We are about
half way through the time of year called Fall, Autumn, with Old Man Winter and
his best friend, Jack Frost, waiting to pounce on our weary bones. From the
time we became ‘civilized’, or more to the point, agricultural, it is the time
of harvest, thus festival time, a time to celebrate the fact that we will have
bread through winter and spring.
Most of what we
celebrate in the good ole USofA has its roots in Europe and dates back to well
before Rome became Christian, that is, the time of the Celts. Samhain had two
sides to it, a festival celebrating harvest and a festival honoring the dead,
or protecting oneself from the dead. That celebration was held on what today
would be November 1, the Celts start of the new year.
Never one to
pass up a good party, the Church of Rome incorporated Samhain into a festival
to honor their saints, and by now, called All Saints Day. Hallowed saints. Thus
Hallowed Saints Day Eve, the day before, simply called Halloween, a day not
accepted by most retail giants since it tends to interfere with Christmas,
still seven weeks or so down the line.
All Saints Day
has a second day involved called All Soul’s Day. That way it gets all of us
involved. Particularly those many millions in Mexico where they celebrate Dia
de Muertos, The Day of the Dead, with boisterous activities including the
wearing of masks and costumes, and picnicking at grave-sites.
All of this
started because of a good harvest, and celebrations of harvest and honoring the
dead take place virtually in every country in some way. Because of seasonal
differences, these celebrations are not necessarily on or near October 31 and
November 1. In the southern hemisphere, harvest time is closer to the end of
April.
So why do kids
dress funny, beg candy, and tip over outhouses? Well, there really aren’t very
many outhouses tipped these days, but the rest of that goes right back to fun
loving Celtic Druids, who wore costumes, burned the harvested fields, and
partied hearty. Trick or Treat just came about over these long centuries.
One of the best
things about harvest festivities is in the eating of the fresh harvest.
Canada’s Thanksgiving celebration takes place in the third week of October, and
in the U.S., the celebration is in the fourth week of November. Those living
closest to the border take advantage of that.
At our house,
there will be children, all grown up now, visiting from the first weekend of
November through the last weekend in December, which will give us plenty of
opportunity to keep the hearth warm and inviting and cook stove overflowing.
Here’s a recipe I found, they call it Grandma’s Corn Pudding, and if you don’t
like this, well, gee, too bad ‘cause that’s what we’re serving.
Ingredients
5 eggs
1/3 cup butter, melted
¼ cup white sugar
½ cup milk
4 tblsp cornstarch
1 can whole kernel corn (15.25 oz
can)
2 cans cream-style corn (14.75 oz
can)
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400
Grease a 2 qt. casserole dish
In a large bowl, lightly beat eggs.
Add melted butter, sugar, and milk. Whisk in cornstarch. Stir in corn and
creamed corn, and blend well. Pour mixture into prepared casserole dish.
Bake this little puppy for about an
hour, and prepare to defend well if you wish to serve with supper.
Just a little
friendly reminder. Once again I’ll be doing the announcing for the World
Championship Single Jack Contest during the Nevada Day festivities in Carson
City on October 31. I’ve been lucky enough to be associated with this program
since the late 1970s, and have announced some amazing contests over the years.
One man, a set
of chisel bit steel, and a four pound single jack hammer, and how far can he
drill into Sierra Nevada granite in ten minutes? The world record, set in
Carson City almost ten years ago, is almost fifteen inches. There are at least
four men who have the ability to beat that record that have already signed up
for this year’s championships.
Come on down and
make noise. Until next time, read good books and stay regular.
Will you join me on facebook from time to time?
Or Tweet with me, darlin’?
