Making Mush

Staci at the Podunkian Post Gazette wrote a blog recently about corn meal mush. Just reading about it made me hungry for that old-time taste. I used to make mush regularly when my sons were little boys, and we all loved it. Staci made the mush as a hot cereal like cream of wheat, but the way we always ate it was fried.

After reading her post, I got out the corn meal and made a batch. I used 1 cup of corn meal to 3 cups of cold water. As Staci noted, it's best to add the meal to the cold water slowly, stirring ALL the time, so you don't get lumps. I had some nice stone-ground meal and it mixed up very well.

Next, cook and stir until the meal "plops." turn down the heat and continue stirring for about a minute or so, until the mixture is thick. How thick? Hmmm--about like oatmeal? I'd say that's about right. At this point I pour it into a greased loaf pan (I used cooking oil).

Then put it in the fridge and let it cool. It will thicken into a solid block that you can then turn out of the pan and slice. I prefer about a 1/2 thickness to each slice, but thinner is okay too.

Heat your pan of bacon grease or cooking oil (I used oil) until a drop of water hisses good, then add your slices to the pan. Fry to a golden brown on each side.

Some people like to eat their fried mush with maple syrup, and it's good that way. I like it best with fried eggs and sliced tomatoes. Guess what we had for dinner Sunday night?

Mush is a little tricky to fry. It's got a lot of sugar and starch content from the corn meal so it's sticky. A good hot cast iron skillet is essential, I think, for good results, and if you have a splatter lid so much the better because the water in the mush will pop a good bit. So be forewarned! But the end result is heavenly, no other word for it. Cheap, easy and quick to make--what's not to like?

Just for fun, here's a few corn stories:

The Origin of Corn is on a boy scout page. No attribution to the source of this tale is given.

The Story of the Corn Husk Doll is included on an intriguing site that discusses Thanksgiving from a Native American perspective and offers tools for teachers. Excellent site for thought-provoking information.

Tall tales of tall corn from a 1905 Ottawa newspaper can be found here.

Did you know there is a field of giant, people-sized ears of corn in Dublin, Ohio? Tis true!

Indian corn? Find out how it came to be on this website.

And some corn weatherlore:

Corn wears a heavier coat (husk) when the weather is warm and wet.

When corn fodder stands all dry and crisp, go on your outing, there's no great risk.

When corn fodder is limp, rain is coming.

If clouds rise in heaps of white, soon will the country of the corn priests be pierced with arrows of rain.
 
A change in the weather may be expected, if you see hogs carrying corn in their mouths.

When April blows his horn, 'Tis good for both hay and corn.
 
A dry March and a wet May fill the barns with corn and hay.
 
If Groundhog Day is clear, then corn and fruits will both be dear.
 
And of course, there are corn books:


 
 
 
 
 







 
 
 
Okay, is that enough corn for you?
 
Enjoy some on the cob while it's in season. That is the best corn of all.

Rain and Tomatoes

Last night was a dark and stormy night. Thank goodness. The gardens were just about to give up and so was I. There is only so much watering a person can do. Two big beautiful pepper plants withered away in the heat because we couldn't get water to them. The beans were coming on gangbusters but stopped completely. The last picking of corn was pretty paltry and the chickens got a lot of it.

Tomatoes, though, have weathered through. Tonight I had about a bushel of them in the kitchen so it was time to get them in the canner. We've tried several different varieties this year, and I'm watching to see what does well. The Early Girls came on early, as promised by their name, but they don't give you a deep red, juicy tomato. There are plenty of them however. The German Pinks are intriguing; there seems to be a lot of green still on their shoulders when they're ripe, but they are delicious. The Amish Paste plants gave me fits when they were seedlings but not they're producing large, meaty, flavorful tomatoes. The Hillbilly tomatoes are beginning to give us large pink-and-yellow striped tomatoes, but so far, oddly, we've had no cherry or pear tomatoes. Go figure.

It's interesting to see how gardens react to rain after a long dry spell. It's as if the plants that survived were just waiting for a reason to spread out, turn deeper green and really pile on the fruits. Squash is coming on fast and so are cucumbers. I will have pickles to make tomorrow night, I do believe. Even the broccoli is getting a second wind and sending up new shoots.

We're not too different. The rain allowed us to relax, breathe deeply the damp air, and reel in the hoses. We can sit on the porch and talk about something besides where we need to water next and what the weather forecast says. The poor coneflowers, filled with flowerheads fried by the nearly 100 degree heat last week, is sending up new buds. Even the honeybees seem happier. It's as if all the world just got a deep massage with the fingers of rain that bathed us yesterday and last night.

Of course, rain also means some work doesn't get done. Larry was in the middle of brush hogging so he had to wait until this evening to finish up. He used his time to get new supers on the bees, finish up the netting over the turkeys' run and pull the onions and spread them out to dry. It looks like a nice crop of them this year, and the second planting is coming on well in the new garden.

For me, rain doesn't have much impact. My work continues as before--canning/freezing/etc when I get home from work, then on to a little housework, mail and bills, etc. Last night after the Green Drinks meeting I had to get an order of 30 CDs ready to deliver, so it was a long, late night. I find myself juggling hard this time of year to get everything done and I do get pretty tired. Then August comes, storytelling slows down and I can breathe a little easier.

But I still like the rain, and rainy days are still my favorites. There is something restful about rainfall, a reminder perhaps to slow down and appreciate the workings of nature. It's good to do that, especially now when nature is in overdrive. Thank goodness for rain, that gentle washer of earth and souls.

Maggie's Red, White and Blue Cake

One of the things I enjoy about writing this blog is its eclectic nature. The topics I want to write about range far and wide, from serious to silly to fun to interesting--and recipes! I meant to post this after the 4th of July, and just now am remembering to share it with you.

My sister Maggie brought the ingredients for a red, white and blue cake for our 4th of July dessert. I thought it was going to be complicated process, but it was so simple. This cake would be good for Labor day, Veteran's Day or any other national holiday--or heck, just make it for the fun of it. Hats off to sister Maggie for sharing this good idea with us. As you can see in the photo, she had to work fast--while Susan cut berries and Maggie put them in place, little Sam was helping himself.

Red, White and Blue Cake

1 angel food cake
1 container of whipped topping (like Cool Whip)
1 quart of strawberries
1 or 2 pints of blueberries

That's it!

Now, to make the cake:

You can cut the angel food cake in half across the middle and spread whipped topping on the bottom half, then put the cake back together and cover it with the rest of the whipped topping. Or you could just frost the whole cake with whipped topping, which is even easier.

Wash the strawberries and cut into quarters. Wash and stem the blueberries. Use the berries to create any design you like on the cake. Maggie did rows of red and blue berries and it was very pretty.

That's all there is to it, and it was delicious and quick. And low calorie if you use fat-free whipped topping.

Speaking of whipped topping, long ago I used to make my own whipped topping. I sometimes added cinnamon and nutmeg to it to make a spiced topping for peach upside-down cake--which I have not made in years but either, with the peaches coming ripe now maybe I should dig that recipe out again too.

Here's the whipped topping recipe--it's quick, simple and tastes delicious. Low cost too, which is always a plus in my book.

Whipped Topping

1 cup of instant nonfat dry milk
1 cup of ice water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 c sugar

Chill bowl and beaters.

Whip dry milk with water until soft peaks form, about 3-4 minutes.

Add vanilla and beat until stiff, about 4-6 minutes.

Fold in sugar and beat for another minute.

You could use other flavorings, too, depending on what you're using the topping on--almond or lemon, for example.