Slim Pickins

Growing up where my Mom did in Canada, out on a farm. could be challenging to say the least. Bartering was a way of life. Gramma would trade eggs down at the general store for flour, sugar, yard goods, etc. Growing vegetables in her garden and plucking chickens was also a common occurrence and when it came to making sweet things, Gramma would send the girls down the lane to pick berries. Whether for pies or jams, what they brought back home would be used. It was usually my mom and my aunt Vi that would go and to make it fun they would take along their friends. The only problem was, my aunt thought she was to old for this chore and didn't always pull her weight. She and her friend would pick some berries, but they would sit down and eat the majority of them. Then, they would try and steal some of the younger girls berries as well. My mom used to get so mad and start to cry because she knew how important it was to bring lots home. The lane where they would pick the berries was down by Auntie Bean's house and she could always keep an eye on them. She would always call Gramma and say, "The girls are on the way back, but the little girls are crying again!" As hard as life was back then, my mom tells these stories with such fondness. I hope you enjoy the process of making these fat baskets.