Old Order Mennonite Memoirs

Almost apologetically August finally gave us one day of comfortably cool weather to work in my garden all day. I pulled out my two rows of spent string bean plants, marveling again at the potential productivity of one bean seed. I cut broccoli one last time from my spring plants before I yanked them out because my fall plants are yielding new, bigger heads. There were a few cucumbers and some red raspberries to gather but by far, the biggest crop for August's last day, were tomatoes. Once again I reached for empty jars to fill with summer's juice.

When August gave way to September in the night, the weather stayed the same so I went back to my gardens, this time to pick a few lima beans and lots of kohlrabi and kale. I cleaned and counted out some candy onions to share and I even chopped up some rhubarb petioles for the freezer. Solomon said it is a gift of God to take our portion and to rejoice in our labor.

Besides storing summer's bounty, I like to try new recipes. When I found a recipe for Zucchini Dessert in the Lancaster Farming, I snipped it to try as soon as I gathered the ingredients. When I took some along to my daughter's house, I was so pleased that no one suspected the main ingredient after declaring how good it was. Since zucchini is an abundant crop in a Fair Valley garden, my daughter wanted the recipe, too. She had all the ingredients when I came to help on Thursday's busy day.

18 cups zucchini, peeled, seeded and cubed

2 (46-ounce) cans pineapple juice

1 gallon mandarin oranges

3 (15-ounce) cans pineapple tidbits

6 cups water, divided

2-1/4 cups Therm-Flo

1-3/4 cups orange or peach Jell-O

Simmer zucchini in pineapple juice until tender. Drain mandarin oranges and pineapple tidbits and pour juice to zucchini along with 4 cups water. Use 2 cups water to make a paste with Therm-Flo and stir into zucchini and juice when boiling. Simmer a few minutes. Then remove from heat and whisk in Jell-O. (A combination of Jell-O flavors works well.) Fold in mandarin oranges and pineapple tidbits. Spoon into jars and can for 45 minutes. Yields about 14 quarts.

(We just bought smaller cans of mandarin oranges until we had what we needed and used pineapple rings and cut them up to take the place of the tidbits we couldn't find.)

Since our happy jar-filling day was also the happy wedding day for the second daughter of Mark and Lucy Zimmerman, to the second son of Vernon and Lucille Martin, we also had some extra children to care for. They were easy to have but when Bella, 23 months, was crying about something, I said to her aunt, "Give her a pineapple ring."

The sweet ring worked to stop the tears but when Trevor, age 4, saw it, he wanted one, too. I saw his mother hesitate. The pineapples were needed for our recipe. That's when I remembered the treat I brought along. The new recipe for Crunchy Popcorn Trail Mix is as follows:

5 cups popped popcorn

3 cups whole grain oat cereal

1/3 cup raisins

1/3 cup peanuts (or other nuts)

1/3 cup sunflower seeds

¼ cup butter

6 Tablespoons brown sugar

2 Tablespoons light corn syrup

Stir together popcorn, cereal, raisins and nuts in large microwavable bowl; set aside. Combine butter, brown sugar and corn syrup in small saucepan. Heat until boiling; cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour over popcorn mixture, stirring to coat evenly. Microwave 3–4 minutes, stirring and scraping bowl, after each minute. Spread unto greased cookie sheet; cool. Break into pieces and store in airtight container or bag.

So our busy day passed happily. Besides zucchini chopped into cubes and trail mix meted out in cups, there were flowers arranged in bouquets and showers arriving in many drops that afternoon. The needed precipitation changed our lawns to a revitalized green and halted the browning of the corn in the fields. But not all of it. While my husband chopped corn for the silo, I mowed lawn and more lawn.

For me, some of Saturday meant buying pears for more empty jars. For my sister and her family along Hickory Bottom Road, it meant preparing for Sunday evening supper for the single youth group. For a family along Lafayette Road, it meant getting ready for a singing that evening. For a new couple, it was the evening to take the first walk together. Crickets sang all through the chilly night and into the next morning. Their gentle songs drifted in the windows of Piney Creek church and blended peacefully with Jesus' words that St. John wrote: "As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love."