Grandma Was Southern
I have so many fond memories of my sweet Grandma. Everybody just called her “Maw.” She was the perfect picture of what a true, southern Grandma should look like. Maw always had a specific style that was truly her own. Her long hair was always swept up in a bun. I never saw her in anything other than a dress which she called her frock. Her frocks and aprons were hand-made by a relative. I don’t think she ever owned a store-bought dress. No southern Grandma would be complete without her apron! You rarely saw her without an apron unless she was going to town. As a kid, that apron would sometimes hold a special treat for us if we were lucky…perhaps a piece of hard candy!
Those were simple, but special times. Maw never learned to drive. She spent her life in her home and garden, enjoying her days with family and friends. She always had a warm glow about her. Perhaps, from the many hours spent in her garden. I can still see her in the large, straw hat she wore.
Grandma Was Organic
Maw was organic before any of us knew what organic was. My grandparents were tobacco farmers and produced much of their own food. There was a large chicken coop out back. It was a sight to behold watching her select a chicken from the yard, catch it, wring its neck and serve it for dinner that evening. She could cook up a storm from the freshest bounty of her garden! For years she prepared three meals a day. Many in that rural area would stop by and eat lunch. My Dad has told the story many times of a house full of people for lunch. Somehow, Maw always had enough for anyone that stopped by. She freely gave everything she had to everyone that knew her. We loved her for that!
It fascinated me as a kid looking at shelves containing her mason jars. The jars contained all sorts of produce she had canned. The old saying, “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen,” certainly applied to her kitchen in the summer. Boy, was it hot! She was a trooper preparing her dinners. A little thing like a hot kitchen didn’t stop her. Maw could handle the heat, but as kids, we couldn’t take it for very long! I could manage to stay in the kitchen long enough to catch a glimpse of her making her homemade biscuits or frying up a fresh chicken!
A Grandma Breakfast
Thinking back, there were two dishes that I remember her serving me for breakfast. Yellow grits with eggs or toasted jelly sandwiches! What kid would turn down a toasted jelly sandwich? If you have never had one, there is something special about warm jelly oozing between two buttered and toasted slices of bread. Grape jelly is best, but any jelly would be equally yummy.
It had been years since I prepared this delicious treat. One evening after a rough day on the mountain, I decided to make it for my husband. After an exhausting day, I told him I would make something special for him, Maw’s toasted jelly sandwich!
I didn’t have much on hand to make anything fancy, but I did have a cast iron skillet, bread, jelly and butter! It’s delicious toasted in the cast iron skillet and he loved it.
I miss her and think about her often. She was a wealth of information. There were so many questions I wished I had asked her. I regret I was unable to capture those moments of her cooking in the kitchen, canning and tending her garden. If I just had a smart phone back then!
Thanks Maw, we are still enjoying your toasted jelly sandwich and remembering you with love!
Maw’s Toasted Jelly Sandwich
- 2 slices of bread, any kind you prefer
- Grape jelly
- Butter
It doesn’t get more simple than this. Slather your favorite jelly liberally on a slice of bread. Butter your slices, toss in a cast iron pan and cook until your bread is nice and brown!
