Tribute To The Apron

donna

Brev. Brig. Gen'l
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Now Florida but always a Kentuckian
Who doesn't remember their Grandma's or Mother's apron. My Granny (my Dad's Mom) and Grandma (my Mom's Mom) and my Mom always wore one when they cooked. I usually wear mine when I grill or some special ones on Holidays and other special dinners.

"The Apron"

Aprons are not just a piece of clothing but a piece of history. The stains that don't come off are remembrances of time spent in the kitchen with loved ones. Back in the day, Grandma's apron served more than just protection to clothing:

It was used as a potholder for removing hot pots from the oven.

It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning dirty ears.

From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fuzzy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.

When company came those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids.

And when the weather was cold, grandma wrapped it around her arms.

Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.

Chips and wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.

From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried the hulls.

In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.

When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.

When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.

It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that "old-time apron" that served so many purposes.

I am fortunate to have one of my Granny's aprons and one that was special to my Mom. They are treasures that I will love and appreciate forever.
 
Too many memories, Donna, but thanks. The Mom was never without an apron. She cooked from dawn til dusk. Every day.

They just don't make them like that any more. She was known for her cakes, cookies and bread. But her recipes have never been duplicated. "Knead it until it feels right" doesn't translate.

A toast to The Mom. We all have one. Mine was special.
 
Donna, what a wonderful post. I never thought about my Grandma's apron, but now that I read that, yes, some things were the same here too.
And as all of you who have ever been in Munich at the Oktoberfest know, my female compatriotes in Bavaria still love to wear "Dirndl", a special dress with an elaborate apron.
So the apron nowadays is more a fashion statement - an accessory instead of a necessity, but it will live on!
 
* Sigh* Faraway, I just know your Dirndl is going to cost me 30 minutes of being distracted. And I know I've read ' dirndl ' somewhere, mistook the word for a kind of fabric so this definition is very good to know, thank you!

Ah! Well just went on a search. It IS difficult- it transpires this is a traditional costume which has been swiped from the culture, several dozen inches of fabric taken top and hem and is frequently advertised worn by models who are non-traditionalists. I think. Nothing wrong with marching to one's own drum- and I should be so lucky, just do not wish to post a non-representative Dirndl.

Too many memories, Donna, but thanks. The Mom was never without an apron. She cooked from dawn til dusk. Every day.

They just don't make them like that any more. She was known for her cakes, cookies and bread. But her recipes have never been duplicated. "Knead it until it feels right" doesn't translate.

A toast to The Mom. We all have one. Mine was special.

Yes, my Nana, grgrandmother, wore an apron frequently, funny, just remembered that- and her recipe book has no instructions in it, just ingredients. I think that generation expected anyone reading it to know what to do with ' pinch salt, lump lard , hot oven '. Lucky to have had them, that generation. Have to say I dispense with instructions frequently , same as your mother Ole- dough just feels right. Got that from Nana- she died in 1974. I was 13.

Anyone else's relative wore an apron but it was never dirty? How did they do that? Pretty good cook, just an awfully messy one.
 
Granny in SC wore a full length apron that crossed in the back - it looked like a dress. Just the bottom of the dress and the sleeves of it showed through! Ggrandma from Virginia had a whole collection of fancy aprons with lace and frills. Mom used a big dish towel as we didn't have aprons - just folded a triangle out of it and tied it in the back. (Methinks either Mom was tiny in those days or dish towels have shrunk...!)
 
Ah, that first microwave. My daughter has the one my parents bought in the 80s. She loves the *ding!* it makes, and how it has an actual knob to turn.

I have my Gram's apron. I should probably use it, but I'm always afraid I'll get something terrible on it and ruin the fabric. Silly, I know. She'd probably want me to wear it.
 
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