# Any info on mid-1800's open hearth or hunt camp cooking?



## bruceg (Apr 9, 2012)

Sweetwater Creek State Park is doing Factory Days on the 28th. I kinda sorta volunteered to do a dutch oven demonstration. However, I'd like to try to make it period appropriate as much as possible. I cook with dutch ovens and cast iron skillets, and cook over open fires on occasion - but am not sure what foods and recipes would be appropriate to the mid 19th century in Georgia. 

Yesterday I did potatoes, onions, rosemary and olive oil in a cast iron skillet from the Lodge cookbook, with carrots, honey, butter and white wine vinegar as well - followed by cornbread. I don't know if people ate onions then, or if that came around later like tomatoes.

I normally just cook on the ground. Would a tripod be more period appropriate? Would a Brunswick Stew be okay for that era, or is that more recent? Should I aim for a hunter's stew? I know women did the cooking in the household - but figured men might cook in some specific situations.

Any hints? Recommendations? If this belongs in the Outdoor Cooking section - feel free to move it.

My goals are to:
not poison anyone!
cook something over an open fire that is kinda sorta appropriate to the mid 19th century
keep the cooking tools down to what I have (or can get inexpensively) - I have a dutch oven, large cast iron skillet, small cast iron skillet (and a griddle that would not be used in that time period).


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## flyfisher76544 (Apr 9, 2012)

Any stew would be appropriate for that time. Take some picts of the event if you can. You can just set the pot next to your fire and let her cook.


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## bruceg (Apr 10, 2012)

Thanks! I've done stews, so will mess around this weekend. Where did you get the setup in your profile picture? The cast iron stand? I was thinking about picking up a tripod, but your stand looks really good!


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## JustUs4All (Apr 10, 2012)

For mid-1800s you could Google War Between the States recipes or cooking.  For a Northern slant try substitute Civil War.  There is lots of stuff out there. 

Here are some examples:

HOE CAKE

Mix a stiff dough of Indian (corn) meal, a little salt, and water (scalding is best). Flatten it on a board and tilt it up before the campfire until brown on one side. Turn and brown the other side. When our fathers fought the Indians, and ground their corn in mortars, they thought hoe-cake very good. It can also be baked in hot ashes or with hot stones (southern fashion).

PLAIN IRISH STEW FOR FIFTY MEN

Cut fifty pds. of mutton into pieces which equal 1/4 pound each. Put them in a pan and add twelve pounds of whole potatoes. In addition, add eight tablespoons of salt and three teaspoons of pepper. Cover all with water, giving about half-a-pint to each pound of meat. Light the fire and 1 to 1 1/2 hours of gentle ebulation will make a most excellent stew. Mash some of the potatoes to thicken the gravy, and serve. 


The oldest Cook book that I own is a Mrs. Hill's printed in 1875.  Some of the recipes that I have from my grandmother's might be older than that.  These recipes are going to be wood stove stuff, but should adapt to open fire easily enough.  They will give you the basics of the ingredients that were available at the time, but those would vary with how far back in the sticks your cook fire was.

I wouldn't mind trying to find something specific for you if you decide what you want to try.


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## White Horse (Apr 10, 2012)

Here are a couple of references that should be easy to find on the book search sites:

Simmons, Amelia. American Cookery. A Bicentennial Facsimilie of the Second Edition (1796) Bedford, Massachusetts: Applewood Books, 1996.

Gunderson, Mary. The Food Journal of Lewis and Clark. Yankton, South Dakota: History Cooks, 2003.

If you are going to demonstrate the kind of cooking done at home in the period, you will of course have lots more equipment to work with. Hunters, soldiers, etc. didn't carry as much equipment as the average rendezvous attendee today does, so if you are demonstrating a hunting camp, very simple one pot meals are in order. Good luck! Hope this helps.


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## bruceg (Apr 10, 2012)

Thanks for the suggestions, I appreciate it! The general idea is to demonstrate what life was like when the New Manchester Mill was thriving. The suggestions above are excellent. Some women from the Atlanta History Museum normally come out and demonstrate open hearth cooking. So I'm thinking more along the lines of hunt camp cooking - simple, one pot, easy to do and share.

(here's hoping the trousers, shirt and suspenders I ordered actually fit! My vest is way too small - so may need to go unbuttoned or get a bigger one)


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## cobra97 (Apr 10, 2012)

Check out "The Virginia Housewife" by Mary Randolph 

It is available as a free e book at Project Gutenberg. See
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/12519

There is a lot more than recipes in the book.

Terry


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## bruceg (Apr 12, 2012)

Okay folks, what's a cimblin?

I think I'll do this recipe from The Virginia Housewife:
TO MAKE AN OLLO--A SPANISH DISH.

Take two pounds beef, one pound mutton, a chicken, or half a pullet, and a small piece of pork; put them into a pot with very little water, and set it on the fire at ten o'clock, to stew gently; you must sprinkle over it an onion chopped small, some pepper and salt, before you pour in the water; at half after twelve, put into the pot two or three apples or pears, peeled and cut in two, tomatos with the skin taken off, cimblins cut in pieces, a handful of mint chopped, lima beans, snaps, and any kind of vegetable you like; let them all stew together till three o'clock; some cellery tops cut small, and added at half after two, will improve it much.


****
Looking further in the recipe and Googling, I think cimblins are a squash. Not sure what kind, though. Would you think summer squash? Or? And snaps - I'm thinking sugar snap peas? (edit - snaps are French beans or string beans. That's easy enough!)

Still going through the recipe book and see some interesting biscuit and bread recipes. Will try one or two later on.


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## White Horse (Apr 12, 2012)

I don't know what a "cimblin" is, but I do have another idea for you.

Hunters, scouts, soldiers, etc. in the 19th century depended on dried foods, like jerky, parched corn, and hardtack. Not only do these foods not require refrigeration, they are light weight, and a little goes a long way.

The American Indians were past masters at drying food, including squash. War parties would travel hundreds of miles on jerky and parched corn, of course supplementing their fare on food they killed or captured along the way.

So, some jerky, parched corn, and hardtack might add a lot to your presentation. Hope this helps.


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## bruceg (Apr 12, 2012)

Thanks for that! There is a butcher on Route 41 in Marietta/Kennesaw area with some really good jerky and sausage. Might be time to make a quick run and stock up on jerky! (or I could try and make some beforehand).


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## cobra97 (Apr 12, 2012)

If you need any jerky ideas, do a search over in Outdoor Cafe - you get about a zillion hits. Also try a search on youtube for Alton Brown jerky. 

Terry


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## bruceg (Apr 14, 2012)

Got Jerky marinated and drying in my oven. Popped it in the plate warmer section, where it doesn't get too hot. I looked up parched corn recipes, and that looks real simple! Since it holds, I may try that tonight or next week. I'm trying real hard to set myself around the idea of making hardtack - if I make something, I'm going to eat it - and well, hardtack, ...

So - the current plan is: Make a stew from the Virginia Housewife recipe book. Bring along some jerky, parched corn (and maybe hardtack) for demonstration purposes only.  Maybe make a Hoe cake.

Heres the rub, though. I heard from the Atlanta History Museum that they did not serve samples last year due to liability concerns. They also do not give out sample when doing open hearth cooking at the Smith Farm. I sent a note to the lead volunteer coordinator at Georgia State Parks to see what the ramifications are in giving out free samples. I do not have Safe Serve certification. I do not have a rinse, wash and sanitize stand, I will keep my foods in a cooler - but will not have temp gauges, and I will cook over an open fire without a thermometer. For any folks that do re-enactments or history days type cooking - do you share food or give out samples? Or do you bring it back home?


White Horse - I had some fun making jerky and parched corn. Have some hardtack in the oven. Hoping I won't eat it all up before the 28th! But it was fun and easy to do. My 10th grade son has to do a 10 page research paper for American History. I'm hoping to get him interested enough in mid 19th Century foods and cooking methods so he will pitch in. Might as well combine a cooking demonstration, homemade foods and a History paper. He will be helping with the demonstration (if I can get him away from Minecraft long enough!) - and will be helping research and cook, so might as well try and tie it together. Do you have a reference I could read (and quote) about hardtack, jerky and parched corn being staples for hunters, scouts, soldiers and American Indians? I'd like to quote and give proper attribution. 

Too bad I can't bring cider. Enjoying some really good home-made hard cider while cooking today.


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## cobra97 (Apr 15, 2012)

I am not Whitehorse, but you might check Horace Kephart's "Camping ang Woodcraft". Always a good resource. Or perhaps a similar title by Nessmuk, aka George Sears. This one is available free online. 

I will look at Kephart later tonight when I find the book. It is around here somewhere. 

Terry


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## cobra97 (Apr 15, 2012)

Here is the link to the Nessmuk book. Can't beat free. 

http://www.scribd.com/haraoi_conal/...ping-George-Washington-Sears-aka-Nessmuk-1880

Terry


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## White Horse (Apr 16, 2012)

Sorry about being slow to answer.

Cobra97 has given you a couple of great references. Also, the Food Journal of Lewis and Clark which I mentioned earlier has a bunch of good information, put together for the bicenntennial of L and C. Ms. Gunderson has done several other books along the same lines, including one focused on the Indians.

Here are some others that shouldn't be too hard to find. All of them should be available through the inter-library loan service. This just barely scratches the surface of all the info that's out there.

Crockett, David. A Narrative of the Life of David Crockett by Himself. Introduction by Paul Andrew Hutton. Lincoln and London: University of Nebraska Press, 1987.

Belue, Ted Franklin. The Long Hunt: Death of the Buffalo East of the Mississippi. Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania: Stackpole Books, 1996.

Jaeger, Ellsworth. Wildwood Wisdom. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1945.

Wallace, Ernest, and E. Adamson Hoebel. The Comanches: Lords of the South Plains. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1952.

Swanton, John R. The Indians of the Southeastern United States. Washington and London: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1946.


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## White Horse (Apr 16, 2012)

I forgot to directly answer your question. The Food Journal of Lewis and Clark is probably your most useful resource, because it combines the Army, which of course the Corps of Discovery was, with the Indians, as well as with hunting and scouting.

There are recipies and discussions in there for/about jerky, parched corn, and hardtack.

I have another event on the weekend of your show at Sweetwater or I'd come introduce myself. Good luck, and I hope this has been helpful.


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## bruceg (Apr 16, 2012)

That has been very helpful! I've enjoyed reading the Food Timeline and some cooking books. Read some of Nessmuk (George Spears book), and read some of Horace Kephart's book. I'm looking forward to reading the Food Journal of Lewis and Clark and looking up some other references. And hey! The Food Timeline has a reference to Cowboy Cooking! I had wanted to learn more about that! Also read a bit on supplying for the Oregon Trail.

Now to try to focus the scope in a bit!

And lunch? I had 5 minutes between conferences, so had hardtack, jerky and parched corn, lol. I think if I add some dried fruits and vegetables, I'll be set!


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## bruceg (Apr 26, 2012)

I've attached my basic speil for my demonstration. Any recommendations? Changes? Additions? I want to keep it short and sweet - but include enough so a person could try out a recipe if they wanted to.


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## flyfisher76544 (Apr 26, 2012)

bruceg said:


> Thanks! I've done stews, so will mess around this weekend. Where did you get the setup in your profile picture? The cast iron stand? I was thinking about picking up a tripod, but your stand looks really good!



Sorry about the lapse, you can check a couple of sites for a tripod and other items that help with cooking on a fire.

http://turkeyfootllc.com/Ironwork.html


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## bruceg (Apr 26, 2012)

That is cool! I ordered a tripod online, but I'm sure it's imported. I'll go through the link you gave and look for American-made cooking supplies. I'd like to support my local forge!


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## cobra97 (Apr 26, 2012)

Great write up. Let us know how it goes. You might mention that a 19th century iPad works as well as the 19th century kindle. 

Terry


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## cobra97 (Apr 26, 2012)

flyfisher76544 said:


> Sorry about the lapse, you can check a couple of sites for a tripod and other items that help with cooking on a fire.
> 
> http://turkeyfootllc.com/Ironwork.html



Neat site, real time sink. I may just have to order a couple of the clay pipes and some tobacco to try out. And maybe some other stuff as well. 

Terry


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## White Horse (Apr 27, 2012)

Thanks for that link to that store, Flyfisher. They have some great plunder!

Your write-up is good, bruce, however, I didn't see any mention of parched corn or jerky in it.

Not sure yet, but I may be able to visit tomorrow. I'll introduce myself if I can get by.


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## bruceg (Apr 29, 2012)

Sweetwater Creek Factory Days
Cooking Demonstration

I decided to try to look like a farmer or mill worker from the mid-19th Century in Piedmont Georgia area. I looked up clothing from the era, and ordered trousers, shirt, suspenders and vest online. The vest was perfect in every way, and was American made (Wahmaker, I believe). The shirt looked appropriate, it had 4 buttons (most newer ones have three), and the collar was correct. However, the sleeves were modern, and did not have dropped shoulders. The trousers looked correct from the front and sides, but the back was incorrect. It was covered by the vest, so was not noticeable. I didn't know the difference at all, but there were women re-enactors that sewed clothes for the museum. The clothes did look correct at a distance, and I at least was able to give the impression of someone from the mid 19th Century!

I looked up various cookbooks thanks to help and pointers from Woody's Taxidermy and Camp-Cook.com members. I settled on a cornbread recipe and a Brunswick Stew recipe from The Virginia-Cookery Book published in 1885. I found a reprint of the Brunswick Stew recipe in Tullie's Receipts, published in 1976 by the Kitchen Guild of the Atlanta History Society. That made me feel comfortable that the recipe would be appropriate to the time period, and would be appropriate to the area. I used all fresh vegetables, and cut them the night before. I thought about prepping onsite, but then decided it would be hard to keep things clean and moving!

I had a Dutch Oven and some skillets. I wanted a cast iron stew pot, and found a nice Wagner dutch oven without legs on Craigslist. The dutch oven made a great stew pot, but was small for the amount of stew I was making. I'll either make less stew, or get a bigger stew pot in the future. I also picked up a cast iron tripod for the stew pot. I'd like one with longer legs, but the one I got worked perfectly, looked appropriate and was easy to transport.

The person that set up Factory Days got fires started in fire pits for each demonstration, so I did not need to worry about that. I got the meats browning, then put in water to cover (I brought a gallon of clean drinking water), and put in the onions. I let it cook for a few hours, then started adding vegetables as the water simmered down. Since everything was cut and in ziplock bags, it was easy to just dump in the potatoes, tomatoes, squash, lima beans, cucumber, fresh corn and okra. I added freshly ground pepper, sea salt, and a good amount of red pepper flakes to liven it up. Worcester sauce was not in the 1885 recipe, but I added a liberal amount.

I made cornbread in a dutch oven. I rolled out some coals from the fire, set some underneath and some on top of the dutch oven. I went a little heavy underneath the dutch oven, but it cooked up perfectly. I had combined all ingredients the night before (using House Autry stone ground yellow corn meal). I brought the cornbread down to the butter churning station, and it went almost immediately!

Since I did not pre-cook the meats, it took a while for the stew to be ready. I did not start serving samples until around 1:30, 2:00 in the afternoon. People loved the stew, and I got good comments while giving samples, and heard good comments from folks that were selling food by the Visitors Center. I did not charge for stew or cornbread, it was given out free. I had asked people at the Department if Natural Resources, and found that it would be okay to give out samples as a volunteer.

What I learned: everyone has their favorite Brunswick Stew recipe in Georgia! It holds a place in a lot of peoples hearts and history. The 1885 recipe tasted very different from more modern recipes, but it was very good! Have the stew ready by 11:00. Factory Days started at 10:00AM. People came by and were interested. People came by and were interested and hungry by 11:00. People were asking for stew by noon at the latest. I should have either arrived earlier to have the stew ready by 11:00 or so, or started the meats the night before. I also thought about making cornpone or lacey cornbread, as it cooks quickly in a skillet. I did not, as I thought it would be too much for one person. Next time I will bring the ingredients for lacey cornbread and serve it up - I think people seeing action, smelling cornbread and having some to take to the butter churning station would be a good idea. It might be fun to let adult visitors make lacey cornbread or cornpone if I pulled out a large flat rock and put coals on that. I might try it by myself to make sure it's safe. As a side note, we had cups to give out samples of the stew, but I had to scrounge up plastic spoons and forks. Next time, I'll need to make sure we have utensils.

Bring plenty of water! I brought two 16 ounce bottles of water. While it was late April in Georgia, temperatures did hit the 90's and I was working by a fire. Luckily I brought a gallon of water for the stew, but did not need much to cover the meats. I had little paper cups and was able to drink plenty of water. Next time bring a mug from the 1800's?

While we were trying to give the impression that people were walking into an enclave from the 1800's, I had a cooler for my meats and a separate cooler for my vegetables and cornbread mix (made fresh at home). That was not period appropriate, but I can't imagine not using a cooler for foods. Maybe I could make something to pop the coolers in, to disguise them.

I got good information on soldiers, explorers and scouts using jerky, parched corn and hardtack. I made each type of food and tried them at home. I thought long and hard about bringing them, but decided since I was trying to represent a farmer or mill worker family from the mid-1800's, I would skip the jerky, hardtack and parched corn. In the fall the group puts on a demonstration of The War between the States era - I might bring those food items in the fall.

Finally - cooking by a fire in warm temperatures is hard work! I wore leather shoes, and my feet hurt when walking. I ended up leaving around 4:00PM, as I was completely done by that time. Losing some weight and being more active might help - but re-enacting is hard work!

I did not save receipts. Since this was for a 501-C group, donations are tax deductable. If I had saved the receipts, the ingredients would probably have been tax deductable. Next time, ring them up separately and save the receipts!

Link to the cooking is here: https://picasaweb.google.com/bruce....authkey=Gv1sRgCJ7j3Oyq9ZuCjwE&feat=directlink

Link to my pictures is here: https://picasaweb.google.com/bruce....authkey=Gv1sRgCLy8tOPi15itigE&feat=directlink


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## cobra97 (Apr 29, 2012)

Great after action report. The food looks great and the outfit and setup looks good also. Thanks for posting. If you do the War Between States demo later in the year be sure to post that also. 

Which hardtack recipe did you use for the testing and how did it turn out?

Terry


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## bruceg (Apr 29, 2012)

I used Ken Anderson's simple recipe. Just fluor, little bit of salt, and just enough water to wet it. I cooked it in the lid of my dutch oven in a 400 degree oven. It came out pretty good! I put the jerky on for too long - it's cooked a lot more than it needs to be. But I've been chomping on the hardtack, jerky and parched corn.

Pics are here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/bruce....authkey=Gv1sRgCIeN5IqrgJTt0AE&feat=directlink


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## cobra97 (Apr 30, 2012)

Many thanks. I have made jerky (in a Little Chief smoker) but never made hardtack. Will try it.

Terry


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## White Horse (Apr 30, 2012)

Greetings, Bruce. Enjoyed your after action report. Your outfit looks good, especially for the first time out. Those ladies who are experienced at sewing and reinacting both can be a big help! I wish I knew some of the ones closer by. The ones I know live in South Georgia, so it's quite a haul from here in Cherokee County.

I hope I can go to the fall event at Sweetwater. I have been looking for events closer by.

Hardtack sounds inedible until you try it. It's not half bad by itself, and can also thicken up soup or stew, like modern day crackers. I actually like hardtack, parched corn, and jerky a lot, and eat them even at home sometimes. Parched corn especially makes a good snack.   

Our ancestors had a lot of problems already worked out.


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## bruceg (Apr 30, 2012)

And thinking about it - a lot of the things they figured out are available today! Beef jerky, dried corn snacks, dried fruits and vegetables. I started out down the old style food path by getting interested in homemade soda. In England sanitation was bad, so the drinking water was also bad. One way around that was to make Ginger Beer  - the yeast in a ginger beer acting on sugar would kill off bacteria and make the ginger beer safe to drink. Much the same way as a small beer (a beer with very low alcohol) would be safer to drink than water before people figured out proper sanitation.

So - from a glass of sparkling Ginger Ale to homemade Ales to dutch oven cooking to reenacting! It's fun, and I'm enjoying it.


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