Cold lunches

[Chip]

Virginia, I would agree that many of the recipes you will find in the 'Carolina Housewife' could have been used by almost any household, including the wealthy families of Charleston,Georgetown, Beaufort and Savannah.

I went back and looked over some of the recipes that we have tried and also ran into this one:

Groundnut Candy

To one quart of molasses add half a pint of brown sugar and a quarter pound of butter; boil it for half an hour over a slow fire; then put in a quart of groundnuts, parched and shelled; boil for a quarter of an hour, and then pour it into a shallow tin pan to harden.

I have the second printing of the University of South Carolina Press edition of 1980.


   

[bevinmacrae]

Noah had it on his facebook, and I'm pretty sure there was a thread with the name right on there. It came right up when I did a search.

Anatomy of a care package:

http://thesewingacademy.org/index.php?topic=4409.0

Bevin

[NoahBriggs]

Here is a refreshed link to the album.  I cited the Meschers' article as one of my sources.


   http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=18862&id=1255224882&l=ff867cadc4

[lindym]

Here is a refreshed link to the album.  I cited the Meschers' article as one of my sources.


   http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=18862&id=1255224882&l=ff867cadc4

Thanks for refreshing that, Noah.

Linda

[southerngal]

Here is a refreshed link to the album.  I cited the Meschers' article as one of my sources.


   http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=18862&id=1255224882&l=ff867cadc4

Thanks for the link and the wonderful presentation.

It must be my computer today.  I could not get anything to come up on search.  I had to reboot my computer to get to the link.

Margie

[Chip]

Here is a refreshed link to the album.  I cited the Meschers' article as one of my sources.


   http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=18862&id=1255224882&l=ff867cadc4

I hate to be a doubter, but do you really think the average soldier's family would have paid express charges to ship canned fruit, which would have added substantial weight to the package?

Over the course of several years of doing garrison duty at Fort Pulaski, we* have tried to refine the accuracy of our packages from home. Canned fruit, as well as many other heavy non-personal items, were deleted long ago.

*hosted by the 48th New York, Co. F
I'm a member of a fellow SCAR group

On a side note:

"Free for the Regiment" express services occasionally applied, but these were very limited and typically only covered letters.

http://www.pennypost.org/PDF%20files/Adams%20Express%20by%20Hahn%201990.pdf

Pages 57 through 59

[NoahBriggs]

Thanks for the question!

The box itself is not supposed to represent a specific box.  Just to give a general idea of what you can put in there.  A lot of families and neighbors would chip in re: content.  Maybe canned goods were added, maybe not.  maybe the neighbors chipped in to split shipping charges too.  Maybe not.  I'll agree, it was heavy.  But then again, so would be the whiskey bottle baked into the bread, or the bottle of tonic patent remedy.  All items will add weight in one way or another as I discovered inspecting the boxes from home at Winter of 64 '08.

 The idea behind express shipping was to get the goods to the recipient faster and more efficiently than sending it through regular mail.  True, even express shipping was risky, but the lesser of two evils, as many miners gambled on when they used express services out in California.

[hanktrent]

The idea behind express shipping was to get the goods to the recipient faster and more efficiently than sending it through regular mail.

Did the post office even offer shipping for packages larger than letters or books? What were the alternatives to companies like Adams Express, for a box in the 10-25 pound range?

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net

[Colleen]

A few years ago I transcribed a portion of a book in the library at the MOC that lists contents of boxes sent both to hospitals and various units...just a few of the items are listed below.  Where there is a question mark, I could not decipher the writing.

As you can see, there are quite a few heavier items that were routinely being sent. Granted, this is an SAS that is sending these, and not an individual, but it does give a look at the types of things being sent.

These are the “minutes of the proceedings of the Black Oak Soldiers Relief Association of St. John’s Berkeley Parish – Charleston Co. – South Carolina�

List of Articles sent to the hospitals June 21st . A box containing the following articles:
5 bottles of wine – 6 bottles of medicated blackberry – 4 bottles of blackberry vinegar – 1 of honey 1 catsup – 1 pickles – 1 phial of Pandamus (?) – 1 mug of lard – 2 packages allspice – 1 box red pepper – 1 ham – 4 tumblers blackberry jelly – 6 ½ dozen eggs – 7 sheets – saq (?) and bird – 1 dozen chickens

July 10, 1862 – a box containing the following articles –
2 jars plum preserves – 5 of apple marmalade – 1 of blackberry jelly – 1 can of apple preserves – 2 bottles blackberry wine – 2 blackberry vinegar – 3 medicated blackberry – 1 bottle whiskey – 1 cherry cordial – 1 can butter – 1 bag corn buns (?) – 1 package gelatin – 1 of cinnamon – 3 or herbs – 2 of sag[e] – 1 of lint – 2 prs of socks – 2 handkerchiefs – 3 towels – 2 pillow cases – 2 bandages – 2 fans – 7 ½ dozen eggs – 44 chickens

August 6 – a box containing the following articles –
2 ½ bushels of corn flour – 2 bushels of grist – 11 dozen eggs – corn bread – 2 bushels okra – ½ bushel peaches – 3 jars butter – 20 chickens – also a 10 gallon cask of pickles

August 19th – a box containing the following articles –
10 quarts grist – 5 quarts corn flour – 44 eggs – 2 jars pickles – ½ bushel tomatoes – 1 ½ bushel okra – 1 lamb – corn bread

Sept 11th – 1 each – ½ bushel okra – 1 bushel potatoes

Sept 23rd for sick and wounded soldiers in Virginia by S. Bashman [?]

A box containing the following articles ; 4 bottles of Madeira wine, 1 bottle whiskey, 1 bottle brandy, 35 bottles plum syrup, 1 bottle dyspepsia ley [?], 2 bottles blackberry vinegar, 1 bottle sherry wine, 2 bottles blackberry wine, 1 bottle medicated blackberry, 1 bottle plum jelly, 1 jar blackberry jelly, 1 jar plum preserves, 1 hit [?] plum preserves, dried sage, anise seed, potatic [?] arrowroot, 6 dozen eggs, 6 handkerchiefs, 1 bundle of rag [?], 3 peck dried okra, 1 comfort

Box No. 2 – 4 comforts, 9 pr socks, 1 pr gloves, 3 barrels of potatoes, 2 barrels containing grits – and corn flour

Oct. 16th – 1 each – meat, grist, potatoes and other vegetables

Nov 13th – meat and potatoes

Jan 7th, 1863 – a box was sent to the Ladies Aid in Columbia for our suffering soldiers in Virginia containing the following articles

18 bottles of Madeira wine – 3 of sherry wine – 2 of brandy – 1 of whisky – 1 of peach brandy – 1 of cherry cordial – 1 phial of gin – 4 bottles blackberry wine – 2 of blackberry vinegar – 3 of honey – 2 of tomatoes catsup – 2 of tomatoes sauce – 2 of ale – 2 jars of lard – 2 jars pickles – 1 jar of butter 5 lbs – 1 of Haw jelly – 1 package allspice – 1 package red pepper – 3 of arrowroot – 1 bag of rice – 1 of rice flour – 1 of dried okra – 2 gammon [?] – 4 pickled tongues – 2 bushels of gish [?] – 3 dozen eggs – 18 wool socks – 6 cotton socks – 1 india rubber cape

Jan 24th – a box was sent to Dr. La Borde in Columbia for soldiers in the West  containing as follows – 3 bottles blackberry wine – 1 dozen Madeira wine – 1 peach brandy – 1 peach crates [?] – 1 pale ale – 1 medicated brandy – 1 honey – 7 of blackberry cordial – 4 whisky – 2 jars pickles – 1 jar lard -- – 1 ham – 3 packages arrowroot – 2 bags rice – 4 qts rice flour – 3 packages gelatin – 4 packages red pepper – 1 of allspice – 1 bundle ? – 1 bottle catsup – 1 of tomato sauce – 19 dozen eggs – 1 jar plum preserves – 3 ½ lbs butter – 32 prs of socks – Peas ?? and corn flour -- $245 in money

3rd Feb – sent to the hospital in Charleston – 1 mutton

Colleen Formby

[NoahBriggs]

Maybe I should get a small keg and demonstrate how to pack that.  I have yet to see anyone pack a keg from home.  Of course, I cannot do that, because the ignoramuses who don't appreciate that level of detail will break out he beer jokes.  Sigh.

Back to cold lunches.  I'll take a meat and cheese biscuit sandwich and a ginger beer to go, please.  Thanks.   

[Beth Chamberlain]

Back to cold lunches.  I'll take a meat and cheese biscuit sandwich and a ginger beer to go, please.  Thanks.   

Thanks for reminding me that I have a small stash of ginger beer. But...it's in very modern plastic bottles. How can I repackage it appropriately that won't end up leaking. I suspect me beer has a bit more kick than it really should, I don't think that just a cork is going to hold if it's moved at all.

Beth

[anb717]

I'm a little late on this, but this is an area I absolutely adore studying, mainly since there'so still so many excellant references available in the form of primary sources and cook book reprints.

Here's my basic list:

-Lemonade, gingerade (super tasty if you've never had it!), water, and more water.  I've been known to do iced tea in small amounts as well.  For adults, various beers and wines are options, but not the best idea in the heat, during long events, or if you're going to have a lot of little ones around.  Though I must say, ginger beer, while it can get quite...potent...is also tasty.
-Bread, biscuits, and crackers
-Fresh fruits and the vegetables of the season.  You can never go wrong with these and it seems that even the pickiest of kids has at least one fruit or veggie they'll eat.  I just pray that it if you're reenacting, your child doesn't demand manogoes or kumquats as their fruit of choice.
-Anything pickled...this is good too if someone in the family is apprehensive to try a certain food.  When they're pickled, just tell them it tastes like a pickle, no matter what the food is;) (It's the only way I'll touch a beet and has been for almost 25 years!)
-Hard cheese (cheddar is a safe choice)
-Hard boiled eggs last for a day
-Slaws and other cabbage dishes made with vinegars
-Jams, preserves, and fruit compotes
-Summer sausage, a small amount of hard salami, or dried meat/jerky (As a non-read meat eater, I insert my shudder and "yuck!" right here)  Ham and salted meats also work.
-Dried fruit, even when fresh fruit is in season.  Dried fruit takes up less space to carry and you can get all kinds of it:)
-Sauerkraut
-Cakes and cookies--short cakes, ginger snaps, gingerbread, muffins, pies, tarts, traditional puddings, macaroons (I hate macaroons for the most part, but I have an 1865 recipe for them that I'll eat)
-If you have the time to do them in advance, homemade doughnuts are pretty much the best thing ever
-Nuts: almonds, hazelnuts, and peanuts are all referenced in period cookbooks
-Cooked chicken or turkey to be eaten with some bread or cheese
-A lot of basic salads we think of today with the creamy dressings eliminated

Michigan State University has been compiling many, many historic cookbooks online to a site called "Feeding America: The Historic American Cookbook Project" that is free and offers recipes from the 1700s on up
http://digital.lib.msu.edu/projects/cookbooks/

The website has sat stagnant for a few years, but the information it contains is vast.  It's one of the primary sources we use when forming menus at work.  Many of cookbooks do have a midwest influence on them, but they can still offer practical advice for foods that would be eaten and served.  It's really a very entertaining website with great historic recipes.  With a little planning and thought, a menu can be thought out that has something that everyone in the family likes.  And come the first scorching hot event of the season, everyone is happier when a fire doesn't have to be made right next to the campsite and you have to slave over the fire making, oh say...a meat pie or boiling corn on the cob.

Use your imagination and then check and see if it's possible.  That's how I run on this:)

[NoahBriggs]

How can I repackage it appropriately that won't end up leaking. I suspect me beer has a bit more kick than it really should, I don't think that just a cork is going to hold if it's moved at all.

I put mine in an original ceramic bottle, and yes, I cork it tight.  It takes a while  to fill it.  If you pour too fast, then you get the carbonated volcanic eruption, so be careful and pour small amounts over the course of a few minutes.

The possibility of the cork popping out is, of course, real, and it's why period soda bottles are thick and often have the little wire thing that holds the cork in.  I don't know if ginger beer bottles had that or not, but I have discovered that my ginger beer bottle does a great job of holding water, schwitzel, shrub, or ginger beer without many headaches.  And despite the recent hysteria on Szabos the lead content in the glaze (if any), is minuscule.  You are not likely to die at the drop of a hat, or even acquire serious lead poisoning from using it.  If you get yourself an original, though, it's a good idea to pop it into a diluted bleach solution for a few hours just to make sure to remove any bugs or other funk.

I had more problems with corks popping out of my medicine bottles in over100-degree heat than a rogue Ginger Beer bottle UFO.

[Chip]

From, "Confederate Athens." (page 153)

"In 1864 Mrs. Cobb reported that her usual Sunday dinner consisted of cold ham, cold chicken, cold biscuits, pickle, and preserves so that the cook could go to church. The children were now used to  such dinners and so did not complain."

*The church services for slaves in Athens began in the early afternoon hours.

[bevinmacrae]

Stupid question, were the chickens in the boxes live or dead? I can just imagine 44 live ones clucking and messing on all those wonderful pillowcases, bandages and preserves!

You all are making me hungry! I think this year, with all these great suggestions, I'll be able to eat much better at events than I do at home!! Noah, I have an original ginger beer bottle, but never used it b/c of the warnings about lead. But, after 25 years of living in a lead-lined house, I suppose I've probably absorbed what I'm going to absorb in this life and the few drinks once a month from that bottle are probably not likely to contribute much, if any, more lead to my diet. I'll just check to see if the glaze on the inside is intact and then give it a good bath. Yay! Love finding new bottles and things to transport stuff!
Bevin

[Vicki]

Bringing period foods is a 'work in progress' for me, but here's what has been successful with my kiddos so far:

Shortbread cookies.  They can't get enough of them.  I covered a large box with brown paper and put the cookies in the box between layers of paper. 

Gingerbread cookies.  Same box....they finished those after all the shortbread was gone.

Loaves of wheat bread- this is one I probably need to work on..... . I just use a modern recipe for the wheat bread...I'm too chicken to try the recipe from one of my cookbook reprints.

Fruit in season- again, there has been a learning curve here, ie: don't put plums,cherries or nectarines at the bottom of the bag (bad idea)....no apples in May....stuff like that.

We tried summer sausage, but the kids HATED it, and we ended up throwing it away.  Someone suggested salami- is that correct? I really  have no idea if it is, but my kids certainly like the stuff.....

I think I'll add hard boiled eggs this year, because they DO like those.

And I'm still totally confused as to whether we can eat peanuts, but if we can, I'm sure the kids would like that, too. 



I would like to branch out and try the interesting stuff like cold fried chicken, lemonade, etc. Maybe this year!

[Heidi Hollister]

I'd say go for the peanuts.  Maybe not peanut butter, but peanuts *were* being eaten.  What about peanuts in the shell? 

[vmescher]

And I'm still totally confused as to whether we can eat peanuts, but if we can, I'm sure the kids would like that, too. 

I would like to branch out and try the interesting stuff like cold fried chicken, lemonade, etc. Maybe this year!

Depending on your impression, plain, ordinary peanuts in the shell are fine and they seem to have been common all over the eastern part of the country.  They were grown mostly in VA, NC, and GA but were imported into the north from Africa.  

There were recipes for peanut/groundnut soup, cookies (not peanut butter cookies but more like meringues with peanuts in them), peanut coffee and imitation chocolate from peanuts.  These recipes appear in cookbooks from the south and even some from the north.  You just sort of have to use your own  judgment as to when and how you use the peanuts.  

[mmescher]

Just some other elements to remember/think about with cold lunches.

If you have beverages, alcoholic beverages are diuretics which will dehydrate you further after they've refreshed you.  Caffeinated beverages also dehydrate.

I see a lot of jerky show up at events but was jerky used much in the East?  Did many people make it?  It is great now in all seasons because it doesn't require refrigeration but is it reenactorism?

A post mentioned nectarines.  How common were they as a fruit in the mid-nineteenth century?   A nectarine looks nothing like a peach.  And while commenting on varieties of fruits, if you bring apples please leave red delicious at home.  They are an obvious, well-known modern variety to modern participants and spectators and weren't a recognized variety until post-war.

Michael Mescher

[shawnra]

The new american orchardist (1845) list nectarines. a nectarine is a peach possesing a recessive gene, they can grow on the same tree.