My favourite time of year is upon us. There’s something about the late part of summer and early fall that’s really special and perhaps it’s just a farm kid thing. The air is a little crisper, the leaves are changing colour, the mosquitoes are gone (finally), and the combines are humming along in the fields. The smell of crop dust brings back a lot of fond memories, especially when when it came to eating supper in the field.
Like many families across Saskatchewan, our family would stop down for supper in the field. My dad and my grandfather would pull up with the grain truck and combine, while my mom, grandmother, and I would help unload the food out of the car. We’d set up the tables, put the salads out, the pots of hot food (usually stew or something meat related), the potatoes, and buns. Of course, you always had to have dessert, because we all know dessert is the best part of any meal! Homemade pie or brownies usually made the list of dessert favourites. For some reason pie always tasted better out in the field.
This past week on our country cookout, a lot of those memories came flooding back as the CKRM crew pulled into the field of a winning country cookout family near Kendal, SK. Out came the tables, the hot food, the buns, the salads, and those wonderful dainties that are a must, courtesy of Nicky’s Cafe and Catering in Regina. The family and their friends back up the half ton trucks or pulled out lawn chairs and celebrated the start of harvest the way many Saskatchewan families have for generations – with a meal in the field.
In today’s world we tend to forget about these little moments. Farms are much larger than they were 20, 25, or 30 years ago, which means farmers are in more of a rush to try and get the grain in the bin while the weather is good and the winter weather stays away. One can’t blame them for rushing along, but I think it important to take some time at least once during harvest to enjoy the a wonderful meal in the field with family and friends. It really is one of life’s great pleasures.
