After the beautiful early spring we experienced last year, we often cast an anxious eye when we still see snow on the ground that was so dried out previously. We wonder how much moisture is or isn't there. 

We have often said how farming goes, so goes the way of living. How could anyone not consider that so much depends on those who grow the foods and grains we need?

Farming has encountered so many changes that I am sure young people don't have a vague idea of what these pioneer farmers experienced.

If we were to be thrown into a full-blown recession that in any way resembled the Great Depression of the early 30s, how do you think we would fare?

My mother was born during the Depression and her parents were just one of the many farmers who knew of the tragedies and gloom of a serious situation. Because they had the farm and were frugal, perhaps they didn't suffer the way many people in the big cities did, or maybe they just didn't expect as much.

There are probably few who remember the Great Depression, but those who remember when their parents talked about it. Many of the same problems we are facing today were prevalent then, but times have changed. 

There was small, diverse farming, so if there wasn't a market for cattle and product, there was food available to put on the table. The bills still had to be paid, and the recession, the lack of rain, and the abundance of wind made life tragic.

There were few programs to feed the poor and homeless during these years. Many families did have a cow and other than the lack of rain, families raised large gardens and potato patches. Lack of refrigeration was a problem and only a cool basement or well pit kept foods cold.

At least they had chickens who ate almost anything; their eggs weren't worth but pennies on the market. However, they could always be used as a basic for a meal. Cleaning coops wasn't too bad, and  these faithful hens could be sacrificed in the end for meat on the table.

Chickens were like presents from heaven, as they provided a slight income at about nine cents a dozen, which did help buy a bit of sugar and flour for bread baking. Many meals were made from eggs. 

Chickens were left to pick "free range" and often existed on little more than slim pickings from the ground like bugs and grasshoppers. When the chickens got too old to lay eggs, they provided meat for the table in many forms including casseroles, soup or chicken and dumplings.

If the farmer had pigs, you could count on them to give you their children (piglets), which helped pay the taxes. They, too, were easy to raise, and though they brought little on the market, they could be butchered and their meat used in various ways by canning, freezing, smoking, or eaten fresh. The fat rendered was used for baking, frying and yes, even as butter for bread.

Cows were a different story. They had to be fed by cutting, hauling and stacking hay. They had to be fed and their quarters kept clean by hauling manure to the fields and that was just in preparation for the milking. 

Cows were milked twice a day and after they were milked, the farmers had to separate the cream from the milk. Farmers might get a check for 25 or 40 dollars for a month’s work, milking and caring for 10 cows. Butterfat was about 11 cents a pound; that cream check had to pay for whatever was needed for the house, vehicle and family for the next 30 days.

If one had a cow, there was milk to drink, soup, pudding and cheese, and although considered for its cash value, cream was used to make butter.

From sunrise to sunset and for less than pennies an hour, it was the only security they had to hang on to. At least they had work. 

Along with the depression came a drought, just as today when pastures and crops burn up from lack of rain and moisture. Farmers actually cut their trees for the leaves or herded their cattle where the drought was less severe. 

Lakes, river beds or "wet land" provided something green for the cows to graze on. In many cases, the farmers dried up some of the herd to save the animals, keeping one or so for milk by making sure the cows had enough feed.

People picked berries, shot and ate rabbits and squirrels and caught fish. Water was recycled from human consumption — cream cooling to drinking cups or stock tanks. Corn stalks were cut for cattle feeding and anything not eaten was used as bedding. Anything left was swept into the manure gutter for an absorbent.

Charcoal salvaged from ashes (from the stove) was fed to the pigs to aid digestion. Ashes were scattered around berry bushes for healthy growth. Seed was saved from year to year from the choicest plants and often shared. 

Seed corn was tricky. Hand-selected ears from the most productive yield were hung to dry so mice couldn't get at them. In the spring, the corn was taken down and hand shelled using only the middle kernels of the cob. 

Mechanical "shelling" damaged the germination areas. The seeds on the end of the cobs weren't usually uniform and the farmers wouldn't work to plant that lower quality. The remainder of the cobs and cob ends were left for the horses, who considered them a special treat, eating cob and all.

To test for germination, my grandmother would count out about 25 seeds and place them in a damp towel and keep them warm for about 10 days, when the towel was unwrapped and the kernels showed growth. This gave the farmer a germination percentage and they planted accordingly.

The corn was "clicked in" with a wire cable for straight rows, cultivated twice by a two-row cultivator, once with a sulky cultivator and another time with a walking cultivator. By keeping a "mask" on their noses, the horses couldn't sway from the path and nibble the green leaves.

It was the custom to rely on the land and one’s abilities to provide foods that were healthy for the family.

Never underestimate the creativity of the housewife who stretched and produced food into interesting, healthy meals without the cash or availability of things found on store shelves today.

Lamb quarters (the plant) and mushrooms were abudant in the spring. When rhubarb made its appearance and strawberries were ready to be picked before the vegetable garden produced some early vegetables, they provided some great eating. People lived healthier lifestyles with asparagus, spinach, beet tops, chard and dandelion greens.

Lamb quarters were cleaned and sauteed in a little water until tender, drained and put in a frying pan with a little butter, lard or oil. When the liquid was simmered away eggs, salt and pepper were scrambled and cooked until the eggs were well done.

Mushrooms were made the same way, but caraway and onion was added and scrambled raw eggs added in the amount needed.

The blessing of the day: NO GMOs, pesticides, preservatives, and sprays. People during this time period consumed earth-friendly foods without concern about additives. Family recipes were planned around gardens or what was available, and soup was always simmering on the back of the stove, a pre-runner of the crock pot era.

Everything went in the soup pot from water from cooking vegetables, bones, left over meat, gravy, veggies, macaroni or rice. Pepper was used generously, as well as whole cloves and garlic, making it a tasty, nutritiously frugal dish. It helped satisfy the appetite and made meals go futher.

Birthdays and anniversaries:

• Thursday, April 11th: Barb Marcus, Ruth Benson, Lori Dobberstein, Jacob Alan Reynolds, Dan Nelson, Darrin Thostenson, Theresa Bartsch, James Thompson.

• Friday, April 12th: Tiegen Kay Richards, her 6th; Rory Ann Bickler, Guy Cromwell, Charise Oland, Cheryl Thompson, Deb Wilking, Allen & Betty Brandt, Roger & Reta Draayer.

• Saturday, April 13th: Victor Mrotz, Jamie Johnson, Andrea Casteron Malo, Ava Raye Chapman, her 4th; David Clausen, Margie Nesdahl, Pat O'Conner, Jason Sullivan, Roxie Ritz Simmons, Megan Benson, Charlotte Miller, Curtis Klecker, Shannon & Jason Peterson, their 9th.

• Sunday, April 14th: Dakota Clark, Anna Elizabeth Bailey, Tina Hagen, Jason Vogt, Rachel Oswald, Marcia Hemingway Jensen, David Jensen, Ron Huber, Butch & Gail Ottesen.

• Monday, April 15th: Mason Robert Klemmensen, his 5th; Terry Jensen, Barry Troe, James Benson, Sarah Christine George, Cayla Conroy.

• Tuesday, April 16th: Linda Christensen, Eddie & Arlene Miller, their 61st; Terry & Cindy Vaith their 29th.

• Wednesday, April 17th: Mike Nesdahl, Suzanne Marcus Cory, Matthew Olson, Diane Van Riper, Kathy Paulsen, Bethany & Terry Mikesell, their 8th, Jerry & Mary Peterson.

Wishing you every joy as you celebrate your special day!