Tag Archives: Jeremy

Auntie Nell’s Chutney

Food, Memories, recipe, ,

Back when I was going to England, I met Jeremy’s Auntie Nell. If I recall correctly, she was his maternal grandmother’s sister. Both she and her sister ( I only knew her as Grandma White) were midwives in their youth. Hmm, maybe I should finish watching, Call the Midwife on PBS — I’d not really connected the two. I think they both, or only one of them received an honor from the Queen for their accomplishments.

Auntie Nell is on the left in this photo. Her sister is on the far right.

Auntie Nell, Granddad White, Auntie Ella, Jeremy, Grandma White

Anyway, I must have really liked chutney in England and Jeremy carefully wrote out his Auntie Nell’s Chutney recipe. Or perhaps they served me Branston Pickle and it was not something one could easily find in the US. Sad to say I have not yet made it.

Auntie Nell’s Chutney

  • 6 lb cooking apples, peeled, cored and sliced
  • 1.5 lb onions, chopped finely
  • .75 lb sultanas (raisins)
  • .75 lb red-skinned potatoes
  • .75 lb green-skinned tomatoes (can use all red if green not available
  • 3 tablespoons salt
  • 1 pint vinegar
  • 3 lb soft brown sugar (half light, half dark)
  • bag mixed pickling spices, peppers, and root ginger

Mix apples, onions, sultanas, tomatoes, and salt together. Boil the vinegar in a large pan and add the soft brown sugar. Stir continually until boiling, then add the apples, onions, etc. keeping simmering. Put in the bag of mixed pickling spices, peppers, and root ginger.

Simmer the chutney for about 2 hours until all the ingredients are absorbed and it is thick and brown, stirring. Take the spice bag out after about half an hour. Add more sugar and salt if necessary after tasting. If the mixture is dry, add more vinegar

Hmm, I am going to have to consult Jeremy about some of this. I don’t understand what the peppers are — black peppercorns?

Stay tuned, I will make this and report back. Perhaps when we have green tomatoes on our plants.

Backdoor note

Family, Memories, People, ,

My mom and I had a difficult relationship when I was in high school and sometimes (often) we would have arguments over things she said and I misunderstood (sometimes purposely) or didn’t want to hear. One way for her to apologize without actually apologizing in person was to tape a typewritten note on the back door so I would see it before I walked inside. Once, after explaining to me what I might expect at my doctor’s appointment the next day (she thought I’d get a pelvic exam and I was horrified and lashed out) she typed an apology that she should not have told me in such detail — and also that the doctor’s appointment had been postponed. (In reality the appointment was simply a wellness check — no stirrups involved.)

Another time Mom taped a note to the back door was after I’d been through a very sad few days, having been told by my English boyfriend that he would not be able to come to the States that summer. She’d gotten the mail that afternoon and a letter from Jeremy had arrived. He’d written on the back of the envelope “GOLDEN NEWS INCLOSED! Coming in on a wing and a prayer.” Mom knew I would be happy so she typed it up and taped it to the back door.

In Which Jeremy Paints the Garage Doors

Family, Friends, Memories, Places, , ,

In 1977, shortly before he was to head back to England, my then boyfriend Jeremy, painted a North Woods scene on our garage doors in Elgin. It was his interpretation of the scene out the window of our vacation home in Hazelhurst, Wisconsin. The local paper even picked it up and for weeks people would slowly drive by the house to get a peek at the garage doors.

I’m not entirely sure the house was even built when Jeremy painted the garage doors — this might have been how he imaged it would look from inside the house. A fun follow-up is that Jeremy recently recreated the garage door images on a much smaller scale as a gift for my brother who now lives in the house. He even included portraits of our Mom and Dad on each door. I’m grateful we still have a connection with Jeremy. The paintings he made are priceless.

The article below, is not completely true. Jeremy did have a place in mind when he painted the image. It’s definately the view from the property.

The article from the August 18, 1977 Elgin Daily Courier News
An actual sunset from the property — photo credit Kevin Patrick
Just starting the painting as Kevin and neighbor looks on
Still a long way to go
Left door, almost complete
Right door complete
Both doors, complete
The artist with his masterpiece

It’s hard to see the bunny in the lower left corner on any of the photos of the complete door, but when Mom eventually had the doors painted over (we neglected to put any kind of weatherproofing on the painting) she left the bunny. Here it is with a real live bunny and a detail from the painting Jeremy made for Kevin.

Here are the paintings Jeremy created for Kevin.

Left side with Dad
Right side with Mom