Kitchen Chores

How many years we’ve been making the Friendship Cake is beyond me (at least 25 , but the recipe came to me from a sister-in-law in Oxford, AL. We try to keep these cakes in the freezer (the recipe makes three cakes baked in Bundt pans and it’s all done the same day).   Having the frozen cakes makes it handy when a death occurs, even though its now quite expensive to make.  In this part of the country that’s all we know to do when someone dies — send or take food. On baking day John takes one cake to the oven down in the apartment and we bake two in the oven here.

Now we have to feed what I call the “brew” 30 days before we can bake the cake.  Here’s what is needed to get started.  A one-gallon size glass jug and a wooden spoon.  No metal is allowed around the brew.  Starter is a must and I have no idea how to make it — get it from somebody.  To start we put 1 1/2 cups of starter, 2 1/2 cups sugar and a 29 oz. can of sliced peaches in the jug and stir with the wooden spoon. It has to be stirred every day and fed every ten days.  Next time we’ll feed it with pineapple chunks and sugar. When this mixture starts fermenting it makes getting up in the morning worth it just to stir the brew and lick the spoon.  Cleaning up is the worst part, but with this done the waiting begins.

I have sourdough bread dough rising — enough dough to make three loaves.  It rises 12 hours, so tonight I’ll knead it a little and put it in pans to rise 12 more houses.  We have no trouble getting rid of it, but I try to send at least one loaf to a sick or homebound person.  For some unknown reason of late I’ve lost my touch with bread making, but I did have better luck last week, so I’m trying again.  I’ve baked this bread for communion at our church for 15 years and I hate to not make it because “I can’t.”

Whew! Think I’ll set a spell and enjoy country living.