July 22, 2009

Gene had a really good day today.

Emily and Joyce visited this morning and found him to be more alert than he has been since his surgery. He also had visits from Dr. Carver, their minister, and Steve and Pat, as well as Alan.

Pat is here for a few days to help Emily with some things around the house as well as to make some "beet pickles". There's a story behind the beet pickles, so here it is.

The Howard children grew up savoring Grandma VanSant's beet pickles. They were especially good with a dinner of pinto beans, cornbread, and other fixins. Gene always grew beets in his garden, and Emily made beet pickles from her mother's recipe. In 1971, Grandma VanSant hand wrote the recipe in a letter to Emily. In the letter that contains that recipe, she elaborated on the way she made them - how she cooked the beets, how she made the pickling juice, what kind of pan to use, and so on.

Fast forward a few years - Emily and Gene are living in Middlesboro with that huge garden in the back; Steve and Pat are married. Edith and Clarence, Pat's parents, live nearby in Harrogate, TN. A partnership developed from Steve and Pat's love for beet pickles and the proximity of their parents. Emily and Gene grew beets, and Edith and Clarence made beet pickles and Pat and Steve always had plenty! It's such a great story.

Edith passed away this last year, and Pat has decided to take over as the beet pickle maker! She came to Chattanooga with a bushel of beets and a copy of the 1971 letter from Grandma VanSant as well as her mother's recipe card taken from that letter, all with the intention of making the beet pickles with Emily and learning the tricks so she can keep her family in beet pickles and be ready to hand the knowledge down to the next generation when one of them is ready!