During the years that my siblings and I were growing up on the Morapos ranch, two of the most important summer jobs were putting up hay and checking the cattle that were grazing on the White River National Forest.

Several ranchers in the Morapos and Deer Creek area shared a summer grazing permit for cattle on the national forest. The cattle were put up there together and the ranchers took turns checking the animals throughout the summer.

Haying went on when the weather was good, but if hay was drying after being cut or if it rained, Dad loaded his horse into the pickup truck and drove up the county road that ran past our house to the point where it ended and then rode up into the forest.

Dad, sometimes accompanied by another rancher, checked the cattle; put out mineral; fixed fence; and moved cattle off areas with a lot of larkspur, which is poisonous to cattle; and whatever else was needed. Sometimes it was late when he finished or he needed an extra day, so Dad stayed overnight in the cow camp cabin.

Meanwhile, we kids stayed home and helped Mom in the huge garden and did the chores. When Dad was gone overnight, we got to sleep downstairs on the couch and Mom made our favorite soup. We weren’t used to having meals of sandwiches or soup, perhaps because Dad didn’t care for it, so Mom usually cooked big meals. Anyway, our favorite soup was made with tomatoes and sour cream, and dough dropped into the soup mixture.

I remember that we referred to the noodles (perhaps more like dumplings) in the soup as “Plutos,” but I don’t remember where the name came from. My sister Charlotte (Allum) remembers the soup as “Ploodle” Soup, perhaps a kid’s mispronunciation of “noodle.”

Mom never made the soup from a recipe. Perhaps it came from her head. Anyway, after Charlotte was married she asked Mom to write down the recipe for her, and Charlotte made the soup several times.

The recipe follows, just as Mom wrote it.

Ploodle Soup

Put butter about the size of a pullet egg in a black skillet. Cut up a small onion fine and brown. Then add 1 can (2 cups) tomatoes and about 1 cup thick sour cream and water.

Beat eggs (1 tablespoon water to 1 egg). Add flour to make a stiff dough and drop by spoonfuls into the soup.

Recipe from Judy Osborn.

Charlotte remembers that Mom made the soup from a jar of home canned tomatoes. The tomato/cream mixture made a delicious soup.