Jimmy’s Yummy Goodness

Written by Chloe Mueller

Jimmy Bones was an eleven-year-old boy that grew up on a pecan farm in Texas. He was an only child to his parents, Paul and Jane Bones. Jimmy’s favorite thing to do was to help his father farm the rows and rows of pecan trees, but since he was still a young boy, he only got to help with the smaller tasks.

He dreamed of using the pole saw to trim the trees at the beginning of the year or drive the tractor around to spray against pests and weeds. His all-time favorite thing to watch happened in the fall when they clamped onto a tree with a tree shaker to shake all the nuts to the ground. Jimmy wanted to work on the pecan orchard forever because he had developed such a love for that farm.

One day he was bored at their house, so he began experimenting with some pecans they had in the house. He cooked them in their large skillet until they were perfectly toasted. Next, he blended them until it made a creamy delight. He was amazed that he just created a substance that looked like butter, but it was made out of his favorite thing in the world, pecans. He tried it, and he knew it needed something more.

He went to the cabinet that held all their seasonings and spices, and he found exactly what he wanted at the back of the top shelf. He had to grab a chair to stand on just to be able to grab it on his tiptoes. He added this special spice to the creamy butter he just created. When he tried the pecan butter again, his eyes lit up. He just created the best thing he has ever tasted in his life. He ran to get his mother who was picking weeds out of her garden in their front yard.

“Mother, you have to come inside and try this yummy goodness I just created. Hurry!”

Mother wanted to continue to work on her beautiful garden, but she heard the passion in her son’s voice. She dropped her shovel and followed Jimmy inside. When she tried the pecan butter, her eyes lit up. She turned to her son and said, “What is in this yummy goodness?” Jimmy looked his mother straight in the eyes and said, “It is a secret that will stay in my head.” She just tried the best thing that she has ever tasted in her life.

Jimmy couldn’t wait until his father came in from the orchard, so he could try the new yummy goodness that he created. When he saw the tractor approaching the barn, he bolted out the front door to go get his father.

“Father, you have to come inside and try this yummy goodness I just created. Hurry!”

Father had more to do inside the barn, but he heard the passion in his son’s voice. He jumped off the tractor and followed Jimmy inside. When he tried the pecan butter, his eyes lit up. He turned to his son and said, “What is in this yummy goodness?” Jimmy looked his father straight in the eyes and said, “It is a secret that will stay in my head.” He just tried the best thing that he has ever tasted in his life.

Jimmy made more of his yummy goodness, and he took it to neighbors as a gift. Every time one of them tried it, their eyes would light up. They would ask, “What is in this yummy goodness?” Jimmy told them that it is a secret that will stay in his head.

Jimmy and his parents saw how delicious it was and saw other people enjoyed it too. They decided that they would try to sell this yummy goodness, but they had to come up with a name. They decided to call it, “Jimmy’s Yummy Goodness.” They each had their job to make the work go faster. Jimmy would make the yummy goodness, Father would pack the yummy goodness, and Mother designed labels to put on the jar.

They began going to farmer’s markets to try to sell Jimmy’s Yummy Goodness. Within weeks, the word had spread of this new product, and there were always long lines of people waiting to get their own jar of Jimmy’s Yummy Goodness.

Jimmy was my grandfather who started this business in our family decades ago. My father, Steve, took over for many years, and now, it is my turn to take over Jimmy’s Yummy Goodness. This tradition in our family will hopefully continue to get passed down for many generations.