Georgia Mae is the daughter of George and Rebecca Adeline Harbin Poff and was born in Laurel County, KY after the death of her father. She was his 3rd child, 2nd daughter and being widowed with small children, her mother and the children had a very hard life. After her mother remarried, she went to live with Joe and Missouri (Zourie) Johnson Owens as a live-in helper to 'Aunt Zourie'; there she would meet Guy Mack Johnson, Joe & Zourie's nephew, son of John Aaron and Ida Mae (Idomy) Johnson. They married in Laurel County, KY and were the parents of 6 children. Georgia Mae outlived Guy Mack by many years and saw 13 grandchildren and many of her great grandchildren. She died exactly 4 months almost to the hour after the death of her son Rush and was buried on Valentine's Day 1989. Suffering from the late stages of dementia, we don't think she ever knew that her son Rush had also passed away.
Thanksgiving 2007, Eugenia (her daughter-in-law; married Rush) was making 'Fruit Salad' for the next day's dinner. Her grandaughter, Rachel (Thad's daughter), was there and was helping out. Grandma Johnson (Eugenia) was explaining how the fruit was peeled and how when she came back to KY with Rush, she was shown how to make the Thanksgiving and Christmad Fruit Salads.
The porportions are roughly equal amount of grapefruit and oranges - by volume, not count. You get much more from a grapefruit than an orange; so you begin with the grapefruit, pink is preferred, but a mixture of the grapefruits are nice also. Pink are sweeter and will need less sugar. Then add oranges segments, until you get about an equal amount of both fruits.
As a kid, I remember picking out the seeds from the grapes, once again red are perferred, but green will do as well. Purple grapes, Concord grapes are NOT very good with citrus and we didn't use those at all.
After getting all the critus done, then halve or quarter the washed grapes; checking for seeds. (Even 'seedless' grapes have seeds.) Once added, then add diced apples. This years was yellow apples, I perfer the green granny smith apple, or a single red, yellow and green apple each. Depending on the amount of fruit salad being made, usually only 2 or 3 apples are used. Don't over do the apples, the critus is the star here.
Now, peel and dice a banana or 2 and add to the fruit. Stir well, but gently, to coat all the banana with the citrus juices, this prevents the bananas turning brown.
Here's tricky part. Adding sugar. Add sugar, but sparingly. If you used 10 to 12 grapefruits and mainly reds or pinks, then about 15 to 20 oranges, a pound to pound and a half of red grapes, 3 or 4 apples, finely diced, and 3 bananas; then after stirring; we used about 1 cup, stirred and let sit a few minutes; then tasted. Then added about 1/2 cup more sugar, stirred and place the fruit salad into 1-gallon, lidded jars (commercial size mayo jars) and refrigerated for the next day. It is best to let it sit at least overnight; the flavors really meld together.
As to the origin of the Johnson Family Fruit Salad, mom (Eugenia) said that once she married Rush and came to KY, that grandma Johnson (Georgia) showed her how to make the fruit salad and that was the recpie that Eugenia always followed. Eugenia said one year she added pecans and nobody like it, so she didn't add those again. She also said that mini marshmallows had been suggested, but never used.
Jacqueline, Jackie Johnson, was at the table making fruit salad on Friday, after Thanksgiving Day, to have some more for people who didn't get to come down on Thursday. Jackie said that she never remembered fruit salad UNTIL the family moved to Louisville and grandpa & grandma Johnson bought a corner and set up a fruit stand. She remembered working in the fruit stand and watching her younger sister, Inez (Butch), and helping with the house. She believed that grandma made up the recpie to use up the left over fruit that didn't sell or wouldn't last.
In the years after the fruit stand, then Grandma Johnson (Georgia) made fruit salad for Thanksgiving and Christmas. As a kid, I only remember my mother making the fruit salads.
Georgia Mae is the daughter of George and Rebecca Adeline Harbin Poff and was born in Laurel County, KY after the death of her father. She was his 3rd child, 2nd daughter and being widowed with small children, her mother and the children had a very hard life. After her mother remarried, she went to live with Joe and Missouri (Zourie) Johnson Owens as a live-in helper to 'Aunt Zourie'; there she would meet Guy Mack Johnson, Joe & Zourie's nephew, son of John Aaron and Ida Mae (Idomy) Johnson. They married in Laurel County, KY and were the parents of 6 children. Georgia Mae outlived Guy Mack by many years and saw 13 grandchildren and many of her great grandchildren. She died exactly 4 months almost to the hour after the death of her son Rush and was buried on Valentine's Day 1989. Suffering from the late stages of dementia, we don't think she ever knew that her son Rush had also passed away.
Thanksgiving 2007, Eugenia (her daughter-in-law; married Rush) was making 'Fruit Salad' for the next day's dinner. Her grandaughter, Rachel (Thad's daughter), was there and was helping out. Grandma Johnson (Eugenia) was explaining how the fruit was peeled and how when she came back to KY with Rush, she was shown how to make the Thanksgiving and Christmad Fruit Salads.
The porportions are roughly equal amount of grapefruit and oranges - by volume, not count. You get much more from a grapefruit than an orange; so you begin with the grapefruit, pink is preferred, but a mixture of the grapefruits are nice also. Pink are sweeter and will need less sugar. Then add oranges segments, until you get about an equal amount of both fruits.
As a kid, I remember picking out the seeds from the grapes, once again red are perferred, but green will do as well. Purple grapes, Concord grapes are NOT very good with citrus and we didn't use those at all.
After getting all the critus done, then halve or quarter the washed grapes; checking for seeds. (Even 'seedless' grapes have seeds.) Once added, then add diced apples. This years was yellow apples, I perfer the green granny smith apple, or a single red, yellow and green apple each. Depending on the amount of fruit salad being made, usually only 2 or 3 apples are used. Don't over do the apples, the critus is the star here.
Now, peel and dice a banana or 2 and add to the fruit. Stir well, but gently, to coat all the banana with the citrus juices, this prevents the bananas turning brown.
Here's tricky part. Adding sugar. Add sugar, but sparingly. If you used 10 to 12 grapefruits and mainly reds or pinks, then about 15 to 20 oranges, a pound to pound and a half of red grapes, 3 or 4 apples, finely diced, and 3 bananas; then after stirring; we used about 1 cup, stirred and let sit a few minutes; then tasted. Then added about 1/2 cup more sugar, stirred and place the fruit salad into 1-gallon, lidded jars (commercial size mayo jars) and refrigerated for the next day. It is best to let it sit at least overnight; the flavors really meld together.
As to the origin of the Johnson Family Fruit Salad, mom (Eugenia) said that once she married Rush and came to KY, that grandma Johnson (Georgia) showed her how to make the fruit salad and that was the recpie that Eugenia always followed. Eugenia said one year she added pecans and nobody like it, so she didn't add those again. She also said that mini marshmallows had been suggested, but never used.
Jacqueline, Jackie Johnson, was at the table making fruit salad on Friday, after Thanksgiving Day, to have some more for people who didn't get to come down on Thursday. Jackie said that she never remembered fruit salad UNTIL the family moved to Louisville and grandpa & grandma Johnson bought a corner and set up a fruit stand. She remembered working in the fruit stand and watching her younger sister, Inez (Butch), and helping with the house. She believed that grandma made up the recpie to use up the left over fruit that didn't sell or wouldn't last.
In the years after the fruit stand, then Grandma Johnson (Georgia) made fruit salad for Thanksgiving and Christmas. As a kid, I only remember my mother making the fruit salads.
