I’d Like to Pay With Squash
Posted: July 2, 2013 Filed under: Diet- comedy | Tags: gardening, squash 1 Comment
I have a friend whose father was a country Doctor back in the forties in rural North Carolina. Back then Doctors did not go in to the profession to make big money. In fact my friend used to talk about the poor patients of her father would pay him in vegetables from their garden, put up canned tomatoes and if he delivered a baby that turned out to be a son, perhaps a whole hog.
Yesterday I saw on Facebook that my friend Laura had canned a mess of peach preserves and was wondering what she was thinking when she made such a big batch. I’ve been the recipient of a couple of her homemade canned treats and I know those preserves are worth their weight in gold. I’m sure she could trade them with someone for something she needs.
I’m having a bumper crop of Zephyr squash. It’s not one you might know, but it is a yellow squash variation that is half yellow and half green. It is very pretty, but after a while it is a little tiring. Of all the things I planted it is by far my most prolific and by now my least favorite. The ark needing rain is not helping the issue because I think this squash grows eight inches in 24 hours if it is getting rain.
I wish that I could take a bushel or two of my squash and give it to my dentist instead of paying him, but that form of barter is frowned upon these days. Every week I give my housekeeper a bag and she tells me that it is about the only vegetable her grandchildren will eat. So I know that my garden is doing a good deed.
I could be canning the squash with onions, but somehow there are not enough hours in the day to get that done, what with my words with friends addiction and my Christmas ornament needlepoint deadline looming and my writing assignments hanging over me. So I will continue to give the stuff away, but if you have a strong desire for it and something to trade make me an offer. You know I’ll just end up giving you what ever I have.
Less Dana, More Good 
Oh Dana! Am really enjoying your blog. My grandfather was a doctor in Hickory NC when it was a “one doc” rural community. He was paid in chickens, vegetables, etc. But what I remember most was what we called “Hickory butter”. One of his patients paid him in hand-churned butter!! The beautiful round pounds with an imprinted mold on the top. We went to my grandparents for a visit and came home with the Hickory butter. One of the reasons I refuse to eat any margarine or spread. I’d rather have a very small pat of the real thing than bunches of the fake!! My grandmother died first. Papa kept making house calls ( as some patients wouldn’t/couldn’t see another doc ) One day he came home, Sadie served him lunch, he laid down for his 30 min. power nap and died,Oh, how I wish we could pick this way to go!! He loved medicine and practiced it until the last moment. (byw, Sadie made the most fabulous “pocket” yeast rolls which were orgasmic with the Hickory butter!)