For Jams and Ribbons

Thinking back on my childhood, no book or movie was quite as memorable as Charlotte’s Web.  To this very day if you were to ask me what the best book ever written was, I would say, after the Bible, it would be Charlotte's Web. My parents even allowed me to have a baby pig named Sugar who tragically died of low blood sugar not long after I got her....ironic really. My Wilbur dreams were dashed for several decades but just like many of you, there are very special parts of our childhood that remain with us forever.

Just like in the book, the State and County fair filled me with excitement, joy and the thrill of autumn's arrival. Finally the cooler weather arrives, the smell of bonfires burning in the distance, the fall foliage exploding across the landscape and I get to break out the crock pot for endless recipes.

Speaking of endless recipes, both of my parents worked full time but my mother never let that get in the way of making delicious homemade food for our large family.  She was an "ingredient household” parent before it became a thing in our current vernacular.  I would come home from school and more often than not our house smelled of cinnamon, sugar, bread, jams and rock candy. My mother and grand mother were both very good cooks. They took the time to teach me not just the basics but traditional family recipes handed down over generations.

I remember my Mom making jelly in the kitchen and not just any jelly but my absolute favorite.... Mayhaw! This was the catalyst once I was grown to start making my own.  In fact, my very own, top-secret, secret squirrel jam recipe actually gained some notoriety!

Several years ago, I made a blueberry melon jam with ground peaches that my neighbor grew.  In case anyone doesn't know what "ground peaches" are (don't worry I didn't either) they are vine melons and a heirloom variety of muskmelon. Not fit for eating raw, so we chop them up well and incorporate them into another fruit to give the delicious hint of melon to the jam or jelly. After my family tried it and said it was AMAZING, I gave some to a co-worker who enjoyed it so much she wanted more.  I decided at that moment it was time to scratch something off my bucket list.  I decided to enter my jam into the Wyoming State Fair!

It was a whole new experience and to say I was a little afraid would be an understatement.  I mean these ladies do not mess around. They are as serious about the culinary entries as they are about showing livestock. And I've been told there is a bit of a rivalries between families over this stuff. Anyway, the staff helped me understand the process, complete the application as well as some leisurely MATTER OF FACT advise about not even dreaming of picking my jam up until after noon on the last day of the fair. Not expecting to win anything, imagine my shock when I arrived to pick up my jam and see a bright red ribbon laying underneath my jar.  I won second place in my category and it was the absolute best feeling.  Partly because I was happy to win with my very first submission but more so because it drew me immediately back to the nostalgic feeling of my favorite childhood book. I know, I know....Wilbur did not win first place or even second. He received a bronze medal but he was allowed to live which means he wins first place in my book!

Oh, in case you thought I would leave you hanging with "my Wilbur dreams were dashed for decades" statement, don't worry, I won't! Last year, simply by accident, I got me a KuneKune pig named Hank! He is an indoor/outdoor pet who loves long naps, laughing when he is thinking about or actually being naughty and harassing our dog, Chesty. I love him so much and yes he is a challenge at times but over all he is the greatest pet pig ever! Sorry Wilbur!

So, if you have a bucket list, don’t wait, throw your hat in the ring and enjoy the ride!