Oh My! It's Fruitcake Weather!

After stumbling across A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote I was so inspired to make fruitcakes (which I didn’t even like!) with Grandpa’s pecans.

A Christmas Memory is a heartwarming story about a young boy called Buddy. He experiences the best of country life, true friendship, and the joy of giving during the Christmas season. His best friend is a 60-something woman (just like me!) who still has her child-like wonder. These two, though years apart, embark on a mission each Christmas season to make fruitcakes for each friendly acquaintance near or far, including the president, Theodore Roosevelt. They save what little money they can scrape together to buy the supplies, except the pecans that they go on an adventure and gather themselves. And well you’ll have to see the movie to find out the rest of the story...

After I saw it for the first time some years ago, I poured over old cookbooks on the shelves at Greene Gate Farm and came up with my own recipe that is a buttery white cake overloaded with pecans, candied fruit and dates. I make a tradition of watching it every year--when I wake up one day and realize--It's fruitcake weather!

Get the storybook "A Christmas Memory" Illustrated by Beth Peck. Delightful!

One thing that is very special about my fruitcake is the pecans! We gather hundreds of pounds of pecans each year from grandpa’s farm (Greene Gate Farm). 

Here is a little sneak peak about the pecan groves at Greene Gate Farm found in my lifebook “Built From Scratch: A Love Story”  which will be released in 2020.  

Greene Gate Farm in North Carolina, is Roger’s homeplace and still the family farm. His daddy, Joe Greene, is age 99 and planning his 100th birthday party in the coming months.  We all simply call him Grandpa, as this is easier with 20 grandchildren and double that in great-grands. 
When Roger was young his daddy, Joe, planted the farm with pecan trees.  They line the long driveway and are all over the spacious yard around the house.  So many years later, they are giant mature trees. He told me many of them he planted by simply putting a nut in the ground.  He fertilizes them yearly and oh what bumper crops he has had. Roger and I have packed up the children that were still left at home and made many trips to the farm to gather the nuts year after year.  One year, our family alone picked up 3000 pounds in 2 days!

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about my own Christmas memory of  fruitcakes and pecans. I also recommend gathering with your dear ones to watch A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote while you nibble your fruitcake and sip some coffee. 

Psst! The secret is out! If you would like a copy of my original secret FRUITCAKE recipe- request to join https://www.facebook.com/groups/MarmeeDear/ and comment that you would like to have the recipe. I can say even if you don’t like fruitcake--try it! You might like it! I am not sure if I love it so much because of the memories it stirs up or just because it is so buttery good and homemade.

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