Innholdsfortegnelse for June/July 2018 i Country Woman

Summer comes late in my part of the country, but this month it really gets going. And that means I can get growing—finally. Digging in the dirt has a soothing effect on me. Watching dinner spring forth from neat rows is a miracle I never tire of observing. You friends in the South are likely already trying to figure out what to do with all your tomatoes, while those of us in the Midwest are looking upon tiny green orbs with anticipation. Whether you’re watching and waiting or wondering how to use up the excess, there are some tempting recipe ideas beginning on page 42 of this issue. If summer fruit is more your thing, consider the light and sweet desserts on page 46. I mostly grow vegetables, but I…

Carry a Tune Perhaps you strum a passed-down banjo or guitar. Maybe you play your grandmother’s favorite songs on a family heirloom piano. Or you might be a skilled singer, harmonizing with family and friends. Tell us about your musical talents. Patriotic Parties Whether it’s the Fourth of July or Canada Day, we want to see how you celebrate the most patriotic holiday of the year. Send us pictures and stories that capture the spirit of your Independence Day soirees. All in the Family Summer is the perfect season for reunions. Take us to yours. Do relatives from near and far gather at the family farm each year? Do you make it a destination get-together, picking a new spot every time? Share your family reunion tales with us. Get helpful…

The Mapmaker’s Children by Sarah McCoy In present-day New Charleston, West Virginia, Eden is struggling to find a purpose after giving up on having a baby. When she finds a doll head in her pantry, she starts wondering about the historical significance of her home. She learns the doll is tied to Sarah Brown, daughter of abolitionist John Brown, who defied social conventions and worked in the Underground Railroad. Sarah McCoy masterfully weaves together their two stories. Prayers the Devil Answers by Sharyn McCrumb Albert and Ellie Robbins move to a Tennessee town in 1936, but shortly after becoming sheriff, Albert dies of a bout of pneumonia, leaving Ellie with their two sons. Dreading returning to Albert’s brother’s farm, Ellie petitions to finish out Albert’s term as sheriff. When a…

Jean and Mike Shoup recall the day more than 30 years ago when their obsession with antique roses first bloomed. Mike was with a colleague, driving a country road in central Texas, when a stunning display caught his attention. Long-forgotten roses had burst into a colorful carpet woven into a derelict chain-link fence. Mike was captivated by their beauty and later described the vibrant scene to Jean. “The roses were not only surviving, but performing spectacularly in a completely neglected setting,” Mike says. “My first thought was that there must be a landscape niche for such a specimen.” Today they remember the crew’s efforts to rustle those abandoned roses. Since then, they’ve worked hard to rescue countless other resilient varieties from cemeteries, roadsides and vacant properties, all for the sake…

“It’s a great way to use up fresh tomatoes from the garden.” Basil Tomato Tart A good friend gave this recipe to me. It’s a great way to use up fresh tomatoes from the garden, and it tastes a lot like pizza. —CONNIE STUMPF NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, SC PREP: 20 MIN. • BAKE: 20 MIN. MAKES: 8 SERVINGS Pastry for a single-crust pie (9 in.) 1 1/2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided 5 to 6 fresh plum tomatoes 1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves 4 garlic cloves 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1/8 tsp. pepper 1. Roll pastry to fit a 9-in. tart pan or pie plate; place in pan. Do not prick. Line pastry shell with a double thickness of heavy-duty foil. 2. Bake…

1. Share photos and stories with us using the online form at: countrywomanmagazine.com/submit 2. Note to which department you’re submitting, and whether the material has been published before. However, your item may be selected to run in any section of our magazine, or elsewhere. 3. We do not return submitted materials. Although we are unable to acknowledge receipt of any submissions, we’ll let you know if they’re published. 4. We accept high-resolution digital images. Digital images should be about 4x6 inches at a minimum resolution of 300 dots per inch, or about 1200x1800 pixels. Photos must be in focus and of good quality. Please send submissions only through our online form. 5. If we print your submission in the magazine, we will send you a complimentary copy of the issue…

Support for Sarge The December/January 2018 “Good Neighbors” story about Kim Opperman’s battalion of knitters inspired the St. Peter Lutheran Church Mission Fund board in St. Ansgar, Iowa. The board sent a $300 check to Socks for Soldiers after parishioners John and Mary Muller shared the article. Secret Pie Tester I broke out in a big smile when I saw the Shoofly Pie recipe in the February/March 2018 issue. It brought back memories of camping with our three young sons in West Virginia. We had purchased a slice from a nearby country store after a cashier told us it was a local favorite, and I put it in storage for the night. The next morning, I noticed a big bite was gone, so I decided to try it, too. After…

“I became known as the bee lady.” Tami Enright knows how to create a buzz. Every morning in the front yard of her home on Isle of Palms, South Carolina, she’s clad head-to-toe in beekeeping gear, tending to her two hives. Curious neighbors flock to her, asking all manner of beekeeping questions, and now her yard has become a hive of the community. “Our neighborhood in Isle of Palms has maybe 400 houses. When I started beekeeping here, I only knew two of my neighbors even though we had lived at our address for five years,” Tami says. “Neighbors started stopping by to ask what I was doing. I became known as the bee lady, and I readily shared advice on keeping bees. Now, several other houses on the island…

Flower holders known as frogs have become popular collectibles thanks to their whimsical appearance, variety and relative availability. It’s not clear how the term “frog” came to be associated with this item; it may simply have been a piece of slang that stuck. Makes sense, though: The holders, when they are full of flower stems and submerged in shallow water, resemble their amphibious namesakes. 1 Scarf Dancer Flower Frogs Most likely produced in Czechoslovakia or Germany sometime between 1920 and World War II, this flower frog is shaped like a scarf dancer, a popular motif at the time. Though this frog has no markings, it was likely made for Ebeling & Reuss Co., a large importer of giftware that operated in Pennsylvania from 1900 to 2002. Some Ebeling & Reuss…

While growing up, I linked several things with grandma Ruby Jensen. The smell of linseed oil carried me to her basement, where she sat and worked on oil paintings. Near her painting area was a dark cellar, where I was convinced Bigfoot lived. Grandma stored rows of canned tomatoes, fruit and sweet pickles there. Grandma Ruby was famous for her sweet pickles, which she kept in a ceramic crock with only a rumpled sheet of tinfoil over the top for a lid. My grandma and her sisters would faithfully gather weekly for a potluck. But the togetherness wasn’t limited to Sunday lunches. Extended family, friends and neighbors from the small farming towns of Blackfoot and Pingree, Idaho, would meet up for just about everything, including big games of pinochle. Though…

Tame unruly outdoor tablecloths with easy weights made from stacks of pretty buttons strung on pieces of fishing line . Glass and other kinds of heavy buttons work well for this. When you like the look and length, tie the end of a line to a badge clip . Then hang a few of these baubles on the hem of your tablecloth, and let the wind blow. FORGED IN FIRE When an unexpected strong breeze blew the tablecloth into a lit candle at Laura Reigel’s daughter’s house, it created a small fire that ruined the linen. It also gave Laura, a crafter from Sheboygan, Wisconsin, a handy idea. She used a few pieces of sea glass—her daughter lives on Lake Michigan—for her version of these tablecloth weights. “Your imagination is…

Q: What are your tips and techniques for making light work of gardening? The $10 molded-plastic snow sled I kept for years helped with transporting gardening tools, soil and pots across the yard. It slid easily over snow, grass and stones, and the molded sides kept hand tools from spilling out. It outlasted wheelbarrows costing 10 times as much, and it was much easier to handle and store. LORI SCHMITTER EAST HARTLAND, CONNECTICUT As I walk around the yard with my corgi, Wesley, I take my hand trimmers with me. As he’s sniffing here and there, I’m trimming the dead twigs and small branches out of bushes and trees. I’m so surprised how much I can trim in a few minutes. JULIE REYNOLDS AURORA, COLORADO I would not part with…

1 Cold Brew Coffee Maker Mason Jar  forwardproducts.net $25 Cool down with an icy drink. Simply add coffee grounds or tea leaves to this 2-quart mason jar, steep overnight in the refrigerator and enjoy while out and about on a hot summer day. 2 Nano-Ice Cooling Scarf  nano-ice.com $52 Drape this freezer-powered cooling scarf around your neck before gardening under the summer sun. Each scarf is filled with spheres that stay cool for at least two hours when frozen, and they won’t soak through to your shirt. 3 Vornado VFAN Mini Classic Vintage Air Circulator  vornado.com $50 Keep things breezy with this retro-look fan. Its portable size makes it easy to move from the kitchen countertop to the living room bookcase to your bedside table.…

CHALK PAINT Rough items like this secondhand bureau are made for chalk paint’s solid, opaque qualities. It offers a finished appearance without the hassle of priming and sanding. MINERAL PAINT A table painted in Fusion Mineral Paint’s Little Whale color illustrates the smooth satin surface produced by this newer specialty refinishing paint. Mineral paint also creates a waterproof finish for busy kitchen tables and other wood items. MILK PAINT Milk paint is ideal for unfinished wood like this vintage crate, which has also been treated with a salt wash for a distressed, seaside look. Salt washes start as a powder that can be added to the paint. They mix well with mineral paint, too. NOTE TAKER Not to be confused with chalk paint, which is meant for furniture, chalkboard paint—found…