The Wilder Basics

Whether it’s my hippie gene or the fact that I love books about self-reliant types, I adore the thought of living completely off the land.

Though I don’t.

Food is so cheap and convenient at the Dollar General.  I just can’t let go of convenience.  Not totally.

I like to pretend I’m self-sufficient:  I compost and garden; I eat wild edibles; I stack my own firewood.  But I have never been as hard working as the Ingalls family.  I first read Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House books in my teens.  I revisit these books every few years.  I can read each book in one sitting, basically.  But I always want them to last ever so much longer.

The first in the 9 book series is Little House in the Big Woods.  And ~ yes ~ it begins with the words, “Once upon a time . . .” (Or, as my kids used to say, “Onesuhl Punsuhl time . . .”)

This book reads almost like a food blog itself.  Wilder tells of their way of life in the 1870s ~ and much of their lives revolved around gardening, hunting, preparing and preserving food. It is fascinating to me how they lived and all they had to do to survive.  I can’t imagine how anyone could have been fat back then!

Fresh meat was a treat ~ even to 5-year-old Laura.  (Venison and bear were her favorites.)  The night of a kill, Pa hung the carcass in a tree so the wolves wouldn’t get at it.  Next day he butchered it, and the Ingalls ate fresh meat.  The rest was smoked slowly for days and put up for later use.

Their process of making cheese intrigues me.  (You can read about that in chapter ten.)  They had no refrigeration ~ and didn’t place it in the root cellar even.  It went on the pantry shelf, where it kept nicely ensconced in its hard rind.

A little country store I frequent has golden blocks of cheese saran-wrapped and for sale on the front counter rather than in the cooler.  Even when I have no need for cheese, these shining morsels call to me ~ hearkening back to older (but not necessarily simpler) times.

My kids and I used to make cheese ~ but it was a white, chewy sort that only took a few moments to prepare.  Warmed milk that gets a shot of vinegar.  Strain off the whey and spread the curd on crackers.  This was always a fun snack they could participate in creating.

Spring days were also spent taking baskets out to the yard.  The kids harvested the yellow dandelion flowers.  I would harvest the roots to be dried and ground for teas.  The greens, to be sautéed in a little olive oil and garlic.  I left the stems alone.  (They are a great remedy for constipation.  Enough said.) 

The flowers would get a water bath, then would be dredged in flour and stir-fried in melted butter until crisp; lightly salted.  This was one of my kids’ favorite snacks ~ and they thought it was perfectly normal ~ that everyone ate weeds out of their yard.  (One of their favorite baby-sitters, who was an Environmental Education instructor, taught them to eat wild thistles.)  I loved to sprinkle the dandelion flowers over the greens then eat them together.  The kids were happy with a big pile of the flowers.  (The greens are rather bitter.)

I still remember the day my kids told a neighbor kid that dandelions are edible.  She got scared and ran home to tell her parents.  We were labeled as oddballs.  (“You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you odd.” ~ Flannery O’Connor.)

There were also days of harvesting wild grapes (muscadines and scuppernongs).  Or wild berries.  I would make “berry pie” for the kids’ afternoon snack.

I suppose this was odd, considering the times.  But it saved me a hell of a lot of money.

Kudzu’s also edible, by the way.  It’s so prolific in Georgia, I feel we could definitely rethink how we feed ourselves and the hungry.  There's so much that is edible in our own back yards, but left to rot on the vine.

The Little House books are filled with stories way more interesting than my own tales of living close to the earth.  Five of the 9 are Newberry Honor Books.  Besides, I love nostalgia ~ even if it’s not my own.

RECOMMENDED PURCHASES

Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder ~ I literally get lost in these book.  They may be very quick reads but they are packed full of information on a lifestyle not so long past, but light years from where we are today as a nation.  Books include (in order): Little House in the Big Woods, Little House on the Prairie, Farmer Boy, On the Banks of Plum Creek, By the Shores of Silver Lake, The Long Winter, Little Town on the Prairie, These Happy Golden Years and The First Four Years.

Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery ~ From the time I was first introduced to the character, Anne Shirley, I was hooked.  It was the PBS series starring Megan Follows, Colleen Dewhurst and Richard Farnsworth that did it.  I immediately went out and bought all the books:  Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Avonlea, Anne of the Island, Anne of Windy Poplars, Anne’s House of Dreams, Anne of Ingelside, Rainbow Valley and Rilla of Ingleside.  (Okay ~ I admit these book titles lack creativity, but the content more than makes up for that.)  Though different, these books are as captivating to me as the Little House books.  (They are more about interpersonal human interactions than lifestyle.) Anne is an orphan in the Prince Edward Island area.  She is adopted by siblings Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, who are aging and need the help of a young boy to run their farm.  They are sent Anne instead.  This is a heart-warming tale about an unwanted girl with “a scope for imagination,” who wins the hearts of Matthew and Marilla ~ and becomes their legacy (of which any parent would be proud).

RESPITE

My Thanksgiving Day was spent with my “brother” Lee, his husband Chris, their three beautiful adopted children, “Aunt” Lori, “Nana” Faye, my daughter Lilli and granddaughter, Fiona.  The table was so full, food spilled over onto the sideboard and a shelving unit.  Our meal was traditional ~ which comes close enough to the meaning of basics to me ~ if I stretch my imagination like Anne Shirley!

Lee, me and Fiona

Chris served a turkey (white meat only) that was moist and perfectly seasoned ~ not easy feats where domesticated turkey is concerned!  Just seeing the perfectly white meat with golden brown crust helped me justify cheating on the gods of vegetarianism and eating a piece. Chris also served gravy, steamed broccoli, potatoes au gratin, rolls, an appetizer tray and just about the BEST homemade cranberry sauce I have ever tasted.

FAMILY!!!

Lee served a scrumptious carrot soufflé.  Faye brought carrot cake and red velvet.  Lilli made tiramisu cake balls dipped in French vanilla.  Yum!

Following are some of my

RECIPES

Cornbread Stuffing

My dressing was a hit.  Chris said it tasted just like his grandmother’s.  (Nowadays ~ compliments like that are more exciting than “You’re hot” or “Baby got back!”)

I used to prepare everything from scratch ~ which was partly a budgetary necessity.  I have ~ in recent years ~ changed my recipe.  But I still start out with the basic:  old left-over bits of cornbread I've frozen and saved specifically for Thanksgiving dressing.

Ing:

Cornbread scraps (equal to one cake of cornbread)

2 boxes herb stuffing mix

2 bouillon cubes (veggie or chicken), dissolved in warm water

Approx. 3 cups water

3TBS rubbed sage

2 eggs

2 TBS minced onions

2 celery stalks, diced or minced (optional)

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.  I use my hands to make sure the cornbread is well mushed up.  Your batter should be quite moist.  (Adjust your water, if needed.)  Pour into a casserole dish that has been prepared with cooking spray.  Cover with foil and bake for one hour ~ or until it is set and no longer "jiggly" in the center.  Uncover and cook for 15 minutes longer to brown the top.

Sweet Potato Cobbler

1 large sweet potato, peeled

1 cup sugar

2 TBS ground nutmeg

1 TBS flour

2 cups water

1 stick butter

pie crust (I use Jiffy brand in the box)

Cut potatoes into thin disks and distribute evenly in a casserole dish. 

Mix together sugar, flour and nutmeg; pour over potatoes. 

Follow with water, then pats of butter all across the top. 

Prepare crust according to instructions and place loosely over top. 

See the Budweiser in the back?  Hee-hee!

Bake at 375° until crust is golden and potatoes are soft ~ at least 45 minutes. 

I once took this to a holiday dinner and was told by the hostess that ~ from then on ~ she was putting me in charge of desserts every year.  It's not a gorgeous dish, but is surprisingly rich and famous!

Purple Hull Peas

These peas grow wild in my yard.  To prepare them, I remove the peas from their tough skins ~ then I place them in a closed container to be stored in the fridge or freezer.  They can be prepared immediately ~ or allowed to completely dry.

I simply place them in a crock pot with salt, water and a veggie bouillon cube.  Cook on high until peas are tender.  The taste is lovely, and the juice makes a nice gravy.

Chris' Cranberry Sauce

1# package cranberries

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

Boil sugar and water; add berries and bring to boil again.  Simmer 10 minutes (until the berries pop.)  Cool.  Chris adds 3 TBS of fresh orange juice.