August 18/82
I was to see the doctor yesterday. He gave penicillin pills to take. It has worked a little but a long way to
go. I have pneumonia. I quit for a while lugging cans of water to
the geese. I will look after them when I
get better.
It’s 11 o’clock in the morning. Dad went to a sale. It starts 11:30 so he had an early
dinner.
I didn’t have fun at the wedding as I was burning
up. I only drank coke and 222 pills. I
washed my hair before we went. With
sweating so much hair never got dry till I went to bed.
I won’t have any cucumbers for pickling as they froze,
once in the spring and now again so there is only a few unless it don’t freeze
now for a long while.
It rained last night .
We don’t need much rain now that the harvest started. George and Donald are swathing wheat and
mustard. Matt bought a big swather so it
goes fast.
I have a big wash when I get better as I should have
done this week but I will leave till I am better.
I have dilled 5 pints beans. That be enough for me as I still got some
from last year and we don’t go for them much.
I been doing a bit of embroidery but not much since I
got sick. Dad is doing fine as he stayed
in bed for two days and he got better so he’s all right now.
I had done some rhubarb with raspberries. Dad like it.
I did six quarts and I have 5 quarts of last year’s so I will have
enough.
I will close now as I haven’t much to say.
************
In August, it's time to look at Mom's pickle recipes.
MARY
STADNYK’S BREAD & BUTTER PICKLES
Mom
said, “One thing about them is to follow the directions carefully. They will stay crisp. That is something you don’t always get with Bread
and Butter Pickles.”
12 large or 15 medium sized cucumbers
*Soak
them in cold water, unpeeled, overnight.
*In
the morning, do not drain, but peel and slice them into large chunks.
*Peel
6 large or 8 medium onions. Cut them up in large pieces.
*Add
the onions to the cucumbers.
*Sprinkle
with ½ cup salt.
*Soak
for several hours.
Sterilize some sealers.
**Drain the cucumbers and onions well
before starting to make the syrup.
Prepare Syrup:
4 cups brown sugar
4 cups mild vinegar
2 teaspoons peppercorns
2 teaspoons mustard seeds
4 teaspoons celery seed in a bag
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons ginger
2 teaspoons turmeric
*In a very large pot, make a syrup of
the sugar, vinegar, pepper, cornstarch, mustard seeds, and celery seeds in a
bag. Boil a little.
* Mix together ginger, turmeric, and
cornstarch. Moisten a little with cold
vinegar or water.
* Add to syrup and boil for 3
minutes.
*Add the drained onions and cucumbers
and bring to a boil.
* Cook for 5 minutes – after they
come to a boil.
* Transfer to hot, sterilized
sealers.
Use after the pickles age for 2
weeks.
******
Donald and Karen are planning to make these pickles. They have a huge garden and these pickles always been one of Donald's favourites.
*********
2 possible origins for the name -- Bread and Butter
Pickles:
(a) During the Depression, some sandwiches
consisted only of bread and butter slapped over these pickles.
(b)
Somebody made a living by making and selling
these pickles so the pickles were her “bread and butter”.
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