By Mary Emma Allen
A younger person I talked with recently couldn't believe there once
existed the country stores that seemed to carry most everything a farm or
small town family needed, from farm supplies to basic clothing and food.
Occasionally I come across one now, more often to attract tourists than
to supply the local population.
However, in my childhood and young adult years, the country general store
was a necessary fixture of the community, along with the mail order
catalogs. In my early years, the general store in the village, about a
mile from home, furnished our needs.
Mother Acquires a Country Store
Then during my last year of high school, Mother became a storekeeper and
brought the general store right into our family.
When the former manager of this little country store that my dad built
had a heart attack, Father decided to put it up for sale. It had been an
investment which now needed an experienced manager. However, Mother
insisted she would operate it.
Mother expected my sister and me to help her, to smile when customers
might grumble, to be pleasant when we were tired, to stock shelves when
we'd rather stand behind the counter.
We learned to cut meat, dip ice cream, plan orders, keep books. Along
with this was school work, helping Father and brothers on the family
farm, preparing meals and cleaning house. As a farm family, we knew about
working together with all pitching in. But Mother's Town and Country
Store was a new dimension to our lives.
Lifelong Lessons Learned
I realize now the lessons I learned because Mother decided to become a
country storekeeper. She insisted that a shy teenager, who would rather
hide away on the farm, help her at the store. There I must to talk with
customers and come out of my shell.
I also learned to work at a job, even when it became monotonous. I had to
help take responsibility when my sister and I managed the store if Mother
and Father were away for a day, then two or three, and finally a week.
Even after I married and left home to live across the country, my ties to
the store remained. Mother asked me to write recipes and menus she could
post in the store to promote food sales. When a newspaper editor noticed
these, Mother suggested I write a cooking column for his weekly paper.
(My "Country Kitchen" column has appeared in newspapers and magazines for
more nearly 40 years.)
Baking for the Store
Mother also made bread, brownies, chocolate chip cookies, cakes and pies
and provided her customers with fresh baked goods. She'd get up at 3:00
AM and begin her baking so it would be warm and fresh for her customers.
Father complained that he couldn't sleep with her rattling around in the
kitchen. But he was proud when someone complimented Mother on her
baking...and he enjoyed sampling the results.
MOTHER's CINNAMON ROLLS - This is a recipe her grandchildren remember and
asked me to write down.
Make up your usual white bread recipe. Instead of forming it into a loaf
for the second rising, roll one or both loaves (most recipes make two
loaves) into rectangles about one-inch thick. Spread with butter;
sprinkle with a cinnamon-sugar mixture (sometimes Mother used part white
sugar and brown sugar); spread raisins over this - about one half cup of
raisins for each rectangle or whatever you desire. (Currants can be
substituted.)
Roll up as you would a jelly roll. Then cut in 1-inch slices. Place on
greased cookie sheet. Let rise, as you would bread or rolls. Then bake at
350 degrees for 15 - 20 minutes until they are golden brown and test
done.
When baked, remove from cookie sheet. Frost, when cooled, with vanilla
confectioners' sugar icing or glaze, if desired. Mother never put icing
or glaze on hers.
(C) 2002 Mary Emma Allen
About the Author
Mary Emma Allen has been writing her "Cooking Column" for newspapers
and online publications for 30 years and
has compiled a family cookbook. SheÂ’s currently compiling a
cookbook/story book,
"Tales From a Country Kitchen." Visit her web site for more cooking
articles. Contact her at me.allen@juno.com
Summer Harvest Tea
