Five daughters learned to cook for family of 11 under mom's watchful eye

My mother, Helen Weideman, now 93 and confined to a nursing home has given her five daughters a true legacy. We were taught to prepare delicious and nutritious foods, almost all from 'scratch'.

Each of us had our favorites, mine were Popovers and a Peach Crumble (made in season with fresh peaches). An older sister was the pie maker,  younger sisters made cookies and bars which were soon eaten by the rest of the family which included four brothers.

We all learned to garden and can, among the favorites were tomatoes, peaches and pickles.

For all of us yet today, our favorites will always be mom's hot German potato salad, fresh buns, chili with homemade sweetened chunky tomatoes, and "true made from scratch" poppy seed cake with custard filling and a rhubarb meringue torte.

Jane Wisnefske Borchardt, Clintonville, WI

Editors note: Jane notes that her mother was a farmer all of her married life, so every day was a day of cooking and keeping house along with chores on a large farm. Most of her mother's recipes were made the old-fashioned way—by memory without a written recipe.