I love fall for lots of reasons, but now that I’m back in
South Carolina farm land, nothing says fall more than the smell of cotton in
the fields…..or should I say defoliant sprayed on the cotton to help the leaves
die and fall off the stalks. Once the leaves
have fallen, cotton picking can commence!
This conjures up lots of fond childhood memories of growing up
on our farm, my daddy working late into the night picking the cotton before the
rains came, and of my "helping" out by jumping into the trailers full of freshly picked
cotton. This was a job my sisters and I
adored. Packing the cotton down into the
trailer was necessary to be able to get more cotton in it before hauling it off
to the gin. And who better for the job
than a bunch of giggling little girls! I
loved this “chore” so much that my mother once invited several of my little
friends to our farm in honor of my birthday (I forget how old I was). The highlight of the party was jumping in the
cotton trailer! Each party guest also
got to take home a miniature cotton bale!
What I wouldn’t give to have a couple of those little bales. Hmmm….I wonder if there’s any old photos of
that party???
Another very distinct smell is the fragrance of freshly dug
peanuts. The "new crop" season is
now. And there's no better boiled peanut
than the ones picked right off the roots with your very own hands.
My friend, Cathy, allowed me to come to her farm and
help myself to their freshly dug legumes.
The bulk of their nuts has been contracted to a food company, and the
few that I gathered won’t make a difference to their harvest.
I boiled up a batch as soon as I got home, and let me tell
you they are some kind of good! (that’s
Southern speak for all my Yankee friends!)
;) I’m tickled I still have at least 2 more
batches to boil and get in the freezer.
If you’d like to know how to make your own boiled peanuts,
go here for the recipe.
I’d love to know what fall smells send you down memory lane?
Happy Fall, y’all!
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