A Taste of Haldimand – May 9, 2024

I ran into Judy Slack one day when I was out for a walk. She was busy picking up garbage along the sidewalk next to a vacant property. She was doing her part for the environment. While chatting she mentioned reading this column and of course I asked if she had any recipes she might like to share. She wasn’t too sure at the time, however, a day later, I was happy to receive a call from Judy. She told me she thought more about it once she got home and yes, she did have recipes to share!

Judy and her husband Keith moved back to their hometown of Hagersville last year. They both grew up in Hagersville, Judy in the rural countryside as Judy Hoskin. Keith came from a large Slack family. He is one of 12 children. After they were married, Keith and Judy resided in Caledonia where they raised their family of two daughters. The family has now expanded to include five grandsons and five great-grandchildren.

Judy trained as a nurse and worked in various places over the years, including West Haldimand General Hospital, Dr. Powell’s family practice, and lastly at Norcliffe Retirement Home (now Anson Place). During our conversation we talked about the special bond nurses share with each other. Judy told me when she trained at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Hamilton, nursing students lived and worked with their classmates for a number of years. This created strong connections between the women and is why, for retired nurses, class reunions are an important part of their lives.

Judy also found time to give back to her community. She volunteered for 20 years at McMaster Children’s Hospital. She was there to hold and rock the babies whose parents were not able to be present during the day. She absolutely loved this work. Unfortunately, Covid changed things and volunteers were no longer able to contribute their services. It was through her volunteer involvement that she received the Crispy Oatmeal Cookie recipe. Joyce, a fellow volunteer, shared this recipe with Judy. For additional goodness, Judy makes a date filling to create a date-filled oatmeal cookie treat. They are easy to make and freeze well.

Our second recipe is Marie’s Power Balls, which refers to Judy’s sister-in-law, Marie Slack. Marie’s family enjoys hiking. She would make this easy snack to take along with them on their hikes. Enjoy!