Country Woman June - July 2017

The first jam I ever learned to make was strawberry. The simplicity of it makes for a quick study: Mash berries, add sugar and maybe some pectin, and cook. This three-step process was an easy one for a kid to follow. June was always berrying season for us. Our little patch next to the vegetable garden couldn’t produce enough, so on a Saturday morning early in the month we’d head out to a neighboring farm to pick until our hands blushed pink with strawberry juice. Then back to the kitchen for a jam session, where I’d eat so many berries my mouth soon matched my hands. Although this year I might put fewer up for winter—the gorgeous berry dessert recipes that begin on page 44 provide several reasons to turn the ruby…

Q: How do you pass the time on a long road trip? We bring a travel box filled with activities on laminated index cards. There’s a map of the United States, and the kids color in the states they see on license plates. There are scavenger hunts for finding different colored cars and things such as barns, motorcycles and lakes. And there are story starters and imagination games. JULIE HILTON GOODMAN, MISSOURI On road trips, my husband, two daughters and I would look for the letters of the alphabet on street signs. The first person to get to the letter Z won. We also competed to be the first to spot the largest number of a certain type of vehicle. Volkswagens were a favorite. CAROLE HOLDER NORMAN, OKLAHOMA To give the kids something to do on trips…

Swinging Through Time Years ago, my granddaughter, Audrey, was featured on the back cover of Country Woman sitting on her tire swing. Last summer, I took more photos of the same granddaughter on the same swing. Now 14, Audrey is still a girlie girl who also loves to drive a four-wheeler, swim, fish and hunt. VIVIAN BRUCKNER MALTA, MONTANA I can relate to the article by Danielle Walder, “Lessons in Farm Life,” in the December/ January 2017 issue. I am from a city, and I married a country man. I rarely see him at haying time, as he is home after dark every night and leaves before the sun comes up, so most of the daytime farm chores fall on me and our children. Some farm work still makes me a bit…

Summertime Soirees Backyard bashes are now in season. If your barbecues bring the heat and are filled with handmade patriotic decor, we want to see how you celebrate summer. Perhaps the neighbors flock to your fire pit for stories and s’mores, or the kids think “pool” parties at your pond are the best. Let us be part of the fun—send your favorite warm-weather party pictures and stories. Best in Show Many a country woman’s reputation rides on her showing at the county fair each year. No matter which side of the judge’s table you’ve been on, we want to hear your tales of the best and worst canned goods and pies, needlework and flowers and everything else you’ve encountered at the fairgrounds. Bound Together Bonds formed in the company of fellow knitters, quilters and sewers…

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When you think of the Wild West, you may not conjure an image of cornfields swaying in the rural Ohio breeze. But that’s where one of the West’s most intriguing figures honed her skills before becoming the best-known female sharpshooter of her time. And it’s where, for more than five decades, one small community has celebrated its most famous daughter—the legendary Annie Oakley. More than 130 years after she joined Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show, Oakley remains the pride of Darke County, Ohio. Since 1963, the community has celebrated “Little Sure Shot” with a festival in her name. Each July, the Annie Oakley Festival features five days filled with dozens of events honoring its namesake: national marksmanship competitions, whip-cracking and knife-throwing demonstrations, an Old West melodrama, music, a parade and—a highlight for…