I’m talking of course about the book series by Laura Ingalls Wilder, not the TV show based on the books. My mom first read those books to me before I could read to myself. I continued to read the series over and over again throughout my childhood. I have to say that with the exception of my family and friends, those books had more impact on my life than just about anything else. They are beautifully written, engaging to people of any age, touching, poignant, and educational. The stories captured my imagination so fully that they became a real part of my life. I would talk to myself, narrating my daily activities like I myself was in a book. I imagined that my car was a wagon or that I had a heated flatiron at the foot of my bed on a cold night. I even made up a story about my toothbrush though there was never any mention of tooth brushing in the books. But I think the reason I loved them most is that so much of the life of a pioneer family was centered around food and providing for yourself. Life on the prairie in the late 1800′s was considered successful if you were able to survive and feed your family. Everyone worked hard every day in order to be able to eat the whole year long. With just the barest of tools and equipment, they had to raise, hunt and preserve enough food to feed a large hungry family all year long. The summer was a time of such bounty and people had to take advantage of every moment of it in order to save enough to see them through the winter.
I feel a tremendous sense of urgency in the summer. I don’t know if there is an evolutionary connection there from so many years of people hunting and gathering and living through the seasons or if it is just my personality. Maybe the books have something to do with it, I’m not sure. But part of me spends the summer frantic, unable to really enjoy the season because there is work to be done. There is so much good food, and no way to eat enough to last you through until next year. I think every day about January when a pint of nasty raspberries will cost $8. And what a strange luxury it is that we can even get raspberries in January at all. It makes me feel desperate. I am here in my kitchen now with a big box of beautiful berries and I feel all my instincts telling me that I have to BUY MORE, PICK MORE, PRESERVE MORE. My instincts talk to me in capital letters.
This is the time of year for hoarding. I am a berry picking, jam making machine (more on that coming soon), and I never feel that it is enough. I actually can’t imagine how anyone gets through life without a big chest freezer to fill with all of summer’s abundance (not that freezing is something the pioneers did, but I have the luxury of preserving that way and I fully appreciate it). I feels strange to say it, but I think of Laura Ingalls every time I process and tuck away something for winter. Every jar on my shelf or Ziplock bag in my freezer is a little piece of this warm, sweet, rich time of year. And I do feel rich when I have fresh blueberries, raspberries, peaches and cherries in my house all at the same time. I feel rich when I can go out and pick FOOD, REAL FOOD, for free on the side of the road. I feel rich when I add another gallon bag to the growing pile in the freezer. No amount of money can buy you summer in January (unless you go to the southern hemisphere I guess) but I can open up a bag of frozen peaches or a jar of brandied raspberries and I get to relive this time just for a moment.
I hadn’t read the ‘Little House’ books for many years until I started reading them to Lola. We have now been through the series four times and I’m getting pretty tired of them. But I love that Lola now narrates her own life in Laura Ingalls’ literary voice. I love that she plays ‘riding on the train’ just like my friend Sara and I did and that she wears a sunbonnet around town without feeling the least bit self conscious. And I love sharing summer’s bounty with her. She is learning how precious the gifts of the season are. I can tell her that we need to put something away for winter and she understands. I think she has good instincts too.
I adored these books too! We used to play “Mary & Laura” and I too used to narrate my daily life. I remember I even once asked my mother if I could call her “Ma.” She didn’t like it, and didn’t “get” it, so she said no, and I remember being crushed. I read once that there was a “Little House Cookbook” (I think it’s out of print now) where someone went out and tracked down recipes for all the things mentioned in the books–baked beans, salt rising bread, rye ‘n’ injun bread, etc. I always wondered if they were able to find a recipe for green pumpkin pie!
I have the cookbook if you ever want to borrow it. The recipes all look pretty gross in reality, but it’s fun to look through. My best friend and I once tried to make ‘Long Winter’ bread out of ground up bird seed because we didn’t have any wheat.
I can’t even begin to describe the influence our Little House days had on my adult life. Just yesterday I caught myself telling Calder to “modulate your voice” just like Ma said to Laura. I STILL have a running Little House narration in my head when I work in the garden, cook, sew, etc. Food was central to Laura’s life and existence (as it is/should be for us today) and I have wonderful memories of trying to recreate her prairie food– making taffy and bird seed bread with you, making lemonade just like Laura tried at Nellie Oleson’s birthday party, serving tomatoes and cream to my own family… the list goes on and on.
The Little House books are comfort food for my soul, and I always return to them when I am feeling overwhelmed or overworked. It makes me so happy to see Lola discovering Little House (and Calder too, though on his own terms). I’m excited to see how Little House continues to unfold in her life. Call me if you guys ever make bird seed bread:)
Apparently, those of us who were influenced by the ‘Little House’ books were effected in a profound way. Each time I read them I am struck by something new. I think of Pa building a house for his family single handedly, or Ma raising her children with no support from any other women. Someday when we are feeling really brave we should get together with the kids and do some pioneer cooking. I am grateful that you have been in my life for so long Sara, and that we are raising our kids together. Ma needed a friend like you.
I was just talking about these books the past weekend to my friend Stacie. Stacie has an 8 year-old and they have spent all summer reading the books together.
I loved them as a child, too. Admittedly though, the only thing I ever wanted to make was the candy out of maple syrup and snow that Pa made at Christmastime. And I remember realllly wanting someone to carve me a doll out of a stick.
I hope to start reading these books to Sydney soon (I think she’s too young at 3 1/2) and hope she enjoys them as I did.
Ground up birdseed! I love it! My coworkers are staring at me because they have no idea what I’m laughing at. Hilarious!
well this is telling…one of my main memories from the series is when the girls try to figure out how to evenly divide two cookies amongst three of them!! i would go over and over that math in my head over the years. no surprise i ended up a mathematician, not a baker or gardener, eh? i suppose it is a surprise that i pretty much only stick to a recipe when baking though. i’m also a big fan of the un-recipe…
You and Sara are too cute! Honestly, beautiful children together, and friends for all these years. It’s just the best, and it makes me happy just remembering seeing you two walking down the street together when in grade school, then high school, always deep in talk and thought. You’re both such wonderful, creative people and mothers now, and great examples to all the little girls walking down our street together now. So grateful to be a neighbor. xo