on Facebook! http://www.freshpreserving.com/home.aspx
