The summers in my hometown of Neosho in Southwest Missouri are always hot and sultry. It’s Sunday, and that means I’m headed to the home of my grandparents, Lloyd and Ruby Cantrell. It’s about a mile from our own home, and I will either ride my bike or walk to their place, depending on my mood and the heat. It’s August, it’s Sunday afternoon, the temperature is around 90, we’ve already been to church, the humidity is high, and it’s mowing day.
It’s 1962, and I am 14 years old, in the prime of my youth, and my father has already instilled within me a good sense of work ethic. With that in mind, one of my summer obligations is to mow Grandma’s lawn every Sunday afternoon. This includes mowing, raking up the grass clippings and disposing of the grass clippings on the ever-present compost pile near Granddad’s garden. The entire process will take a little over three hours, and I will be paid the princely sum of $3 for all of my efforts.
But this story really isn’t about mowing their lawn — it’s about food!
Granddad Lloyd works for the U.S. Postal Service as a rural mail carrier, and he is also an organic farmer. He actually writes articles for Organic Gardening magazine and has developed his own variety of tomatoes. His garden, over a quarter of an acre, is replete with corn, green beans, tomatoes, strawberries, green peppers, potatoes, green onions, radishes, lettuce and both watermelon and cantaloupe. The best time of the year to enjoy all of these homegrown vegetables and fruits is in August. I must admit that my real motive for going to my grandparents’ home really has nothing to do with mowing their lawn; it all has to do with what Grandma will cook for dinner after the yard work is done.
Yes, I am guilty at the age of 14 of yearning for the delicious meals that my Grandma will prepare at the end of the workday on these warm August evenings. The menu might include: new green beans with bacon and new potatoes, corn on the cob, sliced beefsteak tomatoes, green onions, fried zucchini, beef steak with onions and gravy, fresh salad with garden-fresh red leaf lettuce and Ott’s dressing. And for dessert, butter brickle ice cream.
