MSM 444 Mary Louise Tarver - Growing Up in Natchez - a podcast by USM Center for Oral History

Mary Louise Tarver was born in 1918 on Elm’s Court Plantation in Natchez.  In this episode, she recalls her Uncle Will’s garden and his prickly relationship with her mother.

Growing up on a farm taught Mary Louise Tarver to enjoy simple pleasures.  She remembers riding horseback to the Homochitto Swamp to spend the day fishing.

For Mary Louise Tarver, farm life meant learning to be self-sufficient. She describes how her mother would use apple peels to make vinegar, and use the vinegar to make pickles.

PODCAST EXTRA: During the Great Depression, some schools began serving students a hot lunch using food items provided by government.  Tarver recalls how the lunch lady did the best she could with what she had on hand.

 

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