| Feather Pillows and Rolling Grocers |
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| Written by Connie Moore, Food Editor |
| Wednesday, 21 December 2011 20:18 |
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It seems one memory minder leads to another. Somewhat a domino effect, the last column in November regarding memory minders brought a number of responses.
Here are some of the subjects that were touched on by readers. Feather pillows were made from gathered goose, duck and chicken feathers. Most of them came at the demise of the fowl. But children were instructed to gather loose feathers floating around the yard and barnyard also. It took a lot to stuff a pillow. Somewhat out of favor today, feather pillows can be special gifts, especially if made by a loving hand. Mercerized stockings are something of the past. Nylon pantyhose have replaced the once standard clothing for girls. (We’re talking the 1920s and 30s) Described by a reader as creepy, baggy and saggy, the light tan stockings were often rolled down to the ankles when out of sight of the house. Along with them, one often wore bloomers made from flower-patterned feed sacks. Imagine walking to a country school in 25 degree weather with only cotton stockings and bloomers to protect legs and feet. Often times shoes had cardboard soles. The Watkins bottle brought back a few memories of rolling stores. Merchants dealing in Watkins products made regular stops in towns and homes along country roads. It was actually an exciting thing to hear the horse and buggy, then later the first gasoline engine trucks coming down the lane. But there was another kind of rolling store on the roads of Ohio. When my mother was young in Jackson County (late 1920s), grocery stores equipped large school bus-size trucks to travel rural roads, selling groceries and wares. The rolling store had a front door up by the driver and a back door at the end of the aisle. When you stepped into the truck there were shelves on both sides with goods just like stores today. The drivers had regular weekly routes. Mom’s two uncles each had a truck and route, and later in Springfield (1930s) there were still rolling stores. Mom remembered one neighbor lady who always traded her eggs for items on the truck. One day she just put the eggs in her apron and for some reason let go of the apron. She forgot the eggs were in it until they went splat! at her feet. Of course the mention of aprons always brings stories close to the heart. Aprons wiped tears and dirty faces, held eggs and other produce from the garden to the kitchen, gathered the air to fan a hot face in the summer, shooed away the chickens and children, protected the hand when moving hot pots on the stove and in general was essential in everyday kitchen activities. When oysters were available in the winter Mom enjoyed making oyster stew for the family but her favorite was scalloped oysters. Scalloped Oysters ¼ of a pound box of saltine crackers (one stack) 1 pint oysters, with liquid Light cream or milk ½ teaspoon ground pepper 4 or more tablespoons butter or margarine Heat oven to 375 degrees. Crumble crackers coarsely. Drain oysters, measuring liquid. Add enough cream or milk to oyster liquid to make about 1 ¾ cups. In bottom of well-buttered 1 ½ quart casserole dish put one fourth of the crackers. Arrange 1/3 of the oysters on top. Sprinkle with some of the pepper. Dot with ¼ of the butter. Repeat layers ending with crackers. Dot with remaining butter. Pour oyster liquid/cream over all. Bake about 1 hour or until top is crusty brown. Refrigerate any leftovers promptly. Contact Connie at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or Box 61, Medway, OH 45341 Comments (0) |





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