Page 107 - barefoot-in-the-sand-remembering-the-waning-days-of-the-hopewell-community-(1998)-bruce-c-gragg

Barefoot In The Sand: Remembering the Waning Days of the Hopewell Community (1998) Bruce C. Gragg 103/123

THE FALL RITUAL-MAKING FRUIT CAKES

As fall approached each year it was time to begin collecting the
necessary ingredients for the annual ritual of making the fruit cakes
for the up coming holidays. I was still too young to do much but try
to sample all the goodies, mostly the candied dried fruits. And what
an aroma this created for the whole house, all these dried fruits,
but that didn’t compare to the baking time. I did get to help crack
and shell pecans, all from our own trees we had picked up on hands
and knees. We had several varieties around the house and in one
field. All the dried candied fruits had to be cut up just right. When
baking day arrived, that was an all day job and at the wood stove, a
hot job. Speaking of an aroma, I can just smell it now! After baking
they began curing them by placing a clean towel on top and soaking
with home made grape wine, then a winesap apple on top of the towel.
Every couple of days the towels had to be re-wet with more wine. By
the holidays they were very mellow, moist and had a fantastic taste!
Not like the ones from a store now days, they are so dry and taste so
artificial. So delicious were even the crumbs at the end of the cakes
life. It was a long hard hot job, but you reaped the return in the
winter months after it had been properly seasoned and cured, and
served at just the right time. None were served before their time.
Their time began about Thanksgiving and lasted until early into the
new year. A lot of work went into making them but it was worth it.
Oh, so mellow and it would smell and taste so "Goooooood.” When Uncle
Sol. and Aunt Nita would visit in late fall through late winter and
have dinner with us and the fruit cake was served, he would eat one
slice, then say would you pass me another slice of that delicious
wine, please? It was generally served only on special occasions to
make it last well past the holiday season. To those who constantly
make fun and ridicule "fruit cake", they have never had a big slice
of properly "wine cured" fruit cake to go along with a good cup of
coffee. If so, they would not be so ridiculously critical of
something they have never tried. A perfect ending to big Southern
cooked meal was a big slice of cake and a good cup of coffee, and a
bit of time to savor it.

www.LakeCityHistory.com LCH-UUID: B98DC69E-ADC1-4EE7-8817-CA941114D897