Many Aprons in the Kitchen

(photo by laylegrayce.com)

My great aunt Edna had a roadside café in Ashville NC. She would start her day at 4 a.m. rolling out dough for homemade buttermilk biscuits and making meringue for pies- chocolate, lemon, and coconut cream. I would sit on a bar stool, legs tucked under, eyes wide with wonder, as I felt the energy of the café pulse all around me. It was magical.

My Grandmother was a small feisty southern woman who taught as she worked. She could grow the sweetest, juiciest tomatoes and we would eat them sun warmed and salted off the vine. She would put away corn and string beans. Make homemade pickles with fresh dill and jellies of every kind. She could make fried okra like nobody’s business!

I learned to cook in my mother’s kitchen. With gentle instruction she would give me free reign to create and explore. She taught “healthy” with a southern twist. I was introduced to grains, nuts, sprouts, fruits and vegetables and how to combine them to make delicious whole meals.

My mother-in-law is hospitality extraordinaire. She can set a table and host a party with grace and charm. The food is beautifully presented, linens pressed, candles lit and she makes it all look easy. It’s a joy for her to feed her family and she makes you feel warm and welcome.

My little ones sit on the countertop next to the stove in my kitchen, much like where I sat as a girl in my mother’s kitchen. As I wrap an apron around I teach them how to stir measure and pour. I’m doing much more than teaching them how to cook. I’m passing down a legacy of love than has grown and endured through the generations of women who came before me.

I'm sharing this today at Home is...Wearing an Apron over at Reluctant Entertainer.