Try it first, and you just might end up liking it

Memories are priceless. It seems as if the older we get, the more memories are cherished. As Grandparents Day approaches, memories of my Grandpoppa come alive. Grandpoppa, a blacksmith by trade, was the father of my daddy. He is the only grandparent that I knew as the others were deceased before I could know them.

I remember Grandpoppa visiting us on Sundays usually long after dinner. He would arrive near supper time. It was during the era when our meals were breakfast, dinner, supper. He would sit and talk, always asking me about school and my grades. He was concerned about education and wanted me to do well.

Grandpoppa had a mule and a horse, and he farmed. He had chickens and hogs and a garden. In one conversation, he was surprised that I never had seen a hog being slaughtered. He talked about this and said the next killing would be in January, and he wanted me to be there to see it. He pointed to the hog that would become the pork for the winter and explained to me the procedure. I was there to witness the killing, and then it was decided that my help was not needed for the butchering, so, I was not allowed to have that experience.

I can remember taking the basket and picking up the eggs from the nest. Some how I did not pick vegetables from the garden, just helped with the preparation for cooking.

On one occasion, Daddy had prepared goat meat for dinner. Daddy always wanted us to experiencea variety of meats, and someone had shared goat meat with us. Grandpoppa was over for supper, and he continued to praise the meat that had been prepared. Each time he asked Daddy what kind of meat were we eating, I noticed that Daddy would not answer and just said he was happy the meat was being enjoyed.

As the questioned continued to be asked, Daddy said the meat was from a goat. Evidently, there had been a father-son conversation many years prior, and it had been established that goat meat was not a meat that Grandpoppa ever wanted to eat. Grandpoppa stopped chewing and admonished his son for serving him a meat that he had said he never wanted to eat. There was a moral to the story: Never say what you don't like; try it, and you might like it. Also, one does not always know what is being eaten.

As I grew older, I began to receive a watch for Christmas each year from Grandpoppa. I had a difficult time keeping a watch while I was growing up, and the difficulty remains today.

Daddy wanted Grandpoppa to visit me as a teacher. Usually when my parents would come to Beaufort, they would bring the meal as single teachers lived and roomed together, and there was much sharing of space and supplies. My parents asked if I thought I could prepare a meal, and I said yes. Grandpoppa came, and he was the first to smile and praise my cooking. It was the first meal that he had eaten that was prepared by me and what encouragement he gave. He told me that his wife, my grandmother, was a great cook, that Daddy had married a woman who could cook, and it seems as if I would continue the legacy.

There are many things that I have to remember Grandpoppa. Aunt Bell, his oldest child, had a picture of Grandpoppa with his mother and stepfather enlarged for all the grandchildren. Then there is a letter that was written to Aunt Bell in which he rejoiced that the Lord had spared him to see another day.

My grandpoppa, tall, a man of a few words but powerful in his speech. When he spoke, we listened, and we just loved to be with him. John Edward Wilson was an only child; father of three children with Daddy, his only son. I share some of the supper dishes Grandpoppa ate at our house:

Fried Cabbage

1/2 pound sliced salt pork

1 head cabbage, washed, cut up

In an iron skillet fry 1/2 pound diced salt pork until done. Add cabbage and cover for a few minutes, turning often. When cabbage starts to get limp, turn heat low and cook until done, never brown.

Sausage Cornbread Pie

1 pound pork sausage

1 cup yellow cormeal

1 cup flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 egg

2 cup milk

Brown pork sausage, separating it into pieces. Pour off drippings, reserving 1/2 cup. Sift together cornmeal, flour, sugar and baking powder. Add egg, milk and 1/4 cup pork sausage drippings. Mix to combine thoroughly. Fold in sausage. Turn batter into a greased 9-inch round pie pan. Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes or until done.

Farmer's Chicken Stew

1 stewing chicken (5 pounds) cut up

2 cups water

3 small onions, cut in half

5 whole cloves

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons paprika

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 cups carrot slices, cut diagonally in 1/2 inch pieces

2 cups celery slices, cut diagonally in 1/2 inch pieces

1 package (10 oz.) frozen peas, unthawed

2 cups milk

1/2 cup flour

Place chicken in 4 quart Dutch oven. Ad water, onions and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Cover;simmer for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until chicken is tender. Remover bay leaf and cloves. Add vegetables; bringto a boil. Cover; simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Drain and reserve broth. Skim off excess fat.

Pour 3 cups broth into sauce pan. Gradually add milk to flour, stirring until smooth. Add to hot broth, bring to a boil over medium heat,stirring constantly until gravy is thickened. Pour gravy over chicken and vegetables. Heat thoroughly. Sprinkle with paprika before serving.

Oven Fried Pork Chops

1 package (4 to 6) pork chops

Minced garlic

Salt and pepper

1/2 stick butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray pan and let 1/2 stick butter. Rinse pork and pat dry with paper towel. Dip pork chops in melted butter, then in seasoned flour. Placein pan in single layer. Sprinkle minced garlic over pork. Place in oven until pork chops are done. Size and thickness of pork chops determines baking time.

Port Royal resident Ervena Faulkner is a retired educator who has always had an interest in food and nutrition. E-mail her at features@beaufortgazette.com.