Cooking on the Woodstove

This morning we woke up to no hydro.  After being without hydro for 7 days during the ice storm of '98 we went out and bought a generator.  During the ice storm you couldn't buy one anywhere.  During that time we had borrowed a large one from a company and shared it with our neighbors.  The big concern then was keeping the sump pumps going & making sure no one stole your generator.  The army patrolled the area where we lived.
We had a bit of an ice storm last night that brought back memories of 1998.  We had a wood stove then and it amazingly kept the house quite warm.
This morning I filled up a basket with wood and got the fireplace going.  It has an insert in it that allows for a pot of water to sit on the top.
Growing up on a farm prepared you for times like this.  As a kid growing up we didn't have an electric stove until I was about 7 or 8.  Watching my mom cook on the woodstove was just the way it was and it is still easy to do.  It is a great way to do stew and the house is filled with the aroma.
After my mom died my dad did a lot of his cooking on the woodstove.  Being an old farmer he loved the heat that filled the house and he keep the fire going.  My dad died a few years ago and during his last 6 months my brother, sister and me would take turns staying with him.   I usually work shorts and a t shirt even though it was winter time.  He was never quite warm enough and I could get cool enough.
I loved cooking for him on the cook stove.  Although his appetite wasn't great he love the homemade chicken soup that would simmer away on the stove.  Before my dad got ill, he was known for "Merle's Beans".  He grew the navy beans himself  (were talking rows and rows).  He would simmer them on the stove with lots of garlic, a piece of pork, and salt and pepper.  When it was time to bake them he would add ketchup.  There was no molasses or fancy tomato sauce, just plain ole ketchup.  Everybody loved them and still today all the kids talk about Grampy's beans.  I still make them.
I've just rambled on about warm & cozy memories.  It's time to find a book, open a box of chocolates ( to keep up my energy) and sit by the fireplace.  I'll keep a pot of tea warming on the wood stove and enjoy this winter's day.
Enjoy your day



Lorraine