Grandma Oxley & Family

Ever since I was a little girl, I realized how special it was to have a Great-Grandmother! To have two Grandmas, what a blessing!!! My Great-Grandmother, Juanita Oxley, is a very special lady! Her influance continues to grow in our large family. She is a wonderful example and blessing to our whole family.
Grandma was born in 1916 and grew up in Folsomville, Indiana.
She grew up, on a farm, with her sister. Even though her family lived through the Great Depression they were not affected by it, as
so many were, because they had the farm with milk cows, chickens, pigs and their own crops to sustain them. Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa married in 1933
and had five children. They celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary, in 1983. Grandpa Oxley passed away 2 years later. He is greatly missed by all of us, as he
was larger than life and a big part of all of our lives. Grandma’s large family consists of 11 Grandchildren, 27 Great-Grandchildren and 20 Great-Great-Grandchildren,
including 1 baby due on New Year’s Day!! How appropriate! Imagine us all sitting down to eat together! Good thing Grandma is a wonderful cook and always
has something yummy to eat! I know she is very proud of all of us and we all love her dearly!
One special tradition, in our family, is New Year’s Day. Grandma always has a large spread of food waiting for all those stopping by to visit. A staple food, on New
Year’s Day, is her famous ham & bean soup with tomato relish and cornbread. I don’t believe I’ve ever missed a New Year’s Day in my 36 years! I’m so thankful our
2 kids have been able to grow a relationship with Grandma and experience this New Year’s Day tradition! Here’s the Recipe:

Ham & Beans

Rinse 2 pounds of Northern beans. Place beans in a large pot and cover with fresh water. Bring to a boil for 10 minutes. Drain water off and cover with fresh water. Add 1 large chopped onion, garlic to taste, 1 cup chopped
celery, 2 cups chopped ham (if you have a ham bone, put it in), salt and pepper.
Cook until tender.

Grandma Dickens’
Homemade Tomato Relish

1 30 oz. can petite diced tomatoes, in liquid – ½ cup processed fine onion –
2 cups shredded processed cabbage – ½ cup celery processed
½ cup carrot processed
Vinegar Dressing
½ cup apple cider vinegar – ¼ tsp each peppercorn, dill seed, garlic powder, allspice – 1 cinnamon stick
Diffuse all ingredients together in a dressing jar or glass jar and let sit for 2-3 covered. Do not refrigerate.
Pour tomatoes, onion, cabbage, celery and carrots into a saucepan. Strain the vinegar mixture over the vegetables in saucepan. Discard remnants from strainer.
Add ½ – ¾ cup of sugar (depending on how sweet you want it) and cook uncovered, at a low simmer, for at least 2 hours. (You want the mixture to thicken up). Add
½ cup of ketchup to thicken. Adjust to taste (sugar, spices, ketchup, etc). Keeps in refrigerator for a few weeks or freeze. Makes about 1 pint. Great for beans,
soups, tacos, sandwiches, hamburgers, cornbread OR my family likes to eat it straight from the jar! This is a staple, for New Year’s Day, in our family!