Radical Radicles

Last year, when the last of the produce had been gathered from our garden, instead of letting the boxes lay empty and bare, Dad decided to plant some late fall/winter plants. We scattered a few boxes with spinach seeds and worked up others to hold some late lettuce. Dad had already informed us that we would plant some turnips, but everyone was surprised when we found that six of our garden boxes had been prepared and planted with the globular radicles.

We recently had not planted nor harvested many turnips. However, we all watched and waited to see what would come to fruition from this year’s enterprise. All throughout the year, the garden had been in my charge and still was so when we decided to try late planting.

In the beginning of the colder season, the boxes did not call for visits from me every day, like they had in the summer. Nevertheless, I kept an occasional eye on the progress of the newly planted seedlings. The spinach and the lettuce grew sparsely, but we were able to have a few salads from them. The turnips, however, grew and grew and grew some more until those six boxes in the garden were probably the greenest vegetation on our farm.

Turnip greens store tons of vitamins A and C. The vitamin A from the turnip is great for vision improvement and also for strengthening the immune system. The vitamin C it provides is used by our body in building blood vessels, bone, and cartilage. Since our turnip greens grew so profusely and suddenly, we chose not to eat any of them and waited instead for the purple and white topped globes to form. The turnip bulbs contain lesser amounts of the same vitamins.

Before we knew it, the turnips were ready for harvesting. All throughout December we were able to enjoy the fruit of our labor in a couple of different ways. Mashed turnips ended up being our favorite way to fix and eat these root stock. When the cold weather set in, the turnips still lived on. Now in the first month of the new year, we are still harvesting produce from these radical radicles!

~Halayah

Safe, Loud, Exciting, Crazy, and Fun

The Friday after Thanksgiving Day, the family began to arrive at our house for our big family thanksgiving party! Our family thanksgiving meal was not to happen until Saturday, so we busied ourselves that day eating a delicious meal of mashed potatoes topped with turkey and noodles, and some homemade biscuits spread with butter and jelly.

After we had finished, and had a few hours to digest our food, we decided that it was time to take our traditional squirrel hunt. The 4-10 along with BB guns, and a single shot 22 were all brought out and loaded. Once all 15 members of the hunting party were ready, we set out along our trail looking for squirrels as we went.

It was not long before Willow our dog caught our attention with her barks, which generally indicates the presence of a squirrel. We began heading in the direction from which the barks were coming, and soon the furry little tree dweller was seen jumping from tree to tree! Shouts of excitement were heard as everyone followed the animal, who no doubt was very much afraid of all the noise.

All who had guns moved to the front, and the ones without guns stood back and out of the way. Everyone had their eyes on the tree, looking hard, for the squirrel seemed to have disappeared! We looked intently, but no squirrel was in sight. I happened to glance over at a neighboring tree and chanced to see the end of a squirrel’s tail slip behind a branch! I pointed out to the others where the animal lay flat against a limb.

Jonah, who was in possession of the 4-10, with my help was shown where the squirrel was. He was just about to shoot, when some shouts caught our attention. There’s another squirrel, and another! There were three squirrels! Looking around, we saw that two of them were running and jumping from tree to tree! I turned to watch as Jonah took aim at the squirrel closest to us, and fire! Boom went the gun, and the squirrel fell from the tree.

The gun was passed to me as Jonah went to collect his prize. I took a shell from Dad, and after putting the gun on safety, reloaded it. I then, with the gun pointing to the ground, quickly walked ahead to where the other two squirrels continued to run. 

One squirrel managed to slip into its nest and being unethical to shoot into the nest after it, we let it be. The other squirrel, however, passed the nest and stopped in the crotch of a tree where it sat motionless. I shifted my orange hat, then carefully took aim and pulled the trigger. Bang went the gun, and down went the squirrel.

We continued walking, and neared the house right as dusk began to settle. It was then that I saw a squirrel run across the trail ahead of me! I called out “squirrel,” and pointed it out to everyone. Once again, the armed members of the group took the lead, and once all the watchers were back and out of the way, they began carefully taking shots at the squirrel. The shots scared two more unseen squirrels into running, making three squirrels altogether running and jumping from tree to tree! 

We all split up, each group following a different animal. I saw one of squirrels run down a tree and pointed it out to one of the shooters. Once he was sure that no one was behind, or around the tree, he fired. Boom, boom! Two guns fired near the same time, and two different squirrels fell from the same tree! As the third squirrel scampered off, all of the guns were put on safety, then the squirrels were gathered up and we walked the rest of the trail.

Once we arrived back at the house, the guns were unloaded, and put away. All of the hunting orange was removed and put back in the box.

We gutted, skinned and quartered the squirrels, and put them into the freezer for later. It is fun to go on the big family squirrel hunts, especially when we get four squirrels! I am thankful for the squirrels we did get and am glad that everyone was safe. I am already looking forward to the next time we go on our safe, loud, exciting, crazy, and fun squirrel hunt.

~Samuel

Family-fest

Dad had his sixtieth birthday celebration on October 13 of this year, and since the family was in visiting, he decided to host his own birthday fête by having a family prairie-fest. 

Prairie-fest was an event hosted here at a Providence Prairie years ago. The entire clan would pitch in and help set up old-fashioned pioneer type activities and games, dress in period style clothing, play music, give demonstrations, hold contests, and help guests enjoy themselves. It was a time of roasted hot dogs and burnt marshmallows, hayrides, and potato sack races!

It was exciting bringing down all the old equipment from the haymow in the barn. Most of it hadn’t been pulled out and used since our last Prairie-Fest some six or seven years before. 

Stilts were leaned against the hitching post, the water pumps, washboards, and clothesline were positioned in the driveway, a group of corn gatherers set off for the field to get some of the unharvested cobs for the corn sheller, a small corral was set up for the pony-hops, two-man and cross-cut saws were placed by logs to saw on, and a bonfire was started in the fire ring in the center of the drive.

The barnyard took on a whole new look, as games and old-timey stations were set up here and there.

Many of the nieces and nephews didn’t remember what Prairie-Fest used to be like, since some of them were toddlers or babies, and the rest hadn’t even been born yet. 

They were excited at all the preparations taking place and looked with wide-eyed wonder at all the things they didn’t even know existed here at Providence Prairie!

When Tuesday, the day of the party rolled around, everything was ready. The rest of the family arrived late-morning/early afternoon. In the end, thirty out of thirty-one members of the family were able to make it. It was such a fun day! 

We started off by roasting hot dogs and munching on other goodies that everyone had brought or made, then it was on to the activities. 

Some were on stilts, others jumped rope, there were cross-cut sawers, and races on the pony hops, games of graces and corn grinders, water pumpers and laundry doers!

In the middle of all the festivities, who should appear but Prairie Man! The mysterious unidentified visitor of all our family-prairie get-togethers. Swooping down from a roof top, he glided through the crowd, his cape blowing behind him from the speed of his movements. There were knowing smiles on older faces and looks of amused confusion on the faces of younger ones, who had never seen Prairie Man before. 

But he does not stay long, one kiss for his lady and he vanishes. A few minutes later, our oldest brother Trey arrived, disappointed to have been absent during all the excitement. He misses it every time!

Later on, we set up the game stations. Each adult supervised a different game and gave out little prizes to the contestants. There was an obstacle course, ring the bottle, duck bobbing, can toss, put the chicken to sleep, and others. Mama handed a number of tickets to each of the children and it was cute to see even the littlest ones pull their tickets out of their bag whenever they came to a new station!

Towards evening we once again roasted our supper over the open fire and then enjoyed the cakes made for Dad’s celebration. As the darkness settled, there were stories and laughter around the fire and singing by the initial McDaniel family singers. It was then time for some to return home, so the barnyard was picked up of anything that couldn’t stay out for the night. It had been a day full of fun with so many memories made. It was truly a family-fest.

~Halayah

Can She Bake an Apple Pie?

In answer, I give an emphatic, “Yes!!”

We have made it our ambition to be sure that each of our daughters is equipped for whatever life may throw at them. A repeated recommendation I convey to them is that they “Learn everything they can about everything they can.” One doesn’t know where life might take them!

Homemaking skills are essential to everyone. Knowing how to organize, declutter, clean, care for, and maintain a home are often overlooked skills that young married people struggle to perform. As part of our education, we wanted to ensure that our children were/are fully equipped. All the facets of these endeavors are valuable in developing the ability to make prudent decisions and execute plans.

Our education encompasses becoming proficient in culinary skills. This does not mean that our children are only assistants in the kitchen. Eventually, they can plan and prepare not only one meal, but weeks or months of sustenance for the family. It is essential to operate a kitchen with careful timing and organization. One must be attentive to detail.

Knowing how to precisely measure ingredients is important. So is an organized workspace. That is often the difference between success and failure. I am pleased that my girls know what they are doing when it comes to cooking. Confidence is an important character quality.

Recently, Unique, our youngest created her first apple pie. In reality, baking is more a form of science than cooking. She had recently begun making mini pies and was adept at that skill. Mastery requires a lot of time and practice. Functioning well in the kitchen necessitates excellent hand-eye coordination as well as the ability to train your mind to read and follow instructions. Having become proficient in her mini pies, Unique was ready to try her first full size pie. Cutting up apples from our orchard, and following the recipe, she made a delicious creation! Making a pie allows one to unleash their creative side! Fluting the crust, cutting the vent holes into a beautiful piece of art, she was pleased with her new accomplishment!

Several years ago, while Amanda and Rachel were still at home, there was a pumpkin pie competition in McLeansboro. We all decided to enter. Who might win? We each used a different recipe- one from the back of the can, one from the Betty Crocker cookbook, and one that was passed down to us by Mark’s mom, Doris. Part of learning to cook or bake involves learning to humbly take criticism and to learn from others. We were ready for whatever came. We had our pies ready and transported them to the local contest. The tension rose. When the winners were announced, my daughters and I took first, second, and third places in the county! Did I say that I was proud of my daughters?!

From winning prizes in local contests, to winning the hearts of their husbands, to winning at life skills, from oldest to youngest, each of our daughters can cook and bake! We are proud of who they have become and who they are becoming. 

Our girls know how to give and take clear communication, they work well with others, they practice patience under pressure, and know how to express their own likes and styles with food. Can she bake an apple pie? Yes sir, she can!

~Rhonda

Way Down Yonder in the Pawpaw Patch

You may be vaguely familiar with the tune “Way Down Yonder in the Pawpaw Patch,” but just what is a pawpaw? Many have never seen or tasted the fruit, even though it is the largest edible fruit indigenous to the United States. Pawpaw’s have a sweet, custard-like flavor similar to a banana or mango and grow mainly in central/eastern United States and Canada.

The trees are a patch forming understory tree that grow up to a height of 35 feet in a variety of soil types. The yellow-green to brown large seeded fruit can be up to six inches long and four inches wide, weighing up to 18 ounces. The fruit is sweet and is often eaten raw or used to make ice cream or baked desserts. It is not a common fruit found at the grocery store, as its shelf life is only around 3 days once ripened and picked from the tree.

Our personal calendar has September 8th marked down as the best time to pursue the fruit in our southern Illinois location, although the third Thursday in September has been designated as National Pawpaw Day by the National Day Calendar. On a recent trip to Ohio, numerous fruits were found at my brother’s house near Cincinnati at a family reunion. Youngsters were constantly returning from the forest with loads of the delicious fruit in their pockets reliving the words to the tune “pickin’ up pawpaws put‘em in your pockets.” They were a constant treat and heaps of fun for the little ones.

De Soto in 1541 gave the first report of pawpaws when he found Native Americans cultivating the fruit. It is also said that Lewis and Clark practically lived on the fruit for a period of time. Having never found a pawpaw on our farm, we transported the Cincinnati seeds to Providence Prairie and are attempting to propagate the seeds for a future harvest.

Restoration plantings of pawpaws are also underway across the United States, as the deep-rooted thickets protect against erosion and runoff. The native species are non-invasive with their large leaves adding to the under-canopy’s beauty.

The pawpaw seeds are in the ground awaiting the winter freeze and thaw. They are all marked with flags to remember their location. 

Pawpaws begin to bear fruit in three to five years. With any luck, we may one day find the delicious short-lived beauties here on our own homestead!

~Mark

Pizza and a Crazy Shake

The day we left Hillsboro Family Camp, Mr. and Mrs. Eddy took us to Terry’s Pizza. They had talked about wanting to take us there when we went to revival at Allensburg with them. After we left camp, they accompanied us to Terry’s Pizza to eat and get a Crazy Shake.

By the time we got to Terry’s, it was raining really hard. We all ran into the store to order the pizza. By the time we got in there, we were all soaked. Mr. and Mrs. Eddy were waiting for us in the store. It was so crowded in there; they were getting great business!

It was nice of the Eddy’s to buy us dinner. The pizza was tasty. I had four pieces, and they were delicious. When we had eaten lots of pizza, we all went outside to order a Crazy Shake.

It was still raining a little bit when we went to the outdoor window. When we were all done ordering our Crazy Shakes, we went back inside to wait for the big treat. Not awfully long after we ordered the Crazy Shakes, they came to our table. I was excited!

I got the flavor Sour; it was a huge shake with lots of stuff all over it. There were Nerds all over the outside of the cup, and there was a sour popsicle and whipped topping all over the shake. It was delicious. I was stuffed after I was done with it. I did not finish mine because I was too full.

Jonah and Samuel had Cotton Candy shakes and Isaac ordered one with popcorn all over called Caramel Corn. 

Mom and Dad shared one called Candy Bar. 

Halayah’s was a Unicorn shake and Jayla’s was Brownie. Samuel, Jonah, Halayah, Jayla, Isaac, and I did not finish our shakes, but we all loved them.

For a while we sat close and talked at a round table. We all had to squeeze around because it was so packed in Terry’s. It was fun. Everyone was laughing in surprise, how we all fit.

We are all very thankful for Mr. and Mrs. Eddy for sharing dinner and Crazy Shakes with us. We had a lot of fun visiting with them. We are all thankful for their generosity. It was really exciting to have pizza and a Crazy Shake with the Eddy's.

~Unique