Saturday we spent the day at Jacob and Emma's house helping them with their housework. They will be holding church services in the near future so it is nice to get started in advance with all the cleaning.
An early morning thunderstorm held us up from starting out for their place sooner. We were very thankful, though, for the rain we got. Son Joseph, 6, is very scared of thunderstorms, even more so since lightning recently struck a nearby Amish house and barn. It damaged the barn enough so that it had to be redone completely. Their house also needed a lot of repair.
During this morning's storm it started to hail, so we told the children to go down to the basement. It always makes them feel safer because they can't see the storm as good from the basement.
Friday evening, Joe and sons Benjamin and Joseph went fishing nearby. They caught some bluegill and perch. Joe thinks going fishing for awhile after a week's work is a good way to relax.
After they came back home they made a fire in a fire pit to roast marshmallows and hot dogs. Joe was glad when a few friends stopped in to help him get the fish butchered. They stayed to eat with us and then we played games. We got to bed later but we didn't have to get up as early as we do on weekdays.
Jacob and Emma had told us to come for breakfast Saturday morning. After the storm was over we started out for Jacob's house. Some of the children took our pony, Stormy, and the pony wagon. We really need to get another family buggy as we are getting pretty crowded with 10 people in a two-seated buggy. It makes the children a bit restless and a little too close for comfort.
So on Saturday morning almost all of the children wanted to go with the pony and wagon instead of the buggy. We ended up with only daughters Elizabeth and Loretta going with us. Elizabeth drove our horse Ginger so it was nice for Joe and I to sit in back and relax and enjoy coffee on our way there. Susan, 13, drove the pony cart.
It is so nice now if I need to go somewhere that daughters Elizabeth or Susan can go out to the barn and harness up a horse for me. I used to always have to do that when Joe wasn't home so now I am getting spoiled. I am glad for all the helpful points my father showed me when I started harnessing up a horse. He also showed me the best and easiest way to tie a horse's rope to the hitching post. He wanted us to tie a knot that was easy to open and still kept the horse tied up good.
Breakfast at Jacob and Emma's house consisted of biscuits, sausage gravy, eggs, potatoes, cheese, fresh hot peppers, orange juice, coffee, milk and fresh tea from the garden. We also enjoyed homemade pecan pie and fruit.
We combined lunch and supper together later in the day since we had a late breakfast. For that meal we made tacos, which is always a quick and easy meal.
Some of us were cleaning in the basement and a few of the girls cleaned the windows and the shed where church services will be held. The men and boys were doing outside work.
We arrived back home around 7:30 p.m. and cleaned up our own house. The neighbors were shooting off some fireworks so we sat out and watched before going to bed.
We tasted our first zucchinis from the garden this week. I'm always looking for new ways to prepare zucchinis for the family since it's always a plentiful crop. If any of you readers have any good recipes, I'd be grateful for you sharing them. Just mail them to the address at the end of this column.
Cucumbers are now also ready to use so try this recipe :
Herbed Cucumbers
2 T. salad oil
1 t. salt
2 cucumbers, thinly sliced
1 small onion, sliced
2 T. water
1/2 t. Tabasco sauce
2 T. chopped, fresh thyme
Heat oil with salt in a skillet. Add cucumbers and onions. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly. About 3 minutes. Add water, tobasco sauce, and thyme. Cover and cook, shaking skillet occasionally, about 2 minutes or until barely tender.
To share zucchini recipes with Lovina, write to: Lovina Eicher, c/o Oasis Newsfeatures, PO BOX 2144, Middletown, Ohio 45042.
Lovina Eicher is Old Order Amish. She hand-writes this column from her home in southern Michigan. Anyone with cultural or cooking questions can send them to: Lovina Eicher, The Amish Cook, P.O. Box 2144, Middletown, OH 45042. Read all of her columns online at www.record-eagle.com/amishcook.
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