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Employees
of the Taleecon Farmers Co-op love to see Carolyn Holder of Lee County
come in the store. Not just because she’s a kind lady, but also
because she might be bringing in another one of her delicious dishes.
"I
learned to cook some by just being around Mama, I guess; but she did
most of the cooking and I did most of the looking. I didn’t really
have much first-hand cooking experience until after I graduated college
and started to cook more. A lot of what you learn in life comes out of
necessity," Carolyn says.
Carolyn
and her husband, Bill, farm on the outskirts of Loachapoka. Bill was the
Chief of Police in Auburn before retiring to the farm, and Carolyn
retired from Auburn University where she was Receivables Manager, a job
that she says prepared her for her current work on the farm.
"We
have about 50 purebred Simmental cattle, and I keep most of the records
for our operation. Sometimes I feel like the records I keep now are as
detailed as those for the students at Auburn, just fewer to keep up
with," she says.
Carolyn’s
father had cows as she was growing up, but she really didn’t know
anything about cattle until she married Bill.
"Daddy
had a few cows, but I was more in the way than help. I learned all I
know about cows from Bill. He had commercial cattle until 1996 when he
bought a Simmental bull at the stockyard. Bill really liked the way the
bull looked, and he had such a gentle temperament that we went to a
purebred operation. That’s what I really like about them. Some of
course are more gentle than others, but, in general, even the bulls
among Simmental cattle are not very aggressive," says Carolyn.
And
in talking with Carolyn about their operation, her pride in their herd
and the work they do on the farm rings through.
"We
had twins born a week or so ago. Two bull calves, and they’re both
doing real well. We’re all glad to see a little green coming up around
here, too. Bill’s already fertilizing, and we’re hoping to get our
hay going early in case we face another year of drought," she says.
They
are also glad they can rely on the Taleecon Farmers Co-op to provide
what they need to care for their cattle and land.
"We
have a good relationship with the Co-op here, and we try to do things
every once in a while to show them how much we appreciate what they do
for us," Carolyn says.
And
what Carolyn does is share some of her home cooking with the Co-op
employees, and Julia King of the Taleecon Co-op says the Holders’
generosity is heart-warming. "They are such good folks and the kind
of people you want to do business with. Carolyn’s food is always
delicious, and it means a lot when your customers do something so
thoughtful."
Carolyn
and Bill don’t get to see all their children and grandchildren as much
as they’d like; but when busy schedules permit, food is sure to be a
part of the family gathering.
"One
of our favorite things to do is have a big fish fry with fries and
hushpuppies, and all that fried food that’s not good for us. But the
men all love to grill, too, and not just in the summer time. We all get
together as often as we can, but it’s hard to find a time when
everybody can be here," she says.
According
to Carolyn, her cooking isn’t complicated or full of hard-to-find
ingredients.
"I
don’t go in for anything exotic, just good country cooking," she
says, an approach that’s reflected in her recipes that follow. Most of
the ingredients are staples of any well-stocked kitchen.
Kellie
Henderson is a freelance writer from Troy.
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