Sunday Dinner At Grandma Simmons'

Farm Update –

This Sunday many families with get together and celebrate Easter & Jesus' Resurrection. Growing up I remember my Dad talking about how good his Mom's Sunday Roast was. Since I was to young to remember, I have asked my Aunt Millie to share the story of Grandma Simmons' Sunday Roast. 

Every Sunday was nearly the same as the last one.  I can’t remember many that were different.  It was hurry up, get the milking done, put the roast on and get ready for church.  Maybe Daddy would drive us to church in his ‘38 or later in his ‘50 Chevy truck; maybe someone from church would pick us up;  or maybe Bro. Wright would have spent Saturday night at our house. When I was little, Daddy was off on Saturday and Sunday from his job at Mississippi Central Railroad.  When I was about eight or ten years old, his days off changed to Monday and Tuesday because he replaced a man who had been hurt and had to retire.  Of course we were not very happy that he would be doing more dangerous work.

 Back to the roast.  Daddy bought the groceries all the time from a list Mama gave him.  He always bought a nice size beef rump roast.  Rarely did he get any other kind as the grocer knew he would be there Saturday afternoon and would have put one aside for him.  If he didn’t get one, it was because the grocer didn’t get one either.  Mama would mix salt, black pepper, chili powder and a little red pepper, poke three or four holes in the roast with a knife and put a teaspoonful of seasoning down into the meat.  Then she would flour and brown the meat in a big black cast iron Dutch oven, brown some extra flour for gravy, add plenty of water to cover the meat, put it in the hot stove oven to begin cooking.  When we were ready to leave for church, she would turn the oven down to low and let the roast cook while we were gone.  The house smelled so good when you opened the front door.  We finished up dinner with rice (sometimes creamed potatoes), Green Giant brand English peas, lots of times a Jell-O salad with REAL whipped cream on it, U-Bake rolls, iced tea that each person sweetened to taste because Mama drank unsweet tea, and a pie or cake Mama, Granny or I had made on Saturday.  After clearing the table of dishes, the left over food was moved to one end of the table and covered with a cloth until supper.  After cleaning up the kitchen and dishes, most of us found a nap, put a puzzle together, or maybe we went to see Auntie or just for a ride in the really country country.  For Sunday supper, you ate what you could find---absolutely no cooking.

Speaking of groceries, Daddy bought groceries from Auntie until she sold the store, then from J. P. Mozingo at his store on George Street in Petal and some things from J. O. Runnels who owned Petal Mercantile at the corner of Main Street and Central Avenue.  They sold all sorts of things--- groceries, fabric, patterns, lingerie, garden seed and supplies, gift items, household appliances and I’m sure other things.  They also made home deliveries for groceries, etc.  Lee was the black man who made deliveries.  If Mama needed some food item, thread or anything, I would go to Mrs. Ford’s house and call Mr. Runnels to have it sent to us.  They would always send us nice food and not scrappy, old stuff.  Delivery was free and courteous. 

Hope you enjoyed our family story and we wish you God's Blessings as you gather with family and share your family stories.

Customer Feedback- 

Best beef ever !! We are a family of five so we go through a lot of meat ! My daughter ( Now 6 ) Has never liked beef , I really felt like she would be a vegetarian . I bought my first grass fed cow meat and well....She ate beef and cleaned her plate (WHAAATTT !!!! ) That should say a lot on its own . Well , so far , everything that I have tried has been so tender and so good, I don't think i could ever buy store bought beef again ! A. Bass

Quote Worth Re-Quoting – “The shared meal is no small thing. It is a foundation of family life, the place where our children learn the art of conversation and acquire the habits of civilization: sharing, listening, taking turns, navigating differences, arguing without offending.”  ~ Michael Pollen

As always, thank you for supporting our regenerative, local farm.

Ben & Beth