Aw nuts

Due to an injury as a child my uncle Edwin Theodore Miner had the brain capacity of a third grade child. He was a bit quirky, but was industrious and did his best to make money. He mowed grass all summer with his bright green Lawn Boy mower. It was nothing to see him carrying the gas can and pushing his mower in front of him several miles from the farmhouse he shared with his mother Rebecca Rugg Miner. He was as good as his word. If he said he was going to do something you could count on it being done. Ted liked to tinker with old radios and would salvage the “good: tubes and replace ones that were bad. His tube inventory was stashed in five gallon buckets.

Ted ranged the hills and woods near Indian Head, Pennsylvania looking for patches of ginseng. The graceful green plants bore bright red berries announcing their treasure beneath the soil. He guarded those secret grow areas with tight lips. Once gathered and dried, the ginseng roots were another source for his money. He would sell the “sang” at the nearby Resh’s Red & White store.

In the fall Ted gathered black walnuts, butternuts, and hickory nuts. He would carry the nuts to the attic and spread them out to dry. When the nuts were dried, Ted would carry them back to the basement. He would crack them on a length of railroad rail with a hammer. Once he filled a smaller bucket with nuts, he would carry them upstairs to the TV room. Gram was usually there watching television and quilting. Ted would pick the nut meats from the shell as he watched the television too. Sometimes Gram would help. Ted stayed busy by removing nuts from the shells. He would supply his customers with nuts for their Thanksgiving and Christmas baking. When all the “goodies” were removed, the shells were empty he would toss them into the coal furnace to burn before cracking more nuts to carry upstairs. He’d fill sandwich size plastic bags with the nut meats to sell, but the butternuts were for Grandma Becky. She kept them to use in her Christmas popcorn balls.