September 23, 2012
Yesterday was the official first day of fall. I guess Mother Nature took notice-because its a chilly 49 degrees this morning at my house. But I’ve still got more than a few of Chitter’s watermelons to eat before I close out summer time for good.
Tipper
Appalachia Through My Eyes – A series of photographs from my life in Southern Appalachia.
The Deer Hunter and I have been talking about growing mushrooms again. The logs we inoculated back in 2010 had…
Pap and his girls (Chatter, April my niece, Chitter) pap noun A father (in third-person reference and as a form…
I received this email a few weeks ago: I wonder if you and/or your readers know or use any…
I have Chicory about everywhere along the roadside…the blooms are beautiful blue in the morning. Italian herbs have I…Oregano and…
Fall of the year’s frosty mornings bring out pickup trucks with beds piled high with firewood and cardboard signs telling…
Who Will Watch the Homeplace written by Kate Long Leaves are falling and turning to showers of gold As the postman…
B-its Grannys family! She’s the little girl right in the front with the dress on and hair to her shoulders-cute wasnt she : )
Blind Pig The Acorn
Celebrating and Preserving the
Culture of Appalachia
http://www.blindpigandtheacorn.com
Rush-no seed spitting contest here. But I’ve seen the Casada brothers put on a pretty good one LOL!
Blind Pig The Acorn
Celebrating and Preserving the
Culture of Appalachia
http://www.blindpigandtheacorn.com
Jackie-he hunts-and we all eat!
Blind Pig The Acorn
Celebrating and Preserving the
Culture of Appalachia
http://www.blindpigandtheacorn.com
My Dad (now age 93) always loved to tell about traditions when he was a little boy in Down East coastal NC. At the end of Summer when most of the crops were in, the neighborhood families would gather for a Big Watermelon “Eating”. The men would split melons and scoop out the sweet “heart” from the middle and serve it to their ladies on china plates with forks. The boys and men of course ate slices. I always imagined it would be grand to be one of those dearly loved ladies.
I didn’t have many melons this year – ate them as fast as they ripened. Last year I had two crops and when frost was forecast I pulled them and filled the bathtub. Good thing we have two bathrooms. I ate mellons until near thanksgiving. The deer hunter should have been here this AM. We had four large ones in our backyard running, jumping and cavorting all over the place. Then they had a snack on my sweet potato vines. By the way, Does the deer hunter just hunt or does he slay and eat deer?
Cute picture! I’m glad someones watermelons did well. We had two on our vines and they never got much bigger than a soft ball.
B.Ruth-I count 13 kids too but a dozen sounds better. Actually we don’t know if the one in the back is smiling. And one in front is getting her head squoze, so no smile, but her watermelon slice is smiling for her. How would you cut a watermelon to get 13 slices? Musta been a beeegon!
It must have been a good year for melons. My neighbor raised a truckload while I only got a few out of my patch. I brought the last one in yesterday. It was about the size of a softball. LOL! In years past, I have raised some bumper melon crops, especially honeydews. I want to blame it on bad seeds this year.
Love, love the photograph! 🙂
It was deliciously chilly this morning, but then I was up long before the light. Looks like a long day for me . . . .Oh well, I guess some things in the garden can wait til tomorrow. BTW Do you ever have seed spitting contests? 😀
Tipper,
How I love that picture! Just look at those smiling faces and the watermelon slices..
Really, really, look at those melons!! Slices like in the old days, full of those big black seeds! Great for a spittin’ contest! Notice it is one of those long melons, too. Although it could be one of those great and huge solid green melons of days past..I can almost see it prior to this picture. Packed in ice water in a zinc tub, or hauled out of the cold creek running by the field.
Just look at those pigtails and all the little girls in dresses. So, maybe it was taken at a picnic on a warm Sunday afternoon or from a family reunion. Shame the little person in the back got her face missed by the camera. I count 13 children…How many are there? Are they all kinfolks, cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. I love the pole support on the cabin porch…I’m guessing this picture was taken in the fourties or maybe early fifties.. I sure wouldn’t make a good “psychic” would I..making all these guesses?
I think you will still have time to consume Chitters melons…We still have Indian summer to go…
If they have large rines, why not make some watermelon preserves..
Mom used to make them, very good as I remember. I haven’t had any in years…
Thanks Tipper,
It is cool here too..I had to get me a “kever” early this morning..Guess our bodies are transitioning over to cooler weather too…
Yeeeeessssss! 48 here in Connelly Springs! They are calling for 72 today! One green blip showing up on the radar map way up toward Mt. Airy. That’s probably because they pulled it down too far and caught a mountain top. Who could ask for better?
I love your picture! A dozen smiling kids each holding a matching watermelon smile.
I still have some green bell peppers. I guess I will pick the ones that look ready to eat and enjoy them even they are small. Happy Fall to Everyone!
Cool at my house too, it’s wonderful. I’m sure the Deer Hunter is happy, he loves it when the weather turns cold. Guess it not quite cold enough for his annual rooster crowing on the porch at daylight, but soon I’m sure.
Tipper, at 8:00 AM here in Aberdeen Ohio it is 38 degrees and the roofs around that I can see are white with frost.
Chilly here on Sunrise Ridge, too, imagine some of the valleys might have been touched by frost.
Hubby has plowed up most of the garden and planted the fall crop of turnips which are at this moment doing nicely.
mmmmm watermelons at 49 degrees…perfect