I clean the female shwa na’ mek (shad) very carefully as I do not want to accidentally knick either of the two sacks of wa’ wall (eggs) that will dry on the drying rack in the sun. The purpose of the shad to run up the warming river waters in the spring is to spawn.
Posted in culinary history, food, food history, Lenape, Native American, shad | Tags: culinary history, food, food history, foodways, Lenape, Native American, shad
It is swha na’ mek gee’ shuch (shad fishing time) when the swha na’ mek in’ chy (shad bush) is in bloom. While holding a buck swha na’ mek (shad), I am smelling the fragrant blossoms of the shad bush. The words in italics are all phonetic spellings of Lenape words. When the shad bush bloomed, this indicated it was time for the dug out canoes to be brought up from the mud of the waterways and many men and women to prepare for living at the rivers edge for several months fishing.
Posted in culinary history, food history, Lenape, Native American, shad | Tags: food history, foodways, Lenape, Native American, shad
The water temperatures of the rivers are warming and the shad are beginning to run up the Delaware and Scuylkill Rivers to spawn. I am holding a buck (male) shad with his silvery scales intact. The larger hen shad (full of roe) has been scaled and is on my board as I prepare to harvest the roe. This is the time of year that I provide shad demonstrations to educate the public about this important anadromous fish to the Lenape.
Posted in culinary history, food, food history, hearth cooking demonstrations, Lenape, Native American, shad | Tags: culinary history, food, food history, foodways, Lenape, Native American, shad
It is truly Spring when the garden has the new leaves of spinach, the hens are laying eggs and the cow has had her calf and with milk. This spinach receipt (recipe) combines all three. The spinach is scalded for about a quarter of an Hour. It is then drained, squeezed and minced fine. (I used a rocker knife.) Then a half a Pint of Cream, Salt, Pepper, a scraped Nutmeg and a quarter of a Pound of Butter are added and the ingredients allowed to stew over the Fire for a quarter of an Hour. To present this dish, which is suitable for a second Course, a French Roll is cut in Bits, of the length and Thickness of your Finger and then half a dozen poach’d Eggs are laid on top.
Posted in 18th century foodways, culinary history, food, food history, receipts, recipes, spinach | Tags: culinary history, food, food history, foodways, spinach
To make Spinage Fritters
I have often wondered how many different receipts (recipes) there are for the early spring spinach! There seems to be so many that this vegetable is different each time it appears at an 18th century table. Yet I have not found one that proposes to preserve spinach in any way-which does not surprise me. Recently I prepared the receipt To make Spinage Fritters which is pictured to the left. After the Spinage was boiled, drained and minced small, grated white Bread, Nutmeg, Ginger and Cinnamon was put to it. After adding the Yolks and Whites of Eggs, as much Cream as will moisten it, and currants, that have been swell’d in warm Water, the fritters were dropped by spoonsfuls and cooked on the griddle.
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Posted in 18th century foodways, culinary history, food, food history, spinach, Vegetables | Tags: culinary history, food, food history, foodways, spinach
Early Spring Tansy
It is definitely Spring! The first tansy (pictured left) has just started to show its fern-like leaves. It is at this stage that the herb is the best to harvest for the many receipts (recipes) for Tansy. Nicholas Culpepper (a 17th century herbalist) wrote of the Spring use of tansy: Also it consumes the phlegmatic humours, the cold and moist constitution of Winter most usually effects the body of man with, and that was the first reason of eating tansies in the Spring. … The herb fried with eggs (as it is the custom in the Spring-time) which is called a Tansy, helps to digest and carry downward those bad humours that trouble the stomach. The receipt that I use for demonstrating a tansy uses the juice of the tansy, milk, grated Naples Biskets, sugar, eggs with more whites than yolks, nutmeg and butter. Every time I prepare it I can not help but think of Dr Seuss’s Green Eggs and Ham!
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Posted in 17th century foodways, culinary history, food, food history, receipts, recipes, tansy | Tags: culinary history, food, food history, foodways, tansy
Spring is in the air and I have planting fever! It is a typical ailment of mine every spring. I am in the process of deciding which of my Lenape beans I should plant this year. I have grown the Shackamaxon, Munsi Wolf, Cranberry, and now this year I think I will try some Munsi Wampum Beans (aka Speckled Minisink). My gardens will accomodate my planting two different beans so all I have to do is make a second decision. Pictured at left is the Munsi Wampum Bean, the speckles are hard to see but they are there, just a little darker than the color of the bean. I have written prior posts on both the Munsi Wolf and Shackamaxon. The only bean that I have sufficient seed to share is the Shackamaxon. If you are interested in purchasing Shackamaxon bean seed please contact me at foodhxsmp@gmail.com for more information.
Posted in Beans, culinary history, food, food history, Lenape, Native American, Native American Seeds | Tags: Bean seeds, culinary history, food, food history, foodways, Lenape, Native American
My Book
I never had the opportunity of meeting English food writer
New cover-same brilliant contents
Elizabeth David (1913-1992) but I have often wished that I had. I would thank her for her books and contributions to food history! I heard of her often when I attended sessions of The Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery; and I wondered what she was like as I read her books written in a unique, narrative style. I own three of her books but my most prized is her Engish Bread and Yeast Cookery published in 1977. That edition and “a New Ameican Edition” 1994 are both out-of-print. But great news!!! This great bread book covering all aspects of making bread-milling, yeast, ovens, types of breads-has been re-printed and available with a new cover March 22.2011
Visit my website at www.hearttohearthcookery.com
Posted in Bake oven, books, Bread, culinary history, food, food history | Tags: Bake oven, books, bread, culinary history, food, food history, foodways
Stirring the syrup into grain sugar
Maple sugar
Posted in confectionery, culinary history, food, food history, Maple Sugaring | Tags: culinary history, food, food history, foodways, maple sugaring
Three Kettle Method
After tapping the maple trees and collecting the sap, a three kettle method for processing the sap was utilized. The first large brass kettle was where the sap was brought to a steady boil and kept at a boil as more sap is added. The middle large kettle was where the sap is boiled down to syrup (when the sap “sheets” off a wooden spoon). And finally, the third and smallest kettle is where the maple sugar was produced. We were able to form a “thread” from the bottom of the spoon and our instructor blew a nice maple bubble demonstrating that the boiling process had been completed. See my category list for maple sugaring for steps 1, 2 and 3.
You can visit my website at www.hearttohearthcookery.com
Posted in culinary history, food, food history, Maple Sugaring | Tags: culinary history, food, food history, foodways, maple sugaring
Heart to Hearth Cookery 