Vacation Diaries, Day 9: On the Farm

For the last few years I've dreamed of visiting my grandma and learning from her all the amazing things she knows how to do -- like quilting and sewing, gardening and canning, cooking and baking -- all things I've tried with varying success to learn from books. But for some reason I've felt too dumb to ask her. The vacation challenge gave me the courage I needed, so on Mother's Day my mom and I headed out to the farm.



















Some of my favorite childhood memories occurred at my grandparent's farm — learning how to ride a bike down the apple tree hill, riding in the tractor with my grandpa, ringing the old school bell in my grandma's garden. And what a beautiful farm it is -- it's in that wonderful glacierless part of Wisconsin full of hills and valleys.



















I was still feeling a bit nervous when we arrived, but my grandpa broke the ice by inviting me on four-wheeler ride. Soon we were sailing down the lanes, he on the old three-wheeler, me following on the four-wheeler. We stopped and picked Sweet William for my Grandma and (don't tell mom!) drove down the steep grassy hill by the creek so we could see some deer.

I begun my apprenticeship by learning how to bake rolls. My previous attempts were edible but not great. Under grandma's tutelage we baked Great-Great-Aunt Lila's rolls, and I have to say they turned out great. The skill of grabbing the dough and smoothing it into a roll is certainly something I couldn't have learned from a recipe. (They fetch $7/dozen at bake sales, Grandma informed me).




















We also did a few loaves of bread, to make sure I had down the water temp for yeast (hotter than I thought) and the stickiness of dough while kneading (OK to add flour as needed). We skipped pie crusts because Grandma rightly guessed that I couldn't handle working with lard, but we discussed technique and tips.

I also had a mini-tutorial on gardening, and came home with a bucket of flowers and jars and baggies of seeds. Also a big bag of asparagus that I harvested myself (I didn't get a chance to tell Grandma the kind of price that could fetch in the city).

We didn't get to sewing, but I think I'll take that up with my mom later this summer (I just got Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sewing and am excited to dive into it). So maybe next summer I'll be ready for Grandma School, Session 2: Quilting and sewing. Or maybe even this winter...

Special thanks to The Scratching Pole for photo editing help.