What our grandmothers taught us

Erin Bried had many wonderful tips from grandmothers all over the country in her book “How to sew a button”. In my recent review of her book and giveaway, you commented on what you learned or wished you learned from your grandmother.

This is a collection of what you said.

• My Grandma taught me how to cook. She was famous in her small town for her pancakes and butterscotch cream pies
  – Eco-Friendly and Frugal
• I am forever indebted to my grandmother for teaching me how to make her amazing spaghetti sauce, homemade pastas, Eggplant Parmesan and many more Italian dishes. – Maura

Photo: Flickr

• My grandma taught me to clean house every day and clean the kitchen right after every meal. Doing this frees up the rest of your time. Don’t put off what you can do now as you never know what fun is awaiting you for the day. – Diane
• I wish I had spent a little more time with Grandma asking her about how she had survived the Depression. Maybe I would have some ideas how to survive the current economic situation.  – Janice
• My grandma taught me about Jesus – very helpful actually – Birdie
• Mam-ma didn’t set out to “teach” me to be a collector, but I learned it from her anyway. She had collections in every room of her house. – Auriette
• My grandmother taught me how to sew and garden. And the many uses of the cotton ball from inside pill containers. – Sinclair
• Every year at Christmas my Grandmother would show up with gorgeous trays of delicious home made candies–she lost the ability when I was very young, but I still try to carry on her tradition. – Darcy
• I wish my grandmother/nana would have taught me how to make tamales. Hers are the best! – Theresa C.
• I wish my grandmother had taught me how to wash the dishes like she did. Why can’t I ever get my dishes squeaky clean and shiny like she could?! – Cassandra
• My grandmother taught me about stockpiling on things when they are on sale (and have a coupon!). It’s a great way to stock our pantry and cupboard for cheap. – Erica
• My grandmother taught me to think for myself and stand up for what I believe in. – Karen
• I wish my great-grandmother had taught me everything! But by the time I was really interested in family history she was already in her 90’s with a failing mind and no one else had thought to ask her about fond memories or family background so it’s all kind of just been lost! – Anna
• She taught me how to cook and that family is the most important thing. – Mandie
• My grandma taught me how to crochet. But she had an amazing knack for doing most anything and being very resourceful – she passed those traits on too. (I’m just not as good at those things as she was, yet…)  – Amy
• My grandma taught me how to knit. – Benita
• My grandmother taught me how to make certain religious meals that are traditional to our holiday meals! – Lori
• It makes me remember my grandmother teaching me to put matchsticks underneath the button when sewing it on, and then wrapping the thread around this space to make room for the fabric. – Christine
• Wish she had taught me how to sew – Shelly
• My grandma taught me an easy way to chop onions. My paternal grandmother taught me how to make stuffing for the turkey, only we just put it in a pan. We ate a lot of it, so we needed a lot of it.- Marj
• My grandma taught me how to bake, which I am so thankful for. And she taught me how to crochet – Chandelle
• My love of baking comes from my grandmother. – Rita
• I wish that my grandmother taught me more (formally) about Chinese traditions and customs, especially when it came to holidays like Chinese New Year. – Grace
• I don’t know if it’s nifty but she always told me if my back is itching it’s because you have a loose hair on it. – Heidi
• My grandma taught me to rub a bar of soap on a mosquito bite to relieve the itching. I do this all the time. – Lauren
• Always wish my grandmother taught me to cook, she was a great cook – Christopher
• I wish she’d taught me how to knit. – Jen
• My grandmother taught me how to be thrifty! – Linda
• I wish she had taught me how to make her increadiable pile ah chinkie! – Lynn
• My grandmother taught me how to make delicious empanadas. – Andria
• I miss the holiday Watermelon relish. Grandma got Alzheimer’s when I was 11 and ma went all organic natural and did not want us to learn how to make grandma’s type of food. sigh…all lost…Grandma left me an undone quilt, so I am learning how to quilt. – Theresa
• I wish that I was taught to needlepoint – Tammy
• My grandmother taught me a lot of things, but teaching me how to make gravy is one of the best. It’s all about technique, not ingredients! – Mary
• My grandmother taught me how to make a whistle from a blade of grass. – Kim
• One grandma taught me how to play solitaire and she used to let me help in the kitchen. Little did I know she did not have any written recipes. Now I wish I had paid closer attention. The other grandma taught me to crochet, which I totally forgot until the first time years later when I picked up a crochet hook. I think the main thing they both taught me was to use my common sense. – Susan

I really enjoyed reading all your comments about your grandmothers. I hope our grandchildren will have many fond memories of us when they are older as we have of our grandmothers.