A Traditional Farm Life
By Shasta Hamilton
Greetings from Enterprise, dear friends! The heavenly aroma of overturned earth filled
our nostrils this week as our garden patch was worked again in preparation for
spring planting to begin in earnest.
Our dear friend Dean brought over his tractor and spring
tooth harrow and smoothed out the garden, erasing—if only for a short time—the
weed bloom after last week’s welcomed rain.
Now just what, you may be wondering, is it about the smell
of dirt that’s so appealing? The term
“dirt” just doesn’t seem to evoke the noble majesty from which forms the basis
of the farmer’s livelihood. It sounds,
well, dirty.
Perhaps we should define our terms a bit. I looked up “earth” in my children’s 1952
copy of the Thorndike Barnhart Elementary Dictionary. Definition 2 referred to earth as
“ground. The earth in his garden is good
soft soil.” Now we’re talking!
Just this morning I walked to the garden to admire the dark
brown earthiness of the freshly worked soil.
I think I do this at the beginning of every garden season. Perhaps what draws me out there again and
again this time of the garden year is the fresh start represented by an
unplanted garden. In my mind’s eye I see
the rows of green beans and cucumbers, the grid-like pattern of tomatoes and
peppers green and lush, boughs hanging with ripe fruit ready for the
picking. There are no weeds, of course,
in this perfect garden of my imagination.
But friends, as you well know, life isn’t perfect and
reality doesn’t always follow one’s expectations. Weeds will come, and Lord willing, so will
the harvest. In the meantime, however,
comes work.
My husband is fond of saying, “Life is work—best get to
it.” As Adam learned the hard way so
many years ago, our sustenance will come by toil in the soil. While Adam and Eve were the first to learn
this lesson, growing our own food still does not come easily. The thorns and thistles that plagued Adam
causing him great sorrow still burst forth bright and green in fields and
gardens this spring. While many today
may be completely disconnected from this, farmers are still intimately
connected with this reality.
Whether it’s a small garden plot or a thousand acres, the
blank slate of planting time is a reminder that has stirred contemplation in
generations of farmers. From time to
time we all desire—even need--a fresh start.
The smell of overturned earth in the field, garden, or even the flower
box outside the window draws us all together in anticipation of the future
beauty a fresh start can give. One need
not be a farmer to experience this God-given reminder of a future filled with
the hope of a bountiful harvest.
Friends, let’s not take for granted the fresh start we are
given every spring. Even if it’s just in
a container on your patio, dig into the soil, inhale the heady earthy aroma,
and enjoy the fresh start of spring planting time. Like Adam, care for your little section of
God’s creation, and Lord willing, enjoy a bountiful harvest.
As a collector of church and community cookbooks, I have
been amused throughout the years at the occasional Oreo/pudding dessert
combination often referred to as “Dirt Pudding.” Saturday seemed like the perfect time to give
it a try. The children had a great time
helping with the project, crushing the cookies in a plastic bag with a rolling
pin. When tasting the finished product they agreed it was “the best dirt they
ever ate.”
Kansas Dirt
Pudding
1 pkg. (25 oz.)
chocolate sandwich
crème cookies,
crushed fine
1/4 cup hot water
2 tablespoons instant
coffee granules
1/2 teaspoon almond
extract, optional
2 pkgs. (3.9 oz.)
instant chocolate
pudding
3-1/2 cups cold milk
1 (8 oz.) cream
cheese, softened
1/2 stick butter,
softened
1-1/2 cups powdered
sugar
1 (8 oz.) frozen
whipped topping,
thawed
gummy worms, optional
1. Stir instant
coffee granules into hot water until dissolved.
Prepare pudding using both coffee and milk, adding almond extract if
desired.
2. Beat cream cheese
and butter with powdered sugar. Add
whipped topping and mix until smooth.
Blend in pudding.
3. Beginning and
ending with crushed cookies, alternate cookies and pudding mixture in a 9 x 13”
baking dish, clear bowl, or even in a clean plastic planter. Garnish with gummy worms and/or flowers with
stems inserted in straws stuck into the pudding, if desired.
Copyright © 2015 by Shasta Hamilton
Shasta is a fifth generation rural Kansan now residing in
Enterprise, Kansas. She and her husband
own and operate The Buggy Stop Home-Style Kitchen with their six home-schooled
children. You can reach The Buggy Stop
by calling (785) 200-6385 or visit them on the web at www.thebuggystoprestaurant.com.
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