Heart to Hearth Cookery

Susan preparing shad for drying

This weekend, April 17th and 18th was the 6th Annual Shad Watch at the Fairmount Water Works Interpretative Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  On the weekend closest to Earth Day, the center celebrates the spring return of the anadromous shad to the Schuylkill River and their use of the  fish ladders on the dam  to return to their natal river spawning ground.  As part of the festivities, Heart to Hearth Cookery demonstrates  Lenape net fishing and drying of the thousands of shad that were caught.  As visitors descend the stairs to the 1851 pump room, it is as if they have just entered a Lenape fishing site on the Schuylkill.   The drying rack is being filled with shad strung with a deer bone fish needle with cordage (see picture above),  dried shad is ready to pack in baskets to return by dug out canoe to the main village and the carefully removed roe is prepared for drying in baskets on the rack.  Just past the drying rack,Cheesgookoos, with a large hand-woven fish net made of natural cordage  in the background, explains the Lenape fishing techniques used and cordage making.

This is just one of many Lenape programs that is offered by Heart to Hearth Cookery as there are programs for every season of the year.  Please go to my website www.hearttohearthcookery.com for more information.