How the Greene family makes their Civitan breakfast ham

LINTON, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — The Civitan breakfast has been a 4th of July tradition in Linton for decades.

Part of this success is the unique hams that are prepared and baked by the Greene family. Family member Donald Greene describes some of the steps in the baking process.

“Put it in the water where it is soaked and then we will take it down to the hot coals and put the ham in there and bury it by putting a few coals over the top and then sealing it with dirt on top of it,” he said.

He said this method was taught to their father Edgar Greene in the mid 1940s.

“At the graduation ceremony, this is what they had done,” he said. “They had a ham like this put in the ground, and then my dad came back and said I am going to try that at home.”

Greene said even though their father passed away in 2022 at the age of 99, the family keeps this tradition alive.

“We are proud to still support the Civitan Club and what they are doing for the community, but to also provide the hams as a legacy to my dad,” he said.

A legacy this family said it’s honored to do not just for their dad, but for the Linton community.

“We are still involved, and we still enjoy it,” said Greene. “We all graduated from Linton and it has been a good thing for us. People still come up and ask how the Greene’s are doing this year, and then they sure do enjoy the hams.”

The Civitan breakfast takes place on July 4 at the Linton Fire Station. It is from 6-9 a.m. before the parade begins.

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