Hildy Stollery has many fond memories of her mother’s cornmeal muffins. When Hildy was growing up, the Vandermark family attended Knox Presbyterian Church, in Walkerton, Ontario. On cold winter evenings her (late) mother, Helen, would often serve her muffins after church meetings, choir practices and CGIT sessions (Canadian Girls in Training/ Cutest Girls in Town).
“We ate these muffins hot, with butter and a dribble of maple syrup. The syrup was made, by my parents, from the four huge maple trees that were on, our in-town, property,” Hildy says.
Hildy’s parents enjoyed just about every Canadian corn specialty they could find, including corn-on-the-cob, pickled baby corn, corn relish, corn chowder, Johnny cake and, of course, cornmeal muffins. Hildy believes this corn passion came about because they were born in the Netherlands and, in Europe, corn is animal food and not grown for human consumption. After the Vandermarks married and immigrated to Canada, for the first time, they saw people eating corn.
Another one of Hildy’s “corny” memories revolves around the entire family planning “Sunday, after worship and lunch, car trips to other counties, towns and places of interest.” The most vivid of these memories were the excursions, in the 1950s, to Midland to see the excavations and re-construction of Ste. Marie Among the Hurons, a 17th Century fort with dramatic palisade walls. There, the Vandermarks would also watch the local Aboriginal people pounding and grinding corn into meal.
“My mother would purchase the cornmeal to bake her muffins. She served these to the family and also to our Knox church family, “Hildy says. “We, as a Dutch New Canadian family, felt proudly Canadian as we devoured corn, from feast tables, at home and at church.”
In 1954 the London Free Press ran a series about the meaning of religion. A reporter asked William Vandermark what his religion meant to his family. He replied, “Why it just means everything.” (Hildy has a copy of this interview with a photo of the family at the kitchen table.)
Fast forward to 2011. When Knox Walkerton celebrated its 160th Anniversary, Hildy was invited to preach in her childhood church, where her (deceased) father, William, once sang in the choir and served as the Sunday School Superintendent. “What a privilege it was for me to be able to honour the Walkerton church and my parents’ Christian legacy – still in my life.”
Hildy, who retired after a 36-year academic career at the University of Toronto, is currently an elder at Morningside-High Park Presbyterian Church, in Toronto. She is also the church’s Session Representative to the Presbytery of West Toronto and on the Board of Directors for Knox College’s (U of T) Chaplaincy and its Fundraising Sub-Committee. In addition, Hildy is an active public speaker, specializing in storytelling for children (Storytelling Toronto).
Helen’s Cornmeal muffins
2 cups cornmeal
1 cup sifted flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. sugar
1 egg, well beaten
1 cup milk
3 tbsp. melted butter (or margarine)
METHOD
Mix and sift the dry ingredients. In another bowl combine well-beaten egg, milk and melted butter.
Pour the liquid into a well, made in the centre of the dry ingredients. Stir quickly until the dry ingredients are just dampened (about 20 strokes). Pour into well-greased muffin tins and bake, at 375’F for 25 minutes. Makes 1 dozen.
