One of the best parts of this job is the chance to meet the great farmers and families who are members of the Co-op community. I enjoy getting out and visiting with customers on their farms. And I cherish the relationships we, the Cooperator staff, have with readers, many of whom we may never meet in person. I’m pleased to know the feeling goes both ways.
As I write, I have these readers in mind. And I feel we share a connection through the Cooperator that, to me at least, is like a monthly conversation. I look forward to the notes and comments we sometimes get on this column and other stories we publish. A positive note is sometimes just the encouragement one of us writers might need. Sometimes, a reader might call attention to an error we have made, and those notes are useful, too. We try to catch every mistake, but some invariably get through because we’re human. Those notes serve as important reminders we have to work hard to get all the facts straight.
In late August, we received a note from Linda Bain in Bethel Springs. Linda wrote to inform us of the death of her mother, Polly Dodd, who died August 7. Mother and daughter, along with sister, Betty Rhodes, are loyal supporters of our monthly recipe column and have shared numerous recipes with our readers over the years. Linda explains she, her sister, and their mother had a friendly competition going as they sent in recipes to the Cooperator each month.
“She loved putting recipes in the Co-op paper,” Linda wrote. “She would light up when her recipes were printed, and she beat my sister and me. She enjoyed sharing her recipes with others.”
When one of her recipes was selected as the recipe of the month, Polly would frame and hang it for display. Her kitchen and dining rooms featured numerous examples of her talent, explained Linda.
After her mother’s death, Linda was cleaning out items at Polly’s home and, on the kitchen table, found the recipe she had selected to submit for the pork feature in this month’s issue but had not yet mailed. Linda shared it with us in memory of her mother, and I’ve included it here.
While I had never met or spoken to either Polly or Linda, I felt I knew the family and was saddened to hear of Polly’s passing. Thank you, Linda, for sending this in; we offer our condolences. Readers, we hope you enjoy.