A few years back, oral history sessions were held each month with nursing home residents, who were quite elderly but alert. They had wonderful memories of the past, especially Christmas and its holiday feasts.

   Many of these oldsters were from Patrick County, where pronunciation used to be a bit different--the county comes out "Padriac." As with all mountain families at the time, fancy food was scarce but they remember saving and planning ahead, using what foods were available, buying perhaps sugar and dried fruit and a few other staples at most.

   They remembered pulling up the last of the tomato plants, covering it with straw and having green tomatoes for a Christmas dish. Ice holes were dug and lined with the first ice from ponds to store meat that had been butchered earlier. Tenderloin could be cooked and stored in crocks with lard poured to the top to preserve it and other fresh meats.

   Wild game, especially wild turkey, was prepared with sage and onions. Apples, root vegetables and cabbage were stored in a dirt cellar if available. Sometimes holes were dug and they were stored on straw. Molasses, apple butter and jellies were prepared.

   By December a goodly supply of foods had been gathered and stored. One man said he'd go out and 'holp' (help) himself to a bag of black 'warnuts' (walnuts) for candy.

   Jessie said a typical holiday feast at their family cabin would include tenderloin and gravy, cabbage, apples, beans, hot bread, pumpkin pudding, molasses pudding, apple stack cake - "and sich as that."

   Can't you imagine the happy scene of yesterday, when the family would gather around the big fireplace? Someone would bring out the fiddle and Christmas songs would be sung until Mama called them all to a big table full of food for which they had worked so hard.

   Here are recipes from that era that were enjoyed with holiday spirit.

GREEN TOMATO PUDDING

6 large green tomatoes
2 C breadcrumbs
1/2 stick butter, melted
2/3 C brown sugar
   Chop up tomatoes and mix in other ingredients. Bake in a one-quart casserole at 350 degrees until tender.

MOUNTAIN PORK TENDERLOIN

Split lengthwise one pork tenderloin and flatten it with a cleaver. Rub with melted butter, flour, salt and pepper. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes per pound. Use juices to make pan gravy. Slice tenderloin into gravy. Serve with hot sauerkraut.

 PADRIAC COUNTY MOLASSES PUDDING

Folks made their own molasses - Just about all the sweets they had were what they raised, found or made themselves.

4 C milk
1/2 C cornmeal
1 C molasses
1/4 C butter
1 tsp. each salt, cinnamon, ginger
4 T sugar
1/2 C raisins
   Cook milk and meal in a double boiler for about 15 minutes. Stir in molasses for last five minutes. Mix in other ingredients. Place in a well-greased baking dish. Float another cup milk over top. Bake at 350 degrees for three hours.

   As the fire dies down to hot coals and all the good old Christmas songs have been sung, there's still room for a special treat.

BLACK WARNET CHOCOLATE FUDGE

2 C sugar
2/3 C cocoa powder
2/3 C milk (preferably evaporated.)
pinch salt
2 T white corn syrup
   Cook over medium high heat without stirring about 12 minutes or until a tsp. of hot syrup forms a soft ball in cold water. Remove from heat. Add in:
1/3 C butter
1 C walnut meats
   Let cook till lukewarm. Beat thoroughly, add nuts as candy begins to set up or get thick. Spread on a greased pan or platter, cut into pieces.

   This Christmas, seek out an oldster from another time and place. Let them regale you with how the holiday used to be. They will enjoy it and you'll gain a new appreciation of 'saving up for Christmas'.