June is strawberry season here in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania! The berries were so ripe and ready that my daughter and I picked 6 quart and only had picked about 5′ into our row! Now what to make with my big beautiful berries?!
After deciding on strawberry pie and tapioca pudding with sliced strawberries, I set to work. As I got out my pastry sheet and rolling pin, I was reminded of when I first started stocking my own kitchen with cooking and baking tools. I was preparing to get married and establish my own home and my example was my mother’s kitchen. My mother was always baking in our home. She had the gift of making many delicious treats for our family. So, when I considered her tools-of-the-trade, that is where I started my search. I remember looking at different kinds of pastry sheets and thinking “they don’t quite seem like moms.” And the wooden spoons I wanted on my wedding registry, they just weren’t the same color or feel as the ones in mom’s kitchen. I wanted what I was accustomed to because that is what felt right. l relayed this to her in some frustration, and she smiled and said, “Well my tools are well worn and old. You’re looking at brand new ones!” It had never dawned on me that I wasn’t going to find new tools like mom’s because the only way hers got that way was from years of use!
As I reminisced while rolling out my pie crust, I considered the beautiful life lesson deep within this simple illustration. We often look to our grandparents, parents, uncles and aunts, those older than us, and desire to attain the tips and tools they have gained, immediately. Even if we use the exact same tools, they do, we still find we have much to learn. It’s important to understand that their deep knowledge, in many things, comes from hours on-the-job. And just like they had to learn it for themselves over years of practice, so do we.
In a world where we experience so many things with instant gratification, it’s hard for us to consider having to invest time and effort to earn understanding. But it’s still true. I will never have a wooden spoon that fits so perfectly in my hands and that flows around the bowl smoothly until I’ve used my tools over and over and over again. Only then will it form to my hand and the bowl. The pastry cloth won’t be the same color until I’ve placed pie crust after pie crust on the sheet and rolled it out time and time again.
Let us continue on in diligent learning: deepening our understanding, as we hone our skills with great effort and consistency, so that what we gain will stand the test of time!
Written by JoAnna Stabley: June 6, 2025
