Joe Baxter Davis

The Little Boy Cook Joe Baxter Davis

Joe Baxter Davis tells the story of his family who lived on a farm in Equality Alabama. Daddy worked in town as an auto body man and painter. Some of the time Mama taught school across the county and only was home only on the weekends. So my older brother Winston and my younger brother Michael and I did the farm work. We raised food to eat and to trade at the local store for things we could not raise. We took care of the animals, built fences, cut wood to heat the house, milked the cows and all the other chores. Even though we were young boys, we were farmers. Mama and Daddy depended on us. It may be hard to understand today what our farm life was like in the 1940's, but we all worked very hard to provide for our family, it was our way of life. When I was eight, I had to have surgery on my leg for osteomylitis, a bone disease. After a long time in the hospital I went back to the farm, but I was on crutches and could not do the farm work with my brothers. But guess what Mama and Daddy had a plan. They asked me to be the family cook. So in 1945 I became the full time cook. I was so happy. I had always loved to watch Mama cook but now it was my job. I would get up early in the morning and help build fi res in the fireplace and in the little kitchen stove, then I would make home made biscuits and cook bacon and sausage and eggs for the family. I was the full-time cook. I enjoyed cooking so much and my brothers and Mama and Daddy acted like they really enjoyed the food. Maybe they were just hungry. "the Little Boy Cook" is a collection of good old county recipes and memories from the past and recipes from family and friends.