crazy quilts and rag rugs and crafts and suchlike

[Hana]

So how do you know if this is just early pioneer stuff when it appears in your family or if it has some other significance? A site linked here, about Cherokee crafts, mentions quilting and rag rugs as being traditional crafts but weren't they common to non-native Americans as well?

My mother always told me about her grandma's wonderful crazy quilts and such. And she once made me a tiny string doll possibly called a matchstick doll because it was about that size. She learned it from her grandma. There were foods, too, such as cornmeal mush that she cooked for us. She cooked us squash and pickled 3 bean salad and roasted pumpkin seeds which no one else seemed to at the time. Are any of these native-american or hillbilly or with no particular significance? I just assumed they were Texan. (She made great chili, too, but the kind with beans, not the Texas kind.)

[stacey.23]

Originally posted by Hana
There were foods, too, such as cornmeal mush that she cooked for us....Are any of these native-american or hillbilly or with no particular significance? I just assumed they were Texan.
My Grandma used to make mush, too. I just assumed that it was something that they made during the "Depression". Some of my family members like to eat theirs in in a bowl full of milk. I like mine sliced thin, fried up crispy, and with lots of syrup.

Stacey

[Hana]

Could be. My mother wasn't raised during the Depression but she was raised poor. We always put milk on ours. Thought that was how you were supposed to eat it, cooked 'til you could chop it up or serve it in lumps, milk on top, no sugar. (Man, that was good! lol)
My mother drank her whiskey with milk, too. Maybe it's a Southern thing?

[Linda]

My great grandpa Harris's favorite breakfast was fried mush. He had it on the day he died. His picture is on the first page of my "Other Blackfoot" article, www.saponitown.com/blackfoot.htm

[stacey.23]

I just called my mom and asked her about the mush. She said that she didn't think it was a "Depression" thing (I guess that's what I get for assuming :) ), just one of those things that grandma always fixed. She also said that when my grandma would fix it with crumpled sausage that she would call it "scrapple"? I had never heard of that before.

Stacey

[lynellarainhawk]

Hana,

Hey all! My mom did crazy quilts, fried mush, pickled watermellon rinds, punkin' seeds. I just thought it was a depression era thing too. She was born in the early twenties & grew up there in Indiana. Man, you got me missin' those yummy smells from the kitchen! I guess I'll go eat another candy bar! Yuck, that doesn't even sound good now! Oh well. Maybe a bowl of soggy "post-toasties" as my mom always called corn flakes. Love & Light, Lynella.:D

[Tom]

hey All I thought that I might add something here.
Years back I found one of Whites? paintings of some folks smoking fish and meat.
My late Mother always told me how her family did this, when I showed her the pic, she was shocked done exactly like her Mom and family members always did the job. I used to ask her always about "Indian things" she finally just said I have no idea what you are talking about or looking for, after asking a friend about this (he's an Anth. Prof), he said folks don't always know where things come from. After considering this I asked Mom did your parents ever tell you "this" is Indain this isn't , Mom said NO, we weren't told where things come from just how to do them, not even why we do them. Like being able to take a moose apart with just a hunting knife!
One thing that we do , do is putting mandarin orange peels on the heater to toast them, it makes the "Magic of Christmas" come alive for this Lad!
Like rice in baked Chili, scrambled egges cooked with lots on onions and ham until the MILk starts do run out of them , great on toast!
Things of Old , so Bold in my distant memory still comforts my soul, enlightens my spirit and feeds this old worn bag of bones! MMM I miss those days!

[lynellarainhawk]

:D Tom,

That is so awsome! For me it was tangerines. We didn't do anything particular with them though the way you roasted your mandarin orange peels. My mom had these old 3 tier serving dishes and there were three of them. At Christmas time, one was always full of candy one always had mixed nuts and the other one always had the bottom tier piled with tangerines, then the other two tiers were cookies. Christmas time was the only time I ever even saw a tangerine so that was the one thing I made sure my kids got. Since my sisters snagged the cool dishes, I always put a tangerine in their stockings. My first husband didn't understand it, but he didn't mind cause he always got one too!

Thank You so much for sharing that. I just love your stories! They're always so nice and comfy and homey. Love & Light, Lynella.