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Nita
Smith of the Liberty City community near Notasulga said she knows she’s
been very, very fortunate to have such a wonderfully loving family, and
her good food continues to bring them closer together.
"I
enjoy cooking, and my two sons could eat plenty when they were young,
which means I got plenty of practice in the kitchen," Nita said.
While
her sons now have families of their own, Nita said she still cooks
Sunday dinner at her house for her children and grandchildren, a
tradition she carried down from her Big Mamma, Erma King.
"When
I was a girl, everybody went to Big Mamma King’s for lunch on Sunday.
She’d get up Sunday morning and cook a full meal, and 30 minutes after
church she’d have supper ready for a slew of folks, over 30 people
sometimes. I still don’t know how she did it. I’d have been
frantic," said Nita.
In
addition to carrying on dinner table traditions, Nita and her husband,
Mitchell, run King Brothers Pecan Company, a business started by her
grandfather and his brother.
"After
them, my dad and uncle ran the business, and then my husband and I took
it on, so it’s been our family business for a long time," she
said.
"Our
sons worked with us when they were in college, and when their Daddy
needs help, they still help him out when they can," Nita added, a
mother’s pride evident in her voice.
According
to Nita, they have about 500 trees, and her husband manages the
orchards, beginning harvesting in early November. "From there we
ship to shellers who in turn sell to candy companies," said Nita.
Despite
this year’s drought, they are looking forward to a good harvest.
"We’re optimistic. The trees look like they have a lot of pecans
on them this year, but when they open up, we’ll see if they filled out
or not," she said.
Nita
also has the Guys and Gals Beauty Salon, a business she opened with her
mother 30 years ago. "I have some very special customers," she
added.
Nita
also has family ties to AFC. Her niece, Julia, works at Taleecon Farmers
Co-op in Notasulga, and her father, Waymon King, was a district manager
for AFC.
"He
worked a long time with the Farmers Co-op, and it was more to him than
just a store," she said.
The
recipes Nita shares this month are sure to suit a holiday sweet tooth,
and she includes recipes from her Big Mamma.
"The
Strawberry Cake and Icing were her recipes, and so was the Coconut
Icing. She was a good cook, and she made wonderful cakes," said
Nita.
Her
Pecan Pie recipe didn’t come from the family of pecan growers, though;
Nita said it was actually given to her by a customer at the beauty
salon.
Kellie
Henderson is a freelance writer from Troy. |
Banana Pudding
