Upcoming Mother’s Day

When my sisters and I were growing up, my mom owned a Jersey cow that kept our family supplied in milk, cream, and butter. Part of Mom’s daily routine was making certain the cow was milked twice a day and everything connected with the milking had been washed and sterilized.

The cow was not always happy about being milked, which necessitated Mom applying “kickers” on it’s back legs which were sort of like temporary handcuffs for cows. This was something she was especially careful to do after the cow kicked her into a fresh manure patty shortly before my older sister’s wedding was set to commence.

Apart from occasionally getting kicked, and trying to avoid the cow’s tail switching her in the eyes while she was milking, Mom seemed to treasure that little Jersey, and never complained about the extra work.

As a little kid, I thought the fact that our brown cow could turn green grass into white milk miraculous. Watching my mother then turn white milk into custard pies and chocolate ice cream felt absolutely magical.

Mom also kept us well-supplied in homemade cottage cheese. She’d load curds into a cheesecloth bag and let it drip dry on the clothes line, later mixing fresh cream into it. A meal of Mom’s homemade cottage cheese, along with fresh peas and new potatoes dug from her garden could fuel a kid’s play for hours.

Anyway, store-bought cottage cheese has never come up to Mom’s homemade. So, when I discovered a new brand, I tried it. One bite and I had to take it to my sister’s.

“Is this as good as I think it is?” I asked.

Her eyes grew big as she ate a spoonful. Then she said, “That is the taste of our childhood!”