Apples are the main ingredient in numerous family recipes and when they are
gathered fresh and prepared immediately, they taste their best. Nanny enjoyed
growing, harvesting and preparing fresh fruits and vegetables and during the
warm months of the year, the kitchen counter at her farmhouse near Parrott was
usually filled with various home-grown delights. The gems that she did not
prepare fresh were either preserved in canning jars or frozen for later
consumption.
Once Nanny and Granddaddy Scott closed the country store, retired from farming,
and relocated from Terrell County to Richland, I was able to visit with them
nearly every day. We went shopping and as I recall, experienced some unique
adventures; and when she went foraging for fresh food items, I was her companion
and frequently the chauffeur. Granddaddy was by then a bed-bound invalid so he
looked forward to my visits and I rarely missed a day, sometimes going by
several times each day.
As we trekked around our community, sometimes even on dirt roads, Nanny recalled
stories about our neighbors, family and friends, and many of her anecdotes
caused us to share in one of her favorite activities, laughing out loud. The
majority of the tales that I now share with you readers were revealed by my
precious Nanny.
One of Nanny's comrades was Ms. Myrtle Moore, who with her husband "Dock" and
their family, lived a few miles up the Columbus Highway near the tiny community
known as Brooklyn. I knew the family because their son Steve was my classmate
in school; Nanny knew Ms. Myrtle because she was kin to the Monkus family, with
countless relatives residing downhome in Terrell County, and a longtime family
acquaintance.
Ms. Myrtle was employed for years in downtown Richland, one of the
establishments being Little's Drug Store, where as youngsters we frequently
stopped by the emporium. Once we made our snack selection, we relaxed at those
unique sets of tables and chairs fashioned out of wire and painted in white and
trimmed with chrome. The heyday of soda fountains had long passed but in
Richland we hold on to our history and nostalgia a little longer than most. I
still remember the whirling sound those large ceiling fans made, and although
the bus station segment had been closed for years, the old schedules were still
posted outside in an enclosed wooden bulletin board.
On the country corner of the Moore property were several apple trees and every
season they invited Nanny to harvest and enjoy the fruit, and of course she
accepted their generous invitation. Once the ripe red apples were picked, we
washed them and began making several recipes. Apple picking adventures with
Nanny were times to remember and cherish.
Nanny taught me how to make fresh applesauce, Apple Brown Betty, traditional
apple pie, and from the ingredients we preserved in the freezer, she taught me
how to make fried fruit pies. In our family we referred to these delights as
lefts and rights because that is what Granddaddy Scott called them, and to
describe the fried pies as delicious is justifiable.
