Farm Story 4 Real Adventure Sans Video Games

     Turkeys were raised on this farm in the early 1900s, not to be eaten by the family, but sold as a product of the farm.  The turkeys were free-range, a good idea that was obvious to farmers before mass production of fowl created the overcrowded conditions to raise many birds as quickly as possible in close crowded conditions.

     The hen turkey on the original farm had the habit of laying her eggs in a place across the road known as Aron's field.  It was Robert's job to collect the eggs.  Once collected, the eggs would be placed under a docile chicken, and she would be the kinder, gentler, surrogate parent. Now of course, anyone familiar with the possessiveness of a turkey would know that this was no easy feat.  Not only was there a hen, but a tom turkey who would be there to prevent any harm to the nest.  The challenge was to search for the nest, retrieve the eggs, avoid being discovered by the tom turkey, and get back home across the street without breaking any eggs. This had the makings of a challenging game - a potentially harmful real life quest requiring   skill and daring. Today's child might even choose this over any thumb-numbing video game if, of course, they would like a real adventure.

Beware the ungrateful bird!

     Unlike the safe video game, there was a real chance that the cantankerous old tom turkey would sneak,  no, forget sneak up, would brazenly make a bold attack out of nowhere. If you are not familiar with a turkey attack, rest assured it is no mere gobble.  Forget the cute Thanksgiving pictures with beautiful fluffed up feathers.  There is a reason that Benjamin Franklin thought the turkey would be a good national symbol.  (" He is besides, though a little vain and silly, a Bird of Courage, and would not hesitate to attack a Grenadier of the British Guards who should presume to invade his Farm Yard with a red Coat on." - Benjamin Franklin)." A tom turkey is a formidable foe that takes a flying leap up, wings outspread and feet forward so that the talons can grab you and finally can stab you with its inch-long spurs.  Ouch!

     Robert must have let down his guard one day because he lost the round with the turkey.   It resulted in a gash that needed to be tended by the doctor.

     Now for those who may feel the attack was slightly justified because, after all, there was a raid on the nest, the story does not end here.   That turkey continually spread his fear and command over the rest of the barnyard that he apparently called his domain.

     The farm corn crib is a great place to store the crop, but it also makes a safe place to hide.  That is, if you need to play hide and seek with the farm turkey whose job to feed is yours. That was Ethel's job - give food to the creature that considers it appropriate to bite the hand that feeds it. There, in the semidarkness, one could peak through the slats and secretly observe the area. Safely inside the corn crib to escape the huge tom turkey, she could watch it just outside the door, the creature half the size of her, pacing, waiting, and watching with beady eyes.  The fact that whoever came out of the corn crib would be handing out turkey food didn't seem to matter. It was inside the corn crib that Ethel would hide, the door safely shut, looking through the slats of wood, waiting for the unappreciative turkey to leave.  Evidently, a brave and patient youngster, she would sit it out until the turkey left the corn crib area.  Then, and only then, would she come out with the food for the ungrateful fowl. Never when this story is told was there a mention that not doing this feeding chore was an option.

The ghost of the turkey past lives on in the current flock  - watching your every step.

Great even if not on the grill.  Adapted from Food Network, Bobby Flay
           Grilled Tilapia with Lemon Butter, Capers and Orzo 5*
1 lemon, finely zested
2 lemons, juiced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 shallot, thinly sliced
Splash heavy cream
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into cubes, at room temperature (used 6 T, probably could get by with 4T)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 (8-ounce) tilapia fillets
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound orzo, cooked al dente
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/4 cup drained capers

1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a small saucepan over high heat and cook until reduced by half. Remove from the heat and let cool.
2.  Whisk together cream, butter and wine mixture in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. (Can be made 1 day in advance and refrigerated.) Bring to room temperature
before serving.
3. Heat the grill to high. (or heat pan)
4. Brush the fish on both sides with oil and season with salt and
pepper. Grill the fish for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until lightly golden
brown and slightly charred.
5. Toss the orzo with a few tablespoons of the lemon butter and 2 tablespoons of the parsley and season with salt and pepper. Transfer the orzo to a platter. Place the fillets on the orzo and top each fillet with some of the lemon butter and capers. Garnish with the remaining parsley.

Farm Story 3 The Ahh of Warmth

     Our farm has just completed two weeks with the return of electricity.  Hurricane Sandy made the trip up the coast and then made an incredible sharp left turn into New Jersey. The storm was unique in its size not necessarily in its strength.

     It was strong enough though to knock out so many trees.  Unlike Little House in the Big Woods, we are in an area of Big Houses in the Big Woods.  So many homes tucked into wooded areas were previously safe hoping "the big storm" may never come, but it did. Trees came down like dominoes and their fingerlike branches grasped the power lines as they fell.  For the first time ever, the road was impassable in either direction and remained so in one of the directions for one and one half weeks.

     So most of New Jersey was in darkness as well as without cell phones, land lines, and easily available gas.  Many roads were impassable. Creature comforts? Gone and not to return for two weeks. Discomfort, mental and physical, entered with electrical and technological isolation woven together in the midst of a very populated usually connected area. Silence, darkness, isolation, and cold were all wrapped together.

Cozy warmth from a  wood stove

    Aunt Ethel had always spoken of the wonderful feeling of warmth when she and her husband Walt stepped through the doorway and  into their toasty warm home.  It was a home that was kept warm enough so as to not need that extra layer.  Who of the younger generation should fault this? If an unheated home is not part of one's memory then it's hard to "get it" when someone describes how wonderful it is to open a door to enveloping  heat.  Surely, if a power outage occurred only a relatively small amount of time would pass and all would be right again with the world.
     But then, Ethel grew up on the farm where walking through the farm door didn't automatically mean heat. That cozy warm fire could only happen as a result of some work.  Warmth in the farm house came from a wood burning stove in the kitchen and a caring parent that kept the home fires burning.  Someone had to keep the fire going.  When the children were small that job would be one among many that her mother completed in a day.  She would drag in the branches and chop the pieces for the family stove.  Eventually, this chore could fall to the brothers.  The stove in the front room warmed that room plus provided enough heat to go through a grate in the ceiling leading to the upstairs bedrooms. Everything was comfortable as long as the fire kept burning.
     This storm has brought a true understanding and gratitude for Ethel's  "ahh" of warmth.

Yes, you do like dates, or you will after trying this!
Maple-Date Bars 

1 3/4 cups finely chopped pitted dates (about 12 ounces)

3/4 cup water

1/3 cup maple syrup

1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup all-purpose flour (about 4 1/2 ounces)

1 cup regular oats

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

Cooking spray

Combine dates, water, and maple syrup in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil; cook 12 minutes or until most liquid is absorbed, stirring frequently. (Mixture will look like jam.) Stir in rind; cool completely.
Preheat oven to 400°.
Beat sugar and butter at medium speed until smooth.  Combine flour, oats, baking soda, and salt. Stir flour mixture into sugar mixture (mixture will be crumbly). Press 2 cups flour mixture into bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Spread date mixture over flour mixture. Sprinkle with remaining flour mixture. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely.

Tip: Wrap these moist bars individually, or place them in a cookie tin between layers of wax or parchment paper.

Adapted from Cooking Light Nov. 2005

Farm Story 2 - Hop, Skip, and a Jump

     September brings thoughts of school and school bus rides. For a first grader on our street, all it takes is a hop, skip, and a jump onto the bus and then off to school.

     Today our road is a busy county road and the hazards walking this road are such that a mom would not choose to walk it with a child and never allow one to walk it alone.  School buses must pick up young children at their driveway on the same side of the road as their house is located.  They don't have to cross the street to get on the bus.

     In 1925, Ethel was a six-year-old first grade student.  She and her brothers, James and Robert, would depart each day for a one room school on a school bus that picked them up at their house.  However, the trip home at the end of the day was, without explanation, different.  It was a reverse of the morning route with a slight catch.

     In the early days, our area was divided into villages.  Union Village was located at the intersection of Hillcrest Road and Mountain Avenue.  It was at the intersection of these two roads that six-year-old Ethel and her brothers, James and Robert would be let off the bus to take the long walk home.  No one was waiting in a nice cool car on hot days nor a warm car on cold days. Actually, there was no car.

     The final leg of the trip home was a one mile walk up a dirt road that gradually increased in steepness.  A mere 2 minutes by car today, but on foot - it was 24 minutes to be exact if one kept up a steady pace.  At four minutes the children would reach a brook and then continue up the steeper part of the hill that was wooded on both sides. It would take another 17 minutes until Emerson Lane was reached.  At this point there would be the summer cottages inhabited during the warm weather by a Jewish community of vacationers who wanted to escape the city heat.  The final minutes would lead to the driveway entrance and home.

     Were there any perils along the way on this dirt road?  One time the three children walked the road and were stopped by a talkative gentleman.  As the man struck up a conversation with them, Ethel was positioned behind her two brothers.  As good brothers do, they protectively hid their little sister. She fondly  remembers her brothers' effort to this day.   Fortunately, it was the local doctor who knew the children.

    In spite of the idea that children were much better behaved in days gone by, sometimes discipline was needed and it could be meted out to the whole group.  What happens when everyone in the school needs discipline and must stay after school?  All, that is, except for the first graders.  The older students stayed behind and the first graders were put on the bus as usual.  Ethel rode the bus home, was dropped off at the bus stop, and started the long walk up the road all alone.  Imagine the relief she must have felt when her farm driveway came into view.
     Upon finally reaching the house and safety, there was no one home!  Her mother had taken Robert to the dentist that day and had not yet returned.

The Safety of Home - View is from south of the farm.  

    There at the house, Ethel waited all by herself.  As Ethel tells the story she remembers that hearing her brother James's voice at Emerson Lane was "the best sound in the world."
     Most likely there was an enthusiastic first grader's hop, skip, and a jump in excitement and relief as well - no longer all alone.
(These entries will not be ordered chronologically, but by conversations about pictures and events as remembered.)

Family recipe

                          Fresh Carrots Au Gratin

2 cups fresh carrots, thinly sliced

1/4 cup onion, minced

1/2 cup water

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1/4 cup flour

1 1/2 cups milk

1/3 cup cheddar cheese, grated

1 Tbs parsley, chopped

1/2 cup Italian Bread crumbs

3 Tbs butter, melted

1. Simmer carrots and onions in water seasoned with salt and pepper until tender, drain.

2. Melt butter; stir in flour.  Add milk gradually, stirring constantly.

Cook until thickened, stirring occasionally.

3. Remove from heat.  Stir in cheese and parsley.  Add carrots; mix well.

4. Pour into greased 1-quart casserole.

5. Combine crumbs with melted butter; sprinkle over casserole.

6. Bake at 375 about 20 minutes.

My tip: Double sauce; add extra carrots and onions.

Farm Story 1 - The Greatest Generation

     A Story That Needs to Be Told

     Walking around our farm, one can't help but imagine what it would have been like 100 years ago.  What were the hopes and dreams of Mary and George Nelson Burnett?  Life as a farmer was hard.  Did they even have time to dream?  One realization comes to mind about this couple, my husband's grandparents, living and working on their farm.  Think about this. These farmers, and many more just like them, were the ones responsible for raising those that Tom Brokaw wrote so compellingly as our nation's greatest generation.  There is no dispute that the greatest generation of Americans sacrificed much to defend against international terror.  But lets take a step back. Who raised this brave generation of which the likes we may never see again in such large numbers?  Living on this farm and seeking its history has provided some clues.

     Each week we have dinner with Aunt Ethel, the sister of my husband's mother.  Since our farm is where she born and raised, our conversation would turn to different aspects of growing up on the farm. Herein lies the answer to the question.

A face of courage and kindness

     What is the story?  Ethel's mother, Mary Wesley Burnett, is a profile of courage. She was a young wife and mother of four children when tragedy struck.  Her husband left to work on a neighboring farm driving a team of horses and met his untimely death.  Unfortunately, a repaired set of reins gave way and he fell.  The real meaning of alone is when you suddenly have the burden of feeding and clothing four children, one who was only weeks old at the time and the oldest just five and a half. How do you run a farm by yourself with four small children? And, do it before the era of government assistance.  At this time neighbors were few and far between, and hitching up your horse and wagon was the way to go unless something was in walking distance.  Forget about a     grocery store.

Mary and her four children

     Where do you begin?  There wasn't electricity or running water, and heat came from a coal/wood burning stove. A modern family wouldn't have a clue how to provide for themselves under these conditions.  Inquiring as to how her mother ever managed, Ethel replied that her mother's response was that she said had no choice in the matter, there were four children to take care of (as well as crops and animals) and they were all depending on her.  And so she did courageously accept the responsibility without any outside help; crumbling under pressure was not an option.

    It was she and the many others of her era that raised the greatest generation through courageous example in the face of life's quite difficult hardships. No whining, no complaining that life is not fair; accept the cards as they are dealt and play them.  Only the likes of this generation could have raised "the greatest generation." This is where the story begins. More farm stories to follow as they come about through conversations.

A family recipe for today.

Aunt Ethel's Beef Supreme Casserole

1 Tbsp shortening                                                           2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 lb. ground chop meat ( can use ground turkey)             1 c. sour cream
1  16 oz. can tomatoes                                                   1  5 oz. pkg. medium noodles, cooked, drained
1   8 oz. can tomato sauce                                              6 green scallions, chopped
2 Tbsp. salt                                                                    1 cup grated Mozzarella
2 Tbsp sugar

     Melt shortening in pan.  Add meat, breaking it into chunks.  Cook until brown.  Drain off fat.
     Stir in tomatoes, sauce, salt, sugar, and garlic.
     Simmer 5 - 10 minutes.
     Mix sour cream, cooked noodles, and scallions.
     Pour small amount of meat sauce into greased 3 qt. casserole, then half of the noodle mixture, topped with half of the grated cheese.
     Repeat layers, topping with meat sauce.
     Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.
     Can be prepared ahead of time and frozen.