Italian Food Memories: Blackberry Picking. Short vignette written by the late Junetta Maria Salottolo #RIPmom #Elberon

Gaetano and Angelina Zingales

Italian Family Food Memories
Blackberry Picking 

in Elberon

by the late Junetta Maria Salottolo

At the Seashore - approx. 1939 - I visited my grandparents, Angela Zingales and Gaetano Zingales who were renting a summer cottage at Elberon, NJ. I was about eight years old. My Grandfather and I would take walks to the neighboring farm areas and pick blackberries. Then Grandmom would make a delicious blackberry pie. 

At one point my brother, Alexander Salottolo. also visited. He was about four or five years old. One day while Grandmom was ironing, Al was playing too near the ironing board and the hot iron fell off and seared his arm. Fortunately, it wasn't too bad, but it did leave a scar.
 
I remember the beach at Elberon as being rather small, but the ocean waves were gigantic. Of course, remember, I'm recalling this from my memory as an eight year old.

Note: For some reason I never got this vignette published while mom was alive. We talked about this story in 2010. RIP mom. I love that you left us all these wonderful memories. xoxo Diana 

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Where is Elberon NJ

Historic Long Branch 

The Jersey Shore Long Branch has had a thriving Italian population

Blog post and photo (C)Wind. All rights reserved.

Healthy Lifestyle * Senior Activity * Life Story Writing * Share Memories @NIAGo4Life @AmerGeriatrics #GardenCuizine

Salottolo Family Memories

by Junetta Salottolo Mehl

Mom's vignettes are posted as we get them from her. At 80 years old she has learned to use a computer! We've encouraged her to type her memories into a Word document. Her ongoing project has been to sort through old boxes of photographs and tell us about them. I encourage you to do the same with the elders in your family. Life story writing is a great activity for seniors. Buona lettura

post 3: A New Member of the Family

In the latter part of my fourth year, my mother decorated a bassinet. It was made of wicker and had four big wheels. She decorated it with white satin ribbon and bows. I had never seen anything like it. Then I remember she went away. A few days later my father took me to see her. But there was some commotion about whether I could go in. I got the feeling that I shouldn’t be there. But somehow my dad snuck me upstairs and I remember seeing this baby with big, big eyes. 

That was my introduction to my brother, Alexander. We call him Al, for short. I don't remember ever seeing my mother because my dad took me back down to the lobby of the hospital just as fast as he took me up to my mother’s room. And I’ll never forget those big brown eyes! 

Photos: Alexander's first Holy Communion. And Al home at Briggs Ave., Bronx, NY

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Healthy Lifestyle * Healthy Seniors * Life Story Writing * Sort through Family Photos

Salottolo Family Memories
by Junetta Salottolo Mehl

Mom's vignettes are posted as we get them from her. She types her memories on her computer. Harry scans her photo(s). Then I blog her story without any alteration to the content. Truly a family affair. I encourage you to do the same with your family or special friends. Life story writing is a great activity for seniors. Buona lettura

post 2: During This Same Period

During this same period I would accompany my mother and grandmother on trips to visit Aunt Anna and Uncle Joe (Dr. and Mrs. Joseph Zingales) at their home in Cranford, NJ. Uncle Joe was my mother’s brother. These trips were such fun because we had to take a ferry from Cortlandt Street in New York City across the Hudson River to New Jersey. I loved the ferry ride. (This was probably the start of my love of boats and boating that I have enjoyed all my life.) Then we’d catch a Jersey Central train to Cranford.

Once in Cranford, I was like the city mouse visiting the country mouse. I would have such a great time. I’d play with my cousin Tom, who was a year older than I. The back yard was huge with a creek at the far end. During the winter it would freeze over and we could go ice skating, if I was lucky enough to be visiting during a cold spell. During summer visits I’d mow the lawn with one of those old fashioned mowers – the kind with the cutting blades rotating between two wheels. Aunt Anna always thought I was crazy. But I loved it. Uncle Joe, the doctor, gave me my first eye examination, which led to my wearing glasses forever after.

Photograph: Tommy, Junetta, Granddad Zingales (my Great Granddad) and Joey

Healthy Seniors: Scan Old Photos * Write Stories * Share Memories @NIAGo4Life #GardenCuizine

Italian Family Memories

Mom's Vignettes

The senior citizens in your life may enjoy sorting through old photos and writing about their past memories as an activity. Junetta Salottolo-Mehl, now the eldest in our family at 80 years old, has a wealth of knowledge about growing up as an Italian in New York City. As you may know, I've been prodding her about her recollections of foods from her childhood and what it was like growing up. Italians have long been big on fresh garden-grown foods and cooking. 

Unfortunately, dear Mom can't remember many food or garden stories...(sigh)...but whatever she would like to share, I'll be posting here on GardenCuizine in hopes of inspiring other seniors. Mom's boxes are packed full of photographs of people that only she can identify. Using today's modern technology, we've been scanning the pictures into the computer for her so she can share and enjoy them.

Senior activities enhance well being by stimulating the body, mind and soul. Sharing stories, writing, sorting through old photos can be fun and sometimes sad, when we remember those who are no longer with us.

Post 1: I Can Remember

More of Mom's vignettes will soon be posted; she has written several now - stay tuned.

Related Links:  Best Way to Preserve Old Photos
Senior Activities for Mind and Body 
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Go4Life

Native New Yorker, Italian Food, Gardens and Family Memories...

Salottolo Family Memories 

by Junetta Salottolo Mehl

post 1: I Can Remember
Mom's short stories will be posted as I get them from her. She will be celebrating her 80th birthday June 11, 2011. Now that she is retired, we all thought it would be nice if she started to share family memories and stories of food, fun and special times. Mom (Junetta) has had to wipe away many-a-tear as she routes through her treasure box of beloved photographs to pick the ones she wants to share most with you. Mom will be typing her memories on her computer and I will be blogging them without any alteration to her content. Buona lettura 

I can remember, as early as seven years of age, visiting my grandparents at 2753 Briggs Avenue, Bronx, NY. My grandmother, Nonna, would beat the yolk of two or three eggs, mix this with sugar and it was a delicious treat that I would have every time we visited. My grandfather, Nonno, would usually talk with the men in Italian. And Nonna would talk to the women in Italian. But the funny thing was that, when they spoke to me, they would speak in English.

My grandparents' home was a three-story row home. I think my father's cousin, Babe, lived on the third floor (before she married). No one ever went up there. It was out-of-bounds. There was a basement which was accessible from an inside door in the pantry. And there was a back yard with a garden that Aunt Sally, my father's sister, took care of. I loved that back yard. It was my first introduction to gardening and that interest has stayed with me my whole life. Thank you Aunt Sally. You were a good teacher!


The garden was as wide as the house was wide with row homes on either side. If you stood in the yard with the house behind you and looked up, you'd see an eight or ten-story apartment building. That's why that little garden was like a 'Garden of Eden' right in the middle of the Bronx.


A few relatives of my grandparents lived on Valentines Avenue which was within walking distance. I especially remember one elderly woman who was called Zia. Once in a while we'd visit her apartment. However, if you kept on walking past Zia's house, you'd come to Fordham Road. This was a major shopping area anchored by the department store called 'Uptown, it's Alexanders.' I visited this store many times with Aunt Sally and /or her sister, Aunt Mary.

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The Salottolo Family

Photographs: Top picture is my grandmother, Phyllis Salottolo, with mom - her first child - Junetta Josephina Maria. The picture was taken in the backyard garden at Briggs Ave.

Second photo is Junetta, taken from the back porch at Briggs Ave.