Remembering Favorite Fall Farm Activities

Courtesy of Flickr user James Saunders

During the wiener roasts of my childhood, Dad piled logs bigger than fence posts in the barnyard. With empty feed sacks, a lighter, and about three hours to burn down, he created a fire large enough for a 4-H crowd to roast hot dogs and marshmallows. We cooked with hand-whittled willow sticks about 8 to 10 feet long. Anything shorter in distance to the burning log pile felt like an encounter with the sun.

This month, I watched my cousin rotisserie-roast his marshmallows with a manufactured roasting rod over the portable fire pit outside our family’s farm shop. Camping chairs replace straw bale seating from the barn loft. Short, re-usable metal roasting sticks spare the hour-plus of cutting and whittling willows. We can adjust the fire on wheels if the wind shifts. And we literally can put a lid on it when the fun is done. The modern conveniences mean we can experience wiener roasts more often, sometimes impromptu. For those moments, I always keep s’more supplies in my pantry’s inventory.

Over the years, wiener roasts have threaded through our farm lives: A wiener roast meal for birthday parties at our farm or an uncle’s farm. Fourth of July parties sometimes gathered around a fire at my grandparents’ farmstead. The Sunday School director occasionally hosts wiener roasts at her farm. And nearly 20 years ago, my husband and I held our first-ever conversation fireside at a local conservation club campground.

The time outdoors, the memories, casual atmosphere and food lure me to wiener roasts. I can park the lawn mower, throw on an old sweatshirt and attend a roast with grass clippings in my hair because I will leave smelling like smoke anyway. I love the ambiance, relaxation, and the opportunity to enjoy my aunt’s homemade zucchini relish on a hot dog. Then, I indulge in s’mores, one of my favorite desserts.

Our son made a “s’more tray” this year for his first 4-H woodworking project. The hand-made oak tray holds my canisters of marshmallows, pre-snapped graham crackers and quarters of Hershey bars. We’ll certainly use the blue-ribbon project for our 4-H club’s upcoming kickoff meeting and wiener roast, hosted at our farm. Our 4-H leader will start the event with a safety speech, a tradition for more than 45 years. He explains that the club’s fireside rules originated during a time when kids carried sharpened willows double their height. The modern-day metal sticks still deserve some common sense reminders, and the parents nod in remembrance of something their kids will know as well as a rotary phone.