A tale Of Jams And Bread

In the scorching summer heat my babcia used to send me to school with coconut oil in my hair and jams in my lunchbox.

I had the thickest mop of dark russet hair in my class. Now when I'm older I'm grateful to those regimes, but nobody would sit with me in class and till fourth grade the seat beside me remained desolately empty.

Babcia did not understand why I would protest against the practice, and my nine-year-old brain could not find the strong words to tell her that though the habit cared for my hair, the smell thwarted any attempts at friendship I made.

''Those people... they know nothing! Just look at their hair, all thin and balding. Do you want to be bald like your father? His wife didn't oil his hair.''

She says gesturing to my dad. They had been arguing before, so the attack wasn't exactly unexpected.

My father peeks up from his newspaper, and shoots my grandmother an offended look.

''Mama, nobody would sit with me.'' My voice wobbled.

My grandmother hated to see me cry. Even if there was a good enough she would rather repress her emotions than show them and she wanted me to do the same. Even then I recognized the wrongness of that action.

''You smell of coconuts. What's wrong with that? Pfft.''

She would brush me off.

In my culture hair was sacred. A woman's beauty was defined by how long and thick her hair was, and the oiling process was a way for mothers to bond with their daughters and share the tradition so the coming generations would do the same.

I wanted to fit in a place where the people around me neither spoke my mother tongue, nor wore the clothes I was comfortable in. I was the guest in their land, or so I thought.

I grew up wearing hats, whether it was scorching hot or freezing. I grew up under the watchful gaze of my mother and aunt, where every attempt to find myself was strictly thwarted, until I was nothing but an obedient daughter and niece.

I grew up feeling an emptiness, unable to understand why I looked for a place where I belonged.

In teaching them, I taught myself to break the generational trauma and find my inner child.

..

To Make A Jam For A Perfect Summer Eve

(!Addition: Jams! and homemade bread!)

One of the best memories of my childhood is of making strawberry jams out of the excess fruit from our farm. Growing up in a small village where the land was the bread and butter for every family, jams were a favorite treat that bought the whole village together.

Three of the most important ingredients in making the perfect jams are fruit, sugar and pectin.

Ingredients

1 pound fresh berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, or a mix)

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

A pinch of salt

Directions:

1

Place a heatproof plate in the freezer.

2

Clean berries with water, and trim them if necessary. Cut fruit into 1-inch chunks. Combine berries, sugar, and salt in a large heavy-bottomed pot. Place the pot over low heat, dissolving the sugar. Then increase to a high heat, bring to a full rolling boil while stirring and mashing fruit with a potato masher or fork. Add lemon juice, lower heat to a simmer, stirring often, until thickened and mixture clings to the spoon. It should be about 20 minutes. Gently skim any scum that rises to the surface.

3

Now take the pot off the heat and spoon a little jam onto the plate. Let the pot sit for one minute, then push the blob of jam with a finger. Once the surface of the jam should wrinkle, then it has set. However, if it’s still liquidy, then continue to cook for a few minutes until testing again.

4

Now, ladle finished hot jam into two clean 8-ounce jars, and let it cool completely to room temperature if storing in the fridge (you can store up to one month), otherwise proceed with a canning method for longer storage.

To Make A Loaf Of Bread

Ingredients:

1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast

3 tablespoons plus 1/2 teaspoon sugar

2-1/4 cups warm water (110° to 115°)

1 tablespoon salt

6-1/4 to 6-3/4 cups bread flour

2 tablespoons canola oil

Directions:

1

Now in a large bowl, dissolve yeast and 1/2 teaspoon sugar in warm water; let stand until bubbles form on surface. Proceed to whisk together the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, salt and 3 cups flour. Then stir oil into yeast mixture; pour into flour mixture and beat until smooth. Please stir in enough remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, to form a soft dough.

2

Turn the bread onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. It should take about 8-10 minutes. Now place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Then cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, 1-1/2 to 2 hours.

3

Punch dough down like you mean it then turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide dough in half and shape each into a loaf. Place in 2 greased 9x5-inch loaf pans and cover and let rise until doubled, should take about 1 to 1-1/2 hours.

4

Now bake at 375° until loaf is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped or has reached an internal temperature of 200°, 30-35 minutes. Then remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

Enjoy your summers!