The sun rises over fields of corn, hay, and soy beans. Barns and houses with surrounding grassland pastures dot the landscape and the rooster crows another “cock-a-doodle-doo”. All the while the farmhouse kitchens have been full of activity – bustling with the excitement of preparing and finalizing a good, hearty, farmer’s breakfast.
Breakfast on many farms is not a wake-up time. Rather, it is the first break during the daily chores and duties involved in farming. You see, a typical farmer’s day starts a couple of hours before the sun is up, and so breakfast is a necessary time of refreshment and nourishment for the hours to come.
Now breakfast on the farm can vary, especially in differing regions of the country, but eggs have always been a mainstay in the farmer’s breakfast. Farmers in the Lancaster County, PA area typically enjoy fresh Homemade Bread along with fresh milk and eggs – either scrambled or fried. Or there might be a Breakfast Casserole, prepared the night before and baking in the kitchen while both the husband and the wife are out at the morning chores. And yes, you guessed it – there’s the Shoo-fly Pie included.
Farther south, such as in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, the fried eggs might be accompanied with fried potatoes. At times cooked hominy is included on the table. But at the top of it all is the warm tomato juice. Mouthwatering breakfasts in the south often include this special treat. Other additions may be onions, peppers, and fresh tomatoes.
To the Northeastern farmer, maple syrup is a morning staple. To the Southwest, chilies are an important daily food. And yet there are eggs… eggs for breakfast in the East, eggs for breakfast in the West, eggs for breakfast in the South, and eggs for breakfast in the North. Why eggs? They are so nutritious! And they are delicious!
Just as the dairy farmer likes to eat plenty of cheese and drink lots of milk, so the egg farmer likes to use lots of eggs. At times, there are lots of eggs on the farm and so that is the best time to conserve the surplus eggs, using them in many differing recipes. The surplus of eggs has often produced more recipes and variations using this exceptional ingredient – the egg.
From farmhouse kitchen to farmhouse kitchen, tips on cooking are exchanged. Variations of menus and recipes have been a congenial gesture of neighborly goodwill for many years. Mothers have shown daughters the tricks of the trade. Mother-in-laws have blessed their daughter-in-laws with their various deviations in breakfast fixings.
In more recent years, Mexican cooking and recipes have filtered into the Eastern United States’ kitchens, even into the farmhouse kitchens. Homemade salsas may be served with those delicious fresh eggs scrambled in olive oil.
Nature’s Yoke is interested in sharing some of these farmhouse kitchen tips and recipes with our egg customers. With our business being in Pennsylvania Dutch country, you could expect that our recipes might have a German flavor to them. The Mennonite and Amish culture is known for a distinct, delightful flavor in their simple cooking along with a simple God-fearing lifestyle. And yet as cooking cultures are subjected to other surrounding cooking cultures, variations are tried and blended into the older recipes. Sometimes the old recipes are lost and forgotten until someone shares that old recipe again and it sizzles over the countryside as it had done 60 years before.
Quite a few of Nature’s Yoke recipes are from a Shenandoah Valley, Virginia farm kitchen. The homemaker there was skilled in cooking, being a child from a family of 9 girls and 6 boys. The sisters enjoyed recipe exchange and profited from other community input.
This farm, at times, had an excess of eggs and so eggs were utilized into Shenandoah Valley Puff Dressing
(a usual Sunday noon meal serving for company or the family), Baked Pumpkin Dessert, Graham Cracker Fluff (a real hit at the large family gatherings), and stuffed eggs. The large chiffon cakes baked in the old fashioned combo wood/electric range were a tell-tale story of combined fresh eggs, good recipes and culinary skills found in the simple kitchen of hard working hands. And yet the décor of the cakes is note worthy – Sea Foam Frosting simply swirled to and fro with the fingers in such an artistic way that many declared they could never create something so delicate.
Molasses Cookies, Chewy Date Drops, and Chocolate Chip Cookies all made their indenture into the supply of surplus eggs. Cream Cookies for Cut Out Cookies provided a pleasant setting for building healthy mother/children relationships as well as created memories for years to come. Often the large turnout of cookies was shared with shut-ins around the neighborhood, regardless of the calendar month.
The 24 hour Potato Salad Recipe was an excellent way to use the surplus eggs and the cut or scarred potatoes damaged in the fresh new harvesting. The tender skins were allowed to stay on the potato and added to the nutrients of the dish. This recipe remains an excellent choice to take with you to the next family picnic, using Nature’s Yoke fresh eggs from cage free hens.
Now if you feel you are unable to master Morning Glory Muffins, Chess Pie, or a farmhouse kitchen breakfast, just try Broken Cracker Eggs in a Muffin Pan. Your children or grandchildren can learn to put this fun recipe together that ends in delightful, nutritious, individualized servings.
Another stress-free fixing is Baked Oatmeal. Variations of this recipe are as numerous as the toppings you might want to try. Shredded coconut adds a pleasant sweetness. Chopped peanuts add protein and a nutty flavor. Chocolate chips sprinkled on the top melt into a chocolate-lovers breakfast – eggs included!
Culinary skills take patience and perseverance. But delectable cuisine is appreciated. Nature’s Yoke hopes you can enjoy our recipes and share them with your friends. Our desire is that these recipes benefit the health of all who try them.
And remember, before you commence, start with a good egg. Nature’s Yoke is working to keep quality eggs available to you, fresh from cage free hens! No antibiotics! No animal by-products! Insist on Nature’s Yoke eggs. Happy cooking!