Thank God it’s Monday, once again. I look forward to every Monday because they’re my 52 Chances a year, in which I get to share Memories of My Mom with you. Therefore, I hope you have a happy Monday.
It’s National Fall Foliage Week so my husband and I took a day trip in and around the “Thumb” of Michigan. Unfortunately, we only saw a few trees, here and there changing colors. It’s a little early to see the fall foliage around here.
However, the Upper Peninsula and the “Tip Of The Mitt” are now in their fall splendor (checkout the Lovenesters’ YouTube video of this beautiful area). Fiery reds, cheerful yellows, and exquisite bright orange colors are now abound. Mid-Michigan will soon follow suit, as the wave of colors works its way southward.
My parents loved to take weekend drives around this time of year to see the color-change in and around the Traverse City and Leelanau Peninsula areas. My husband and I took a “color tour” around up there several years ago and we’re anxious to do it again.
Between the Mackinaw State Forest and the Huron-Manistee National Forests, the expanse of colors was amazing. I felt like I was driving through a Bob Ross painting and every tree was in its happy place. The skies were clear and blue with only a couple of puffy clouds and the sunshine highlighted all the colors.
On our drive this weekend, we noticed many farms with quilt squares on their barns. This reminded me that it’s also almost the end of National Americana Month. Barn quilts (or “blocks”) are great symbols of early Americana customs.
They’re large wooden, square panels, painted like a traditional quilt square with a design or pattern that represents something specific to each of the farms (and other properties) that they individually adorn.
The tradition of barn quilts in the United States is thought to have started in the 17th or 18th century, with Pennsylvania’s first German settlers, who used them to identify their families and farms. It was also believed that they warded off evil spirits and brought good luck. In addition, they were often used as convenient landmarks, for giving directions.
By the way, on a related note, Wednesday kicks off October, which is (among other things) National Arts & Humanities Month and next Monday is also National German-American Day.
Some patterns represent the family’s heritage or the farm’s crops or animals, while others symbolize local history. In our nation’s history, barn quilts were also once used, during the Civil War, as secret symbols or messages for “The Underground Railroad”.
My husband and I have seen a lot of these quilts on the barns in the farming areas surrounding Frankenmuth (Michigan’s “Little Bavaria”), which is rich in German heritage and traditions. Mom and Dad also loved to take one day road trips to small tourist towns like Frankenmuth, as a quarter of our family’s legacy is German (through Dad’s dad).
Since barn quilts are so decorative, they’ve become a public form of Americana folk art. Around the turn of this century, a revival movement began for displaying more barn quilts across the country. Many communities have created “Barn Quilt Trails” in 48 of our states. These trails promote rural heritage, public art, as well as tourism.
Moreover, there happens to be a Frankenmuth Area Barn Quilt organization that has a public group page on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/FABQGroup/. I’ve always loved seeing the quilts on our country drives. I never realized how popular the quilts and quilt trails were until I decided to write this blog post about them.
Nowadays, quilt squares can also be found on businesses, as well as on homes, in which case they’re referred to as “porch quilts”. You may wonder why people, these days, would want decorate their farm or business or home with a quilt square.
I think it has more to do with cultural and social motives than for reasons of tradition and heritage. Whatever the reasons, quilt squares (also called “blocks”) are unique pieces of art that tell a story and, after all, “they” (whoever “they” are) do say that “a picture is worth a thousand words.”
Quilts promote public art, as well as barn history and preservation. They also celebrate and foster pride in our rural culture, educating us on the value of our agricultural and rural economies. Trails encourage large community involvement and create year round attractions that foster other local events and projects.
Officially, barn quilts don’t need to be registered. However, in doing so, with a local “trail” organization or a community barn quilt project, it would be included in area directories for self-guided driving tours. Barn quilt registry is a voluntary process that’s generally free, to help promote the Americana folk art project in that area.
FROM MOM’S MEMORIES…
As seen in…
Gloria Pitzer’s Mixed Blessings – Recipes & Remedies (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; March 1984, pp. 23-24)
IN THE SUMMERTIME…
…THROUGHOUT UPSTATE MICHIGAN, the roads borough through tunnels of green trees for miles and miles. There’ll be light traffic on these curving two-lane highways with single cars spaced two blocks or so apart coming toward you.
There was the quaint and very unique Settling Inn at the village of Northport, the most northern point of M-22. And farther south there was the Sugarfoot Saloon at Leelanau, near the Sugarfoot Mountain Resort.
It was quiet country, secluded but refreshing, compared to sophisticated urban activity. At County Road 669, a sign announced, ‘Sleeping Bear Dunes straight ahead on M-22’. The road curved like a long licorice ribbon, up and down the hillsides of densely grown White Birches, Scotch Pines, Maples, Oaks and Poplars.
Suddenly we were conscious of how clean the air smelled. The city wasn’t like this! What a lovely contrast! What a splendid memory! The first time we saw the Traverse Bay area and upstate Michigan, we fell in love with it. It was Labor Day and summer was still at the peak of its promise.
Six weeks later, we went back to the bay area to feast our eyes on the glorious, fiery colors of fall. There was a crisp, clean chill in the air. Those long, straight, two-lane roads through the peninsula still lay like licorice ribbons on the slopes and hills of Old Mission region.
The side roads were cut like corridors through a series of canopies in brilliant orange, red and yellow, where the trees were all standing like military sentries in full dress uniforms, crossing their branches above the roads like honor guards with their swords raised high.
It was a trip back into another time zone – peaceful valleys and wooded hillsides abundant was sturdy hedges of tall trees framing well-manicured cherry orchards, acres upon acres of them, as well as apple groves in great abundance everywhere!
Here and there a farmhouse and a weather-worn, well-kept barn reminded you that it was a populated and prosperous region, after all. The prosperity appeared to represent hard work, a practical living style and simplicity of needs, unlike the atmosphere of city dwelling.
These days, it’s easy to find “Quilt Trails” to explore near you. There are many community groups online and many social media platforms. We discovered there’s a Thumb Quilt Trail, during our drive over the weekend. We got a pamphlet from one barn that we happened to stop at and tour.
Mom always said, “learn something new every day” so I did a “Google search” for “quilt trails near me” and consequently discovered the St. Clair County Quilt Trail organization. It’s so amazing – the countless things you can find and learn about in just a few clicks online.
Not all farms that have barn quilts are open to the public, for touring. But they are great conversation starters at the local diners and gas stations for tourists passing through the area. Personally, we can’t wait to create a new set of map dots from these trails for our future road trip adventures.
Now we are considering putting a quilt square on our barn out back and registering it with our two local trail organizations. Our property was once a small dairy farm almost 100 years ago, when it belonged to my husband’s grandpa – his dad’s dad. He also grew corn in the field behind the barn, back then.
Thus, we know we want a quilt design with a cow and some corn on it. We found that there are groups out there who will help you create your own unique quilt design. Some groups will even go as far as making the quilt square and hanging it for you – all in the name of Americana folk art, tradition, heritage, and community.
LAST THOUGHTS…
Thanks for visiting! I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about my memories of my mom, her memories, and other related things. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email me at therecipedetective@outlook.com. You can also find me on Facebook: @TheRecipeDetective.
IN CLOSING…
In honor of TODAY, being National Coffee Day, here’s Mom’s copycat recipe for “Calypso Coffee”, like she had at The Victoria Dining Room in Niagara Falls, Ontario; as seen in… Gloria Pitzer’s Cookbook – The Best of the Recipe Detective (Balboa Press; Jan. 2018, p. 269). [A revised reprint of Gloria Pitzer’s Better Cookery Cookbook (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; May 1983, 3rd Edition)]. As always, I’m asking only for proper credit if you care to re-share it.
P.S. Food-for-thought until next Monday…
September observes… Better Breakfast Month, National Blueberry Popsicle Month, National Chicken Month, National Courtesy Month, National Honey Month, National Italian Cheese Month, National Library Card Sign Up Month, National Mushroom Month, National Potato Month, National Rice Month, National Sewing Month, Self-Improvement Month, Whole Grains Month, and more.
Today is also… National VFW Day.
Tomorrow is… National Love People Day and National Hot Mulled Cider Day.
Wednesday begins the month of October. The month of October observes a lot of things, including the following food related celebrations… Eat Better & Eat Together Month, National Apple Month, National Applejack Month, National Bake and Decorate Month, National Caramel Month, National Chili Month, NATIONAL COOKBOOK MONTH, National Cookie Month, National Dessert Month, National Pasta Month, National Pickled Peppers Month, National Pizza Month, National Popcorn Poppin’ Month, National Pork Month, National Pretzel Month, National Sausage Month, National Seafood Month, Pear and Pineapple Month, Rhubarb Month, Spinach Lovers Month, Tackling Hunger Month, and Vegetarian Month.
Other October observances that aren’t directly food related but they could be kissing cousins, include… Halloween Safety Month, Italian-American Heritage Month, NATIONAL BOOK MONTH, National Fire Prevention Month, National Kitchen & Bath Month, Polish-American Heritage Month, National Reading Group Month, National Women’s Small Business Month, Positive Attitude Month, and Self-Promotion Month.
October 1st is also… the start of the Christmas Seal Campaign (which always runs Oct. 1st to Dec. 31st). Plus, it’s… National Homemade Cookies Day. And, as the first Wednesday in October (for 2025), it’s also… National Walk to School Day and National Pumpkin Seed Day.
Thursday, October 2nd, is… National Fried Scallops Day.
October 3rd is… National Techies Day. Plus, as the first Friday in October (for 2025), it’s… World Smile Day, too.
October 4th is… National Cinnamon Bun Day, National Taco Day, National Golf Lover’s Day, and National Vodka Day. Plus, as the first Saturday of October (for 2025), it’s also… National Play Outside Day, which is similarly on the first Saturday of every month.
Sunday, October 5th, is… National Rhode Island Day, National Do Something Nice Day, and National Apple Betty Day. Plus, as the start of the first full week in October (for 2025), it’s also the start of… National Chili Week, National Spinning & Weaving Week, International Post Card Week, and National Newspaper Week.
Have a great week!
…39 down and 13 to go!
