Camptonville, Land of Plenty

The back yard of the new property was covered with wild blackberries, willows, cedar trees and other brush that needed to be cleared before a garden could be planted. Digging to the bottom of the growing blackbery vines with the thorns scratching, clutching and clawing at clothes, hair and flesh was the bloodiest of jobs.

After the first year of ownership Pop planted a garden, a very small one which included tomatoes, potatoes, corn, string beans, peas, carrots, squash, pumpkins, strawberries and loganberries. After the second year of gardening, Pop would declare "This year I'm just going to put in a small garden, just for us." After planting, Pop would be going over to town asking everyone to come over and help themselves to the products of his labor as they came in season. The small garden covered a full acre!

For all the time we lived in Camptonville, no one considered buying or paying for any of the free food that grew in season. There were apples, pears, cherries, persimmons, plums, grapes, blackberries, blueberries, gooseberries and wild raspberries. There were English walnuts, black walnuts, hickory nuts, and chestnuts growing in profusion around and in Camptonville.

There were so many cherries when they were in season that to appease the hunger when we got out of school in the early afternoon we kids would start at the bottom limbs of a cherry tree and eat our way to the top or til we had no room for any more. What was strange, by the time six o'clock arrived we could eat a full meal! Cherries were no help with our voracious appetites and the food bill!