BY MERLE MONAHAN/CONTRIBUTING WRITER

merlemonah@aol.com

IVOR—Barbara Greene says she loves to cook for a large crowd, although she only has her husband and one son to cook for now.

“I am the youngest of 13 children and used to help my mother cook for the family,” Greene said. “So we didn’t cook anything in small amounts.”

But the retired grandmother of eight gets her chance to cook for about 40 people every Thanksgiving.

“My other son and my daughter and their families all come home for that holiday, and I do all the cooking,” Greene said.

She likes to cook full meals similar to what she had when she was growing up. She doesn’t like cooking for parties.

“I’ll bring a dish to a neighbor, or a family member who is sick, and I bring dishes to functions at church, when it’s called for,” Greene said. “But I much prefer to cook the entire meal.”

She prepares meals for her immediate family every day.

“My husband is retired as well, so he’s home more than he used to be, and he enjoys a hot meal especially at dinner time,” Greene said. “But he can cook too, so if I have to be away, he can make his own dinner.”

And there are times when she is not home at mealtime. Greene is very active in her church and community affairs. She is a board member of Horizon Health Center in Ivor and the Young Farmer’s Club, a member of the Southampton County Relay for Life, and assists Delegate Roslyn Tyler with matters in Ivor.

Greene also works at the polls during elections.

She likes to keep busy. Growing up on a Sussex County farm, Greene learned how to put up vegetables from the garden, and today freezes and cans things from the garden of her husband, Thomas.

“We have to buy our meats, though,” she said. “Living in town, we aren’t supposed to have farm animals.

NAME: Barbara Greene

AGE: 62

OCCUPATION: Retired machine operator for the Honeywell Corp.

FAVORITE FOOD: Fresh vegetables

LEAST FAVORITE FOOD:

Oysters

WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU REMEMBER COOKING: A cake, supervised by my mother, of course

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR WORST CoOKING EXPERIENCE: I scorched a pot of dry beans — ruined them

ONE INGREDIENT YOU CAN’T COOK WITHOUT: Black pepper

WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOUM HAVE LEARNED ABOUT COOKING: Have all of your ingredients on hand before you start cooking.

WHO IS THE BEST COOK YOU HAVE EVER KNOWN AND WHY: My mother. She had a big family — 13 children, of which I am the youngest, but we always had good meals. She could make a meal out of very little, and there always was enough to feed the family. We lived on a farm, where we had everything we needed — fruit trees, a vegetable garden, chickens and hogs. I used to help her cook when I was a little girl, and I learned a lot. Although I don’t have a large family, I love to cook for a crowd. I guess I learned that from Mama.

IF YOU COULD EAT ONLY ONE THING FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, WHAT WOULD IT BE: Fresh vegetables and cornbread

APPLE-NUT CAKE

Ingredients:

3 cups self-rising flour

2 cups sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 ¼ cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

2 cups peeled, chopped apples

1 cup chopped nuts (any kind)

Directions:

Mix sugar and eggs, add oil and mix well. Fold in flour, add vanilla, apples and nuts. Pour into greased tube pan and bake at 325 degrees for one hour and 10 minutes.