I was raised on a farm....

My dad had a fulltime job as a supervisor at a factory in town, and he and Mom grew grapes as well. They both came from farm families, so it was a natural thing to do. Dad sold the farm when I was 11 years old, and we moved to town.

Dad liked to read Farm Journal magazine; but because he didn't raise animals, the people at Farm Journal wouldn't allow him to subscribe. Go figure. Mom always liked it when he was able to bring home someone's copy of the magazine as she said Farm Journal printed the best recipes.

When I got married, Mom began to buy me Farm Journal cookbooks. My girls weren't raised with box mixes for brownies or cakes. We'd grab the Country Fair cookbook and make something from scratch. I picked up the Freezing and Canning cookbook at an annual book sale. The person who had it before me put a checkmark next to the recipes she thought sounded good. She must have been a kindred spirit; they are the same recipes I would try.

I have a crock full of bananas that need to be made into bread. I like to use this recipe because it reminds me of Mom's. One bite makes me think of her as she loved to bake.

Gramma's Banana Bread from
Country Fair Cookbook by Farm Journal

Sift these ingredients together:
2 cups sifted flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Cream together these ingredients:
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar.

Blend in two eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Mix well. Add dry ingredients alternately with 1 cup of mashed bananas. Mix just until blended.

Combine 1/2 cup chopped pecans (we used walnuts) with 1 teaspoon flour. Stir into batter. Pour into a greased 9" tube pan. Bake in a 350° oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until bread tests done. Cool in pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on rack. Makes one loaf.