My devoted readers may remember last year’s failed attempt to jerry-rig Iowa Ham Balls out of German holiday cookies and plain ground pork, even though we have all agreed to never speak of it again. You cannot make Iowa Ham Balls without Iowa Ham. Punkt, fertig.
While I was visiting my family, I asked for Real Iowa Ham Balls, and was told I could make them for Second Thanksgiving. Sort of. My sister eats gluten- and dairy-free, so for the family meal I was asked to use almond milk and a box of crackers containing plenty of sugar but no graham flour. At least the main ingredient–the ground ham mixed with ground pork–was there, conveniently pre-mixed at the meat counter.
The resulting meat mixture was very wet, and only loosely held a loaf shape in the baking pan. I honestly do not know if this was from the ingredient substitutions or if this is how they always were.
I found the sweetness of the balls surprising, even accounting for the brown-sugar glaze. The whole plate was a bit too sweet for me; I guess my palate has changed since I moved.
And her pie
For dessert, there was huckleberry pie. This is a garden variety of huckleberry that has been grown in my mother’s family for several generations, and a lot of people who come into this family by marriage prefer not to acquire a taste for them. They are more closely related to tomatoes than to other common berries, and taste absolutely awful unless cooked down with generous amounts of sugar.
