• About US & Thistle Dew Books
  • Book Shoppe
  • COPYRIGHT NOTICE
  • Emporium
  • Farm Photos
  • Historic Interpretation
  • List of Articles on TheHistoricFoodie’s Blog
  • Motorcycles are Everywhere, Please Drive Safely©
  • PROGRAMS, DEMONSTRATIONS & LECTURES: Martin and Vickie Can Provide

Thehistoricfoodie's Blog

~ An enjoyable ramble through the world of Historic Foods and Cooking to include Gardening History, Poultry History, Dress, and All Manner of Material Culture.[©]

Thehistoricfoodie's Blog

Monthly Archives: November 2010

Holiday Traditions

23 Tuesday Nov 2010

Posted by thehistoricfoodie in Uncategorized

≈ 3 Comments

Freshly baked sourdough bread - the makings of a great stuffing

For 30 years I made the same Southern cornbread dressing for holiday meals, never deviating, never trying something new because, for my sons, that would have been culinary sacrilege.  They liked it the same every year.  Exactly the same.  Traditions are wonderful, but rarely do they last a life time without some degree of change. 

My sons are grown now, busy with their own lives, and holiday meals with the boys aren’t as simple to plan as they were when they were growing up.  The three of us live in different cities, all roughly 3 hours apart.  They have work schedules, wives, and in-laws, my youngest has a beautiful daughter, and  their father and I are now divorced so there must be time for dinners with their dad and dinners with their mom – in short, like most American families, there’s a lot to pack into a short period of time.   

Family dynamics change.  Guest lists change.  Traditions change.  They can be strictly observed, or modified to retain some of the old while embracing some new – much like love.  We can add someone into our heart without our love for someone else diminishing because of it.    Hearts expand, miraculously so – much like my dinner table.  There’s always room for one more. 

Unfortunately, we are unable to go to my son’s for Thanksgiving due to work schedules.   I feel a little lost without them and preparing that same holiday meal they love doesn’t seem quite appropriate without them, so I decided the time has come for modifying my menu.    

That cornbread dressing I spoke of earlier will be saved for another time, and instead, these golden brown lovely loaves of sourdough bread are the beginning of a stuffing made with freshly boiled chestnuts and a delectable alligator sausage.  The traditional roast turkey will still reign supreme and rule over an impressive array of sides and dessert, but that stuffing has all the makings of a new tradition in itself.  It won’t be the storybook Indians and Pilgrims celebratory meal, but then that story is far from reality and today’s classic Thanksgiving meal is far from what those who first bowed their head to thank their God they’d lived through every adversity that could be thrown at them ate.

Whatever your traditions and however you choose to pursue them, I wish you Peace, Happiness, and Joy, and may it last throughout the year until yet again we sit down, bow our heads, and thank God for loved ones and for the many other blessings we have enjoyed throughout the year.  God Bless, and Blissful Meals Yall,

Victoria, The Historic Foodie

Advertisement

18th Century Fare.

13 Saturday Nov 2010

Posted by thehistoricfoodie in 18th century cooking, 18th century food, 19th century food, Colonial foods

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

18th century food

Washing and chopping fresh greens from the fort’s garden

It is difficult to prepare a period meal while speaking with somewhere around 12,000 students over the course of three days, however, I managed it quite successfully in early November.  That three days was then followed up with two days speaking with the general public on the virtues of 18th century foods.

I’ve been fortunate enough to have garden space to plant a variety of heirloom greens and prepared several during the week including curled leaf mustard, red-leaf mustard, beet greens, collards, and amaranth. 

I was not impressed with the amaranth.  Unless you enjoy strong flavored greens it should be parboiled 2 or 3 times before putting to simmer with seasonings.  It reseeds itself with gusto so even if the flavor had been better my intent was to pull it up before it went to seed.  As it turned out, I pulled it up after harvesting the young tops. 

I mixed the beet greens with the curled-leaf mustard and found them to be tender and very flavorful.  My intent is to plant beets this coming spring and try harvesting the tops while allowing the roots to continue to grow.

The red-leaf mustard produced a large leaf but it was tender and crisp and I found it pleasing enough that I will plant it again.  The flavor was good and the color, while not as red after cooking, was interesting.

The lovage never came up.  Out of five packs of seed I didn’t get a single plant.  Obviously the seed were not productive.  I’ll retry that in the spring as well.

The collards were young, tender, and in their prime.  Seasoned with salt pork and ham hocks, pepper and salt they were much appreciated.

While I’m a long way from a master gardener, growing these greens affords me the opportunity to have them fresh and tender and to give them an honest evaluation for the book I’m writing.

Archives

  • August 2022 (2)
  • July 2022 (1)
  • April 2022 (1)
  • February 2022 (1)
  • October 2020 (2)
  • August 2020 (2)
  • July 2020 (2)
  • March 2020 (1)
  • July 2019 (1)
  • March 2019 (1)
  • February 2019 (4)
  • January 2019 (1)
  • October 2018 (1)
  • September 2018 (1)
  • August 2018 (2)
  • July 2018 (1)
  • June 2018 (2)
  • May 2018 (3)
  • April 2018 (2)
  • March 2018 (7)
  • February 2018 (1)
  • December 2017 (3)
  • November 2017 (1)
  • September 2017 (2)
  • June 2017 (1)
  • May 2017 (1)
  • March 2017 (1)
  • February 2017 (4)
  • January 2017 (1)
  • December 2016 (2)
  • October 2016 (2)
  • August 2016 (5)
  • July 2016 (2)
  • June 2016 (3)
  • May 2016 (7)
  • February 2016 (1)
  • January 2016 (8)
  • September 2015 (2)
  • July 2015 (1)
  • February 2015 (3)
  • January 2015 (2)
  • December 2014 (1)
  • November 2014 (2)
  • October 2014 (3)
  • August 2014 (6)
  • July 2014 (8)
  • June 2014 (8)
  • May 2014 (11)
  • April 2014 (4)
  • March 2014 (5)
  • February 2014 (4)
  • January 2014 (4)
  • December 2013 (3)
  • November 2013 (2)
  • October 2013 (4)
  • September 2013 (8)
  • August 2013 (1)
  • July 2013 (10)
  • June 2013 (2)
  • May 2013 (3)
  • April 2013 (10)
  • March 2013 (4)
  • February 2013 (3)
  • January 2013 (13)
  • December 2012 (13)
  • November 2012 (4)
  • October 2012 (1)
  • August 2012 (3)
  • July 2012 (12)
  • June 2012 (5)
  • May 2012 (5)
  • April 2012 (4)
  • March 2012 (8)
  • February 2012 (1)
  • January 2012 (5)
  • December 2011 (10)
  • November 2011 (2)
  • October 2011 (3)
  • September 2011 (4)
  • August 2011 (7)
  • July 2011 (10)
  • June 2011 (6)
  • May 2011 (1)
  • March 2011 (1)
  • December 2010 (2)
  • November 2010 (2)
  • October 2010 (3)
  • December 2009 (1)
  • June 2009 (13)
  • May 2009 (10)
  • April 2009 (9)
  • March 2009 (1)

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 526 other subscribers

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • Thehistoricfoodie's Blog
    • Join 478 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Thehistoricfoodie's Blog
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

You must be logged in to post a comment.