Friends of Slate Run Farm
FROM THE KITCHEN
August Updates
(from the Slate, August 2011)
One can hardly turnaround without finding another basket of
cucumbers, summer squash and okra. They have done very well
this year. In spite of wondering whether we would even get the
tomatoes in- we planted them-60 plants- in what started as a
drizzle but finished in a steady rain- and they are now really
starting to come on. Next week we start booking school groups,
which is a sure sign of summertime coming to an end. It has been
a hot summer, so no one can blame you if you haven’t been out
to visit. Now with some cooler days we welcome you (we
welcome you on the insanely hot days too, but understand
you may be reluctant to come sweat with us…).
Cooler days are coming, so head out to the farm to enjoy the
golden days of summer.
CHRISTMAS FOOD TRADITIONS
(from the Slate, November 2010)
The Practical Cooking and Dinner Giving Cookbook published in
1882 by Mrs. Mary Henderson gives many Bills of Fare for
Winter Parties.
We chose one to share with you along with the recipes just in case you want a “real” Victorian Christmas.
A Winter Dinner Menu
Oysters on the half-shell.
Amber soup
Salmon; sauce Hollandaise
Sweet-breads and pease.
Lamb-chops; tomato sauce.
Fillet of beef, with mushrooms.
Roast quails; Saratoga potatoes.
Salad; lettuce.
Cheese; celery; wafers.
Charlotte-russe, with French bottled strawberries around it.
Chocolate fruit Ice-cream.
Fruit
Coffee
RECIPES
Skewer of Sweet-Breads
Parboil the sweet-breads; cut them into slices or scallops
about half an inch or more thick; sprinkle them with pepper and
salt, and egg and bread-crumb them; now run a little skewer
through two of the slices, alternating with two thin, square slices
of bacon; fry in boiling lard; serve tomato or cream sauce in the
centre, and garnish with parsley. Serve one skewerful to each
person at the table.
Chocolate Fruit Ice-Cream
Make a boiled custard of the yolks of six-eggs, half pound
of sugar and half pound sugar, one pint of boiled milk , and a
teaspoon of vanilla powder. Pound smooth four ounces of
chocolate; add a little sugar and one or two table-spoonfuls of hot
water. Stir in over the fire until it is perfectly smooth. Add this
and a tablespoonful; of thin, dissolved gelatine to the custard.
When about to set in the freezer, add one pint of cream, whipped
and a half-pound of French candied or preserved fruit cut into
small pieces. Put it into a melon-shaped mold, to imitate a plumpudding.
When ready to serve, turn the cream on a platter, and
make a circle around it whipped cream, sweetened and flavored
with vanilla.
Happy Holidays and
Merry Eating
from the Farmhouse.
FROM THE FARMHOUSE
(from the Slate, October 2010)
The garden went well this year, although now it looks a bit forlorn, mostly empty, very dry, and completely weedy. The first heavy frost has come, so it is time to bid farewell to the tomatoes and other warm weather friends until next year. I have a hard time imaging not being able to eat a green salad for about five months until next spring, but that is the modern self speaking.
Nowadays we expect to find all sorts of fruits and vegetables in the store at all times, unlike those who lived before the age of jets and refrigeration that keep us supplied with products that grow seasonally in Ohio.
THANK YOU
(from the Slate, June 2010)
The volunteers gave us tons of great help in May. You planted and weeded gardens, helped in the corn, sorghum, broomcorn and potato fields, worked in the hay field, cleaned chicken coops, cooked, baked, washed dishes, sewed, made school bags, repaired and improved farm implements and kept the farm going while we worked with school kids school groups.
SPRING CLEANING
(from the Slate, April 2010)
Spring is here. It is time to clean, polish and shine the house to make it healthy, happy and cheerful for family and friends. This was especially important after a winter of coal and wood heat that resulted in sooty walls and ceilings and the accumulated dust and dirt shut in the house all winter in the days before a vacuum cleaner.
Here are some ways the women of late 19th century tidied up their houses.
===================================
Taken from Farm Wife: A Self-Portrait,
1886-1896, by Margaret Gebby.
13 April-12 May 1886…I churned and with Elmers help cleanedthe two little rooms and back hall and stairs…Elmer and I cleanedGrandmas and the boys room today…Cleaned the north room upstairs and hall …Elmer and I cleaned the furnace room…Tookup carpets in setting room and Bed rooms…took up Dining room carpet washed the floor and woodwork, windows &c…
Cleaned and finished papering the dining room, put the Sitting, Bed and dining room carpets down today…took up parlor and hall carpets finished cleaning them…
Cleaned the coal house and the woodhouse…finished painting kitchen ceiling, all the chairs and sink…Elmer and I cleaned big cellar and wash house…Moved stove to wash house.
=================================
From the Diary of Miss Charity Hodge (Bremen, Ohio): Covering the years of 1876 to 1878
April 24,1876. Cleaned the loft and papered it and churned.
April May 6,1876. I churned and helped to clean the summer kitchen.
April 21,1877. Bought carpet
May 4,1877. I boiled the
fruit jugs and white washed the porch and scrubbed the summer kitchen.
May 8,1877. I cleaned the upstairs and white washed the dining room.
May 9,1877 I cleaned the parlor and finished thedining room.
May 15,1877. We finished cleaning the house andwhite washed the flower beds and churned 4 pounds of butter.
====================
Whew! I don't know about you, but I'm tired just reading about all of this cleaning. The farm ladies will be busy doing many of these chores in the next month or so. If you're interested in learning more about spring cleaning in the 1880s, check our "This Month at the Farm" page to find several days when we'll be doing our spring cleaning.
Farmlady
Come on out and enjoy
from "The Slate", August 2009
The Farm has been a very busy place so far this summer with
lots of visitors, especially on the weekends. If you haven’t
been out much, pick a day and join us.
"The Glorious Fourth"
from "The Slate", July 2009
In the 1880s, the Fourth of July was a holiday mixed and mingled with
work and play.
As we all know, the 4th of July fell right during
wheat harvest for many farmers around the state. In town,
however, there were many festivities. According to the diary
of Margaret Gebby, a farm wife living near Bellefontaine,
Ohio, town activities for the “Glorious Fourth” consisted of:
Bicycle races, barrel races, swimming races, wheelbarrow
races, tub races, fireworks and “a good many foolish things.”
In every entry for the “Glorious Fourth” Mrs. Gebby mentions
fireworks. It seems like even over a hundred years ago the 4th
of July is just not the 4th unless it includes fireworks.
So go watch some fireworks on the Fourth of July just like so
many people have in times past.
We wish you and yours a “Glorious Fourth!”
The Farm Laides
=====================================
Here's a poem written by Jeffery Taylor in 1888
The Origin of Yankee Doodle
By Jeffery Taylor
Once on a time old Johnny Bull flew in a raging
Fury
And swore that Jonathan should have no trials,
Sir, by jury;
That no elections should be held across the briny
Waters.
And now, said he, “I’ll tax the tea of all his sons
And daughters.”
Then down he sat, in burly state, and blustered
Like a grandee,
And in derision made a tune, called “Yankee
Doodle dandy.”
My son of wax, your tea I’ll tax, you
Yankee doodle dandy.”
John sent the tea from o’er the sea, with
Heavy duties rated,
But whether Hyson or Bohea, I never head it
Stated.
Then Jonathan began to pout, he laid a strong
Embargo,
“I’ll drink no tea, not I,” so he threw overboard
the cargo.
Then Johnny sent a regiment, big words and looks
To bandy,
Whose martial band, when near the land played
Yankee doodle dandy.
Yankee doodle, Yankee doodle dandy,
I’ll poison with a tax your cup, you Yankee doodle
Dandy.
A long war then they had, in which John was at
Last defeated.
And Yankee doodle was the march to which his
Troops retreated.
Cute Jonathan to see them fly, could not restrain
His laughter,
“That tune,” he said, “ suits to a T, I’ll sing it ever
after.”
Old Johnny’s face, to his disgrace, was flushed with
Beer and brandy,
E’en while he swore to sing no more, this Yankee
Doodle dandy.
I’ve told you now the origin of this most lively
Ditty,
Which Johnny Bull dislikes as dull and stupid, what
A pity.
With Hail Columbia it is sung in chorus full and
Hearty:
On land and main we breathe the strain, John made
For his tea party.
No matter how we rhyme the words,
The music speaks them handy,
And where’s the fair can’t sing the air of Yankee
Doodle dandy.
Yankee doodle firm and true, Yankee
Doodle dandy,
Yankee doodle doodle doo, Yankee doodle dandy.
June
from "The Slate", June 2009
Aaaahhh----JUNE at last! Summer is here, school is out,
the sun is (mostly) shining, the crops are growing, the flowers
are blooming and it’s a great time to come out to the Farm to
enjoy life before the heat and humidity set in.
Visitors think it is a great time to be here and have
been coming in record numbers. During the three-day Memorial
Day weekend there were over 1100 visitors that came to the
Farm.
DATES TO REMEMBER
THE FARM WILL BE OPEN UNTIL 6 p.m. ON FRI, SAT. AND
SUN. THROUGH THE SUMMER!
Spring Greens
from "The Slate", May 2009
Part of the garden is in, but the cool temperatures really slowed
seed growth. The potatoes put in the first week of April were slow,
but have now been hilled. The peas, and beets are also slow, as
gardens go, The vegetable rows already benefit from weeding,
trying to get those competing plants while still easy to uproot.
The asparagus is tasting mighty fine, although we are beginning to
tire of it. In the 1880s it was a welcome addition as the first green,
crunchy item to make its way to the table in months. The rhubarb is
ready, and then, just as quickly as these seasonal favorites come in,
they are gone again till next year.
Of course that is not how it is now. With modern
refrigeration and transportation you can find
asparagus and other seasonal fruits and vegetable nearly any time of
the year. It has changed the diet of the world.
We still judge the seasons here,
by when each vegetable, or fruit comes into its
reigning glory as the newest item on the dinner table.
Another sign of the Farm season is the increase of visitors. If it
seemed busy in April, it was, with over 7,000 visitors, a record April
number.
Baked, Fried Mashed, Scalloped or Boiled?
from "The Slate", April 2009
How do you like your potatoes? There will be plenty of chances to cook them many ways this year. The entire side garden, across from the grape arbor, will be planted with Irish potatoes starting on Saturday April 4th. This is pretty consistent with an 1880s family farm.
According to the agricultural census, all the farms in this area were growing anywhere from 1/4 to 2 acres of potatoes. By this time, some areas in Ohio were growing potatoes commericially, but generally each family grew their own. In the agricultural census of the time period, potatoes are designated as either Irish or Sweet potato.
The potato is a native of valleys in the Andes of Peru and Chile and is found as far north as Mexico. It was introduced into England by Sire Walter Raleigh and eventually came to the United States.
Like the tomato, the potato is a member of the nightshade family and so the stems, leaves, and the flowers of the plant are poisonous. The only time the tubers are poisonous is if they are uncovered while growing and become green.
The Potato Beetle arrived in Ohio in 1869 and is still here. We plan to spend lots of time this summer in the potato patch picking bugs off the plants. Visitors are very welcome to help too!
Christmas Is Coming and the Goose is Getting Fat
from "The Slate", December 2008
What did the typical Pickaway Country resident have for Christmas dinner in the 1880's? Was it roast beef? Turkey? Plum Pudding? Did people go out of their way to make a special meal for Christmas?
Just like today, Christmas time came with lots of delicious food and family tradition. Looking in the Pickaway County's leading newpapers, "The Circleville Democrat Watchman" and "The Circleville Union Herald," you'll find advertisements concerning holiday foods.
Grocers, Lynch and Weaver, advertise figs, New York choose, mackerel, turkeys, cranberries and oranges for sale. Oysters shipped in on canal boats and trains sold remarkably well in Circleville, Lancaster and Columbus. Confectioners advertised to the masses the variety and freshmess of sweets made in their stores.
According to the diaries of William Pinkerton of Chillicothe and Mr. Oman of Walnut Township, Pickaway County and according to newspaper articles, Christmas dinners could range from the lavish tomore common feasts. William Pinkerton, a man of meager wages, dined on duck, geese or turkey for Christmas. His children received candy and sometimes oranges as presents and every year his school children got candy as a Christmas treat. Mr. Oman would attend meals at his relative's house. He did not say what the family had to eat; however, he noted that he killed rabbits on Christmas day.
Oysters were at their peak. Churches had Christmas time oyster suppers. Oysters, clelery, salads,ice cream and candies were the main items at the suppers. Businessmen also had large dinners that received notice from the press. Turkey dinners with oyster stuffing, plum puddings, oranges, grapes and bananas were standard fare for those that could afford such things. All in all, what we eat today for a traditional Christmas dinner is similar to an 1880's celebration. Enjoy your holidays not matter what your feast.
Farmlady Stephanie
Thankgiving: Did you knows?
from "The Slate", November 2008
Forks: There were no forks at the first Thanksgiving. Although invented, the English did not regularly adopt eating with forks until the 1700s!
Table Manners: Spitting, throwing bones on the ground, and eating from the same dishes were considered perfectly fine manners. Don't try doing this at Thanksgiving this year, you'd probably be asked to leave the table!
Pumpkins: Pumpkins are native to America. Pilgrims probably did not yet have pumpkin pie. During that time period, pumpkins were stewed, baked or roasted and eaten. ONe popular way of prepaing pumkin during the Pilgrim days was to scoop out the inside and put spices, sugar and milk inside and roast the whole pumpkin in coals..
Pumpkins, Cranberries and Turkeys, oh my!
Getting ready to cook Thanksgiving dinner today is often as simple as a trip to your local grocery store to pick up the ingredients. But what about finding the best ingredients for Thanksgiving in the 1880s?
Here's an interesting excerpt from one of our reference books, "The Grocers' Hand-Book", The Philadelphia Grocers' Publishing Co., 1882.
======================
from "The Slate", November 2008
Pumpkins grow to a very large size and in great vatieties of colors, are much used in making pies. Pumpkin meal is made by drying and pounding. It is allied with the gourd family and is often used in soups. If cut into strips and dired in the sun it will keep all year long.
Poultry To select good dressed poultry see that the eye is bright, feet soft, moist and limber and the body perfectly free of bruises and stains. Young poultry should have a breast bone no harder at the lower end thatn the gristle of a man's ear, and after it becomes too stiff to bend at all the fowl is generally tough and old.
Cranberry A small acid fruit , growing in boggy, and marshy ground, used for making tarts and jam. Great care should be taken in cool weather to avoid buying frost bitten ones. ...The berries were first cultivated in Cape Cod, but the counties of Cape May, Atlantic, Burlington an dOcean, in New Jersey, now produce more than half of all that reach market. The Western market is supplied from an immense marsh at Berlin, Wisc., and another at Lapeer, Michel, prepared on scientific principles. Cape Cod cranberries bring the highest price, being worth more than $1 more a barrel than Jersey's.
This is a fun book to look at. There is a reprint copy at the farm so ask about it if you'd like to red about how the grocery business worked, and product packaging, shipping and availability. You'll think differently next time you stop at Krogers or Giant Eagle.
Farm Lady Stephanie
========================
A little research on the web revealed that this book was written by Artemis Ward, who also published a similar, but more complete and richly illustrated volume in 1911 entitled "The Grocers' Encyclopedia". A biography of Mr. Ward, as well as the entire volume of "The Grocers' Encyclopedia" can be found at http://digital.lib.msu.edu/projects/cookbooks/html/books/book_63.cfm
It's a fascinating read.
Spring in the Garden
from "The Slate", May 2009
Part of the garden is in, but the cool temperatures really slowed
seed growth. The potatoes put in the first week of April were slow,
but have now been hilled. The peas, and beets are also slow, as
gardens go, The vegetable rows already benefit from weeding,
trying to get those competing plants while still easy to uproot.
The asparagus is tasting mighty fine, although we are beginning to
tire of it. In the 1880s it was a welcome addition as the first green,
crunchy item to make its way to the table in months. The rhubarb is
ready, and then, just as quickly as these seasonal favorites come in,
they are gone again till next year.
Of course that is not how it is now. With modern
refrigeration and transportation you can find
asparagus and other seasonal fruits and vegetable nearly any time of
the year. It has changed the diet of the world.
We still judge the seasons here, by when each vegetable,
or fruit comes into its reigning glory as the newest item
on the dinner table.
Another sign of the spring Farm season is the increase of visitors. If it
seemed busy in April, it was, with over 7,000 visitors, a record April
number.
A Favorite Autumn Poem
from "The Slate", November 2008
I love Autumn. So here's my favorite poem by James Whitcomb Riley celebrating that "burnt orange" time of year.When the Frost is on the Punkin
by James Whitcomb Riley
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock,
And you hear the kyouck and the gobble of the struttin' turkey-cock,
And the clackin' of the guineys, and the cluckin' of the hens,
And the rooster's hallylooyer as he tiptoes on the fenc,
O, it's then's the time a feller is a-feelin' his best,
With the rising' sun to greet him from a night of peaceful rest,
As he leaves the house, bare-headed, goes out to feed the stock,
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the Schock
They's something kindo' harty-like about the atmusfere
When the heat of summer's over and the coolin' fall is here-
Of course we miss the flowers, and the blossums on the trees,
And the mumble of the hummin'-birds and the buzzin' of the bees
But the air's so appetiin', and the landscape through the haze
Of a crisp and sunny morning of the airly autumn days
Is a pictur' that no painter has the colorin' to mock-
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock.
The husky, rusty russel of the tossels of the corn,
And the raspin' of the tangled leaves, as golden as the morn,
The stubble in the furries-kindo' lonesome like, but still
A-preaching' sermuns to us of the barns they growed to fill;
The strawstack in the medder, and the reaper in the shed,
The hosses in theyr stalls below-the clover overhead!-
O, it sets my hart a-clickin' like the tickin' of the clock,
When the frost is on the punkin and the corn is in the shock.
=========================
Enjoy the rest of the fall and Happy Thanksgiving!
Farm Lady Stephanie
