Celebrating a farm wife and mom

Beside, not behind, every good farmer (or as I stated last week – real farmer) is a good farm wife. And my mom is just that. Besides being a farm wife, she’s also a farm mom. And since there’s no “Farmer’s Wife Day” (but we all know there should be), I’ve decided to write a tribute to the best farmer’s wife and mom I know – my mom – on Mother’s Day.

My mom does it all – chases cows, drives a combine, runs errands, plants a garden, brings meals to the field, cuts the grass, cleans the house, cooks, bakes, volunteers in the church and community, and much more. In her spare time she enjoys taking walks, reading books, quilting and spending time with her three grandsons.

During harvest she’s a “hired hand” as she takes on the often stressful job of combining. She’s also no stranger to a tractor and has done her share of harrowing.

In the winter she builds muscle by helping my dad with the chores. Wearing her Carhartt coveralls and carrying a pitchfork, she moves from pen to pen spreading straw for the cattle.

When she’s not helping the guys, she can be found in her garden or flower beds in the summer. She plants a large garden consisting of corn, potatoes, carrots, peas, beans, cucumbers, tomatoes and much more.  A garden of this size is a lot of work but at the coaxing of her kids (especially me!) she keeps it up. And she’s always willing to share her excess produce with others.

She also loves planting beautiful flowers around the yard, and can often be found outside hoeing the flower patches, mulching the gardens or mowing the lawn.  

When she’s not busy outside, she’s inside the house cleaning, cooking, baking or bookkeeping. She can whip up a meal in minutes. And she makes some mean buns, along with other delicious baking! I’ve decided to share one of my mom’s most popular recipes. She’s often asked to bring this tasty dessert to various occasions. And for this recipe she uses rhubarb from her garden.

Rhubarb Meringue Square

Base:
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup margarine
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Filling:
5 cups rhubarb OR 4 1/2 cups rhubarb and 1 1/2 cups saskatoons
2 cups sugar
1 cup cream
6 egg yolks
4 tsp flour

Topping:
6 egg whites
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla

Prepare the base and pat into a 9×13 inch pan. Bake at 350 F for 10 minutes. Mix the fruit, sugar, cream, egg yolks and flour. Put into pan and bake at 350 F for 45 minutes. Beat egg whites until stiff and add sugar and vanilla. Sprinkle with coconut and broil. Enjoy!

I found this on the Internet and it made me think of my mom – a farmer’s wife.

You Might Be A Farmer’s Wife If…

Your name is taped to the side or bottom of cake pan.
You call the implement dealer and he recognizes your voice.
The vet’s number is on the speed dial of your phone.  
Your second vehicle is a pickup truck.
Your husband has ever used field equipment to maintain your yard.
Picking rocks is considered a chance to get out of the house.
Taking lunch to the field is as close as you get to a picnic.
You can mend a pair of pants and the fence that ripped them.
The shopping list in your purse includes the sizes of filters, tires, belts etc.
You’ve ever called your husband using a two-way radio.
Being taken out to dinner has ever included a talk by a seed dealer.
Your driveway is longer than a stone’s throw.
You have lots of machinery and each piece is worth more than your house.
The neighbour’s house is best viewed with binoculars.
The directions to your house include the words “miles” or “gravel road.”
Your husband says, “Can you help me for a few minutes?” and you know that might be anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours.
Grass stains are the least of your laundry problems.
Your fridge contains livestock medicine.
Your car’s colour is two-toned and one colour is gravel road brown.
You use old newspapers as floor mats.
You’ve used the loader to reach the windows when they need washing.
You can make a meal that can be ready in six minutes and will still be ready in two hours.
Sharing a cab has nothing to do with a taxi and everything to do with getting across the field.

So here’s to a farm wife and mom. Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!