Drying laundry outside is refreshing.
The Amish Cook
By Lovina Eicher
The sun is shining brightly at 7:45 a.m. Looks like it will be a nice day to dry laundry outside. I do hope it will warm up as our thermometer shows 34 degrees.
After having 80 degree weather this seems cold. We are leaving the propane lights on a little longer this morning since they put heat into the house.
I don’t remember that we were ever able to let our coal stove go out before spring even started. We are still enjoying the dandelion greens. I did see some yellow flowers on some so it won’t be long before they will start blooming making the greens too bitter to eat.
Our laundry will be extra big today since we only did laundry twice last week. Friday and Saturday were both raining making it impossible to dry clothes outside.
We throw all our dirty laundry down to the basement through a vent in the floor. We wash all of the clothes in the basement so it makes it easier not to have to carry it all down the steps.
I went to the basement this morning and it almost made me tired seeing the big pile of laundry waiting to be washed. I shouldn’t complain, though, about having the good health to do it.
I also have it a lot easier doing laundry than when we lived in Indiana. I have hot and cold running water so I can run it right into the machine. In Indiana I had to carry all my water from the cistern pump and heat it on the stove before I could do laundry.
Although I don’t have one some of the ladies in the church have a spinner so they can spin their laundry dry before they hang it up. It does a lot better job than the wringer does like I use.
Their clothes will be dry in a using the spinner before hanging on the lines. Would be very handy during the winter months when it dries indoors.’
We attended church services yesterday at our neighbors. Brother-in-law Jacob wasn’t able to attend so we went to visit them and ended up having supper there as well. We had our season’s first taste of green onions at Jacob’s.
Onions are coming up in their garden from last year. Also on the menu was barbecued chicken, creamed potatoes, steamed potatoes, dandelion green salad, cheese, ice cream and chocolate chip cookies.
The girls having been busy raking the yard. Joe and the children burned a lot of branches from the two pine trees he had to cut down.
A local sawmill will buy the large logs from the big oak tree. It will look better when that mess is all cleaned up It looks like we might also have to mow the grass this week.
The children will be off from school next week for their spring break. After they go back they will be in the last quarter of this school term. So hard to believe that time went so fast.
Lovina, 7, is home from school today. She seems to have something in her eye and can’t open it very well. I want to call the eye doctor to see if I can bring her in to have it checked out. She doesn’t want to open it, says it feels like something is in her eye.
Joe planted a few rows of potatoes last week. I want to put some more early things out but it wouldn’t feel very good working in the garden this morning. Brrr! I think we’ll get our first taste of rhubarb this week, which I may bake into this coffeecake.
RHUBARB COFFEECAKE
1 1 /2 cups brown sugar
1 /2 cup shortening
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 /2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
1 1 /2 cups chopped rhubarb
Topping: 1 /4 cup white sugar, 1 /2 cup brown sugar, 1 /2 cup chopped pecans, 1 tablespoon butter
In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening, sugar, and egg. In another bowl, combine flour, soda, and salt. Add alternately with sour cream to the creamed mixture. Fold in rhubarb. Spread into a greased 9 X 13 inch baking pan. Combine all topping ingredients and sprinkle over batter. Bake at 350 for 45 to 50 minutes.
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