I am thinking about the fall of the year, my favorite season. Some terms, common during my years of growing up in north central Florida, are almost like a foreign language to some folks now. One example is "pot liquor." That wonderful elixir, dear to the Southern heart, juice from collards, turnips or mustard greens, seasoned with hammocks hocks, pug knuckles, necklines, bones or any other kind of pork seasoning meat, poured into a cup, glass or a bowl and sometimes eaten with crumbled cornbread. But, many times, pot liquor is just drunk straight.
At one time, cane grindings were held at most farms in our area. By cane, I mean sugarcane. The cane was fed into a cane mill pulled by a mule or a tractor. The juice was extracted, poured into a huge syrup kettle, fired with wood and meticulously tended until the sugary cane juice turned into wonderful rich, sweet sugarcane syrup. I loved to chew sugarcane, too. Daddy would strip the cane, cut into sections or "plugs" and we would chew out all the sweet juice and spit the pith out. Sometimes, we were fortunate enough to have someone bake a big pan of biscuits during a cane grinding and the hot biscuits would be ready when that first batch of syrup was finished cooking, perfect for "sopping" rich, sweet cane syrup. When they were cold, there was nothing like poking a hole in the top of a big buttermilk biscuit with your finger and filling that biscuit full of cane syrup. Heaven.
One more fall chore was picking up pecans. Everyone had a few pecan trees and those that produced those little seedling, small pecans, were rich and oily, but picking them out was some job. I know I am prejudiced when it comes to our pecans, but you can have your walnuts and almonds. Give me a pecan anytime. Those pecans were used to make many tasty desserts and here's one for you, my Mama' s pecan pie recipe. Delicious.
1 cup of light, white Karo syrup.
1 cup of sugar
1 stick of butter
1/2 tsp. of salt
3 eggs beaten
1 1/2 tsp of pure vanilla extract
2 cups of chopped pecans
3 regular, not deep dish pie shells (we use Pet Ritz)
Mix together syrup, butter, sugar and salt. Cook oil over heat until completely dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in beaten eggs. Pour mixture into two eight-inch pie shells. Add one cup of nuts to each pie shell. Bake at 325 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes.
Despite the lovebugs and the heat, get out and enjoy fall. Remember, with fondness, a pot of mustard or collard greens simmering on the stove, biscuits baking in the oven, cane syrup and pecan pie. Precious memories, how they linger. From the Eight Mile Still on the Woodpecker Route north of White Springs, wishing you a great day. Happy fall y'all.