Potluck

BABY CHICKS & OTHER SPRING THINGS

by Mary Emma Allen

As we travel around the country this time of year, we may spy "spring things" that bring back memories of events and recipes.  When I saw some baby chicks recently, I was transported to the days when my dad picked up a box of these fluffy birds at the post office.   These yellow balls of peeping puff fascinated us children, and we looked forward each spring when Father ordered the chicks to add to the flock.

Have you ever stopped by your local post office and heard baby chicks in spring?   Or paid a visit to a post office in your travels and heard the same sounds?  I was surprised one day, to hear peeping coming from the back area of our local post office.

"Are those baby chicks?" I asked and was informed they certainly were. I didn't know that these little birds were shipped through the USPS any more.

Young Lambs in Spring

The sight of young lambs on a hillside or in a pasture as you travel a country road can bring back memories and a smile to your face.  My uncle raised sheep on his farm. His few dairy cattle were for their personal use, not to ship milk to market. He supplemented his income by raising sheep and selling the wool.

I often spent spring vacation from school at this farm where my mom grew up. My grandmother, my mom's sister, her brother and his wife lived there. This was the time of year for baby lambs.

Some were old enough to frolic in the pasture. Others were newly born and might even need to be fed by bottle. What fun! These often were twins and the mother wasn't able to provide for both.

Occasionally my aunts kept a frail lamb in a box in the kitchen near the wood-burning cook stove. This one had to be fed small amounts frequently. I even was allowed to hold it on my lap to keep it warm.

Cooking at Grandmother's Home

My aunts and grandmother were excellent cooks. During these visits at their home, some distance from ours,  I learned delicious recipes there. Although they raised much of their food and didn't have money for fancy ingredients from the store, they ate well and turned simple meals into feasts.

I was given the notebook Auntie, my mom' sister, copied recipes she used. Many were from relatives and neighbors. It's so interesting when she related where she acquired them.

BANANA MUFFIN VARIATION (with Chocolate Chips) -

This is one of my family's favorites if they're making banana muffins.

Beat 1 egg and stir in 1/3 cup milk and 1/4 cup margarine. Add 1 cup mashed bananas. Then stir in sifted ingredients ( 2 cups all purpose flour, 3 teaspoons baking powder, 1/1/2 teaspoon salt) with 1/3 cup brown sugar. Stir only until ingredients are mixed; batter may be somewhat lumpy. Add 1/2 cup of chocolate chips ( more if you like).

Fill paper lined or greased muffin cups about 3/4 full. Bake at 375 degrees F. until golden, about 20 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.

(c) Mary Emma Allen

(Mary Emma Allen writes from her  home in NH and gleans information while traveling.   One of her writing project involves children's books.  She currently is publishing a book for her family, and then will release for the public, about her great, great uncle - Buffalo Bill Mathewson, who is called the "Original Buffalo Bill." For more information, e-mail her: me.allen@juno.com  ).