Sunday, August 15, 2010

Mosaic Monday: Curds and Whey

Mosaic Monday is hosted by the lovely Mary.

Each mosaic is different. Each a story to tell.

You'll enjoy visiting - I promise!



This week I have a story to tell - all about curds and whey.

Curds and whey, you say?!!!!

Yep.

Mr. Dragon and I had lunch with some dear friends last week and the subject of curds and whey came up. Really!

Someone asked just what is curds and whey and I said, without a moments hesitation, milk products!


Which led me to talking about my Grandfather and his ranch.




Pleasure
Summertime Pleasure-1957


This is my grandfather in his kitchen in 1957.
Just look at the refrigerator, the kitchen table and chairs.
Wow! What memories!

He had a ranch in Oklahoma and raised Quarter Horses.
His wife, Mary, raised Angus cattle.
Visiting with them was a pure joy for me.
Up early in the morning to get the freshly laid eggs.
Off to the barn to milk the cow, which brings me to curds and whey.


Curds are a dairy product obtained by curdling (coagulating) milk with rennet or an edible acidic substance such as lemon juice or vinegar and then draining off the liquid portion (called whey). Milk that has been left to sour (raw milk alone or pasteurized milk with added lactic acid bacteria or yeast) will also naturally produce curds, and sour milk is produced this way.


I remember Mother Mary making her own butter. The cream rising to the top of the milk. Buttermilk. Homemade ice cream. Nothing tastes like fresh milk. Delicious!



I have wonderful memories of visiting with them. Somewhere I have a picture of me on my shetland pony. What a life for a young girl! I wish I had spent more time with them.

The mosaic shows the ranch sign; a party (don't remember if it was an anniversary or a birthday party); grandfather with his pride and joy, Blue Blake; and one of his special colts.

Wishing all of you well!


29 comments:

Debra She Who Seeks said...

Cheese curds are still popular in Canada. We mix them up with gravy on french fries in a dish called "poutine" which originated in Quebec.

EG CameraGirl said...

This is a wonderful post about your memories! Love the photo of the kitchen...not that I would remember anything like that. (OOPS! MY nose is growing longer!)

Lenore said...

Now those are some fabulous memories to have of your grandparents and their farm...what a joy it must have been to visit and have the experience of farm life!

The Bodhi Chicklet said...

What a wonderful, wonderful collection of photos. And the story behind it too. We had some pretty strange looking furniture growing up - a chrome kitchen set with red plastic padding - egads! I do love the way people would look at the camera back then, so different from how we do now. Remember sending the film off and waiting for the printed photos to come in the mail?!

Carol said...

What fantastic memories you have! Love your mosaic, very sweet! I remember my grandma had a very similar kitchen table!

A Bit of the Blarney said...

I so enjoyed your story and pictures!!! Wonderful! Cathy

Bobbi Ann said...

Hi, What a wonderful post this is! Thank you so much for sharing this. I hope that you have a lovely new week!
hugs...
Bobbi

Judith @ Lavender Cottage said...

What a lovely trip down memory lane. I recognize the kitchen table and fridge styles - we've sure come a long way!

Sue said...

I too, remember my grandparents having a fridge and kitchen set similar to these! We always loved to visit with them- we were treated so special. How wonderful to have these photos to remember yours. The picture of your grandfather eating that humongous watermelon is hilarious!
:-) Sue

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Hi Snap..... Little Miss Muffet sat on her tuffet; Eating her cutds and whey.... That's where I remember hearing curds and whey.

Love that old picture of your grandfather.... That's my era.... We had a frig like that and a table and chairs like that....

Glad you have such good memories of visiting your grandparents in Oklahoma.

Thanks for a great post.
Hugs,
Betsy

xinex said...

What wonderful memories! And thanks for the little education...Christine

Rajesh said...

Beautiful mosaic related to dairy. Very interesting.

Pondside said...

The kids used to like to eat fresh curds because they 'squeaked' when you chewed them!

GratefulPrayerThankfulHeart said...

Delightful post! Love the vintage photos. Hard working folk! Did your grandfather eat the whole watermelon? :)

Great stopping by to visit with you!

Traci said...

What fabulous memories and sentimental mosaic!

A Garden of Threads said...

A great mosaic and story, thank you for sharing a part of your family. Take care.

BernieH said...

Wonderful post ... such great photos! You were indeed very lucky to be able to experience these things first hand ... homemade butter, milk with the cream on the top, homemade ice creamm ... absolutely yummy!

Wildflowerhouse said...

Snap what wonderful memories. His horse was a real beauty and I can see why it was his pride and joy. I want those days back, don't you...

Vicki said...

Hello, dear Snap,
Love your post!! Your pictures bring back memories of the 1950's when I was a young girl growing up. Seeing your grandfather digging into that watermelon sure brought back memories because this is how I remember eating watermelon back then. How wonderful for you to have these precious memories of your sweet grandparents. Have a happy, happy week~Vicki

Cezar and Léia said...

Dear friend,
What a lovely story.Thanks so much for sharing your memories, adorable memories!
purrs and love
LUna
We love Luna

eileeninmd said...

Wonderful memories and photos! I enjoyed your post and story.

Carol at Serendipity said...

Susan,

Your memories are similar to mine. I love the old pictures and I am so sad that there is no one left to tell me more about them.

Love the mosaic and the lesson.

Have a great week!

Carol

Rosa said...

What wonderful memories! Mmmm, eating watermelon with a spoon! YUM!

Glenda/MidSouth said...

What great memories to have - thanks for sharing them.
Have a great week.

Dorothy Borders said...

Lovely memories. I lived on a farm when I was growing up and I have some of those memories, too - especially regarding the milk. We made our own buttermilk, butter, etc. In fact, one of my chores as a child was to churn the butter. Now there's a meditative task! Perfect for daydreaming.

My name is Riet said...

What a lovely post and mosaic. Great memories

Meri said...

This post would work for Sepia Saturday as well. Love it!

podso said...

I used to make my own cottage cheese, boiling milk and adding vinegar, and then watching the curds separate from the whey. Love that kitchen picture of your grandfather --- right out of my past with that frig and table and chairs!

Mary said...

Oh what a wonderful collection of pictures and memories!