Tag Archives: cow

OF KITCHENS AND FOOD

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So the day of my talk has come and gone.  I spent weeks researching all the stoves that were layered one behind another in the space that used to be the 1763 cooking hearth. With help from some ALHFAM friends I found out about the patents, makers and seller of the stoves that were found in the house.kitchen M&Lcopy

There were three in all, starting with the brick-set stove placed inside the firebox of the old fireplace and then the M. Pond Glenwood B, 1991 iron wonder and last, a gas stove, perhaps for warmth. split stove copy

With each generation of families that lived there, I showed slides of the food they would have eaten, and the cooking utensils they needed, and how both changed over time.fish beef

 The talk was held in the barn of the Moffatt-Ladd Warehouse and the day was hot. I was happy to have at least a few guests who would venture out in such heat to hear my discourse on stoves and food. talk

 I had prepared a table of various foods and items used in cooking to help explain what and how a cook might have operated in the various stages of the kitchen.table

 I brought mushroom ketchup, rose water, pumpkin leather and pickles, and gooseberries made to look like hops. I had cooked and decorated a coffin and arranged a plate of goodies with marzipan walnuts, filled with comfits and tied with a bow, fresh grapes from the garden and ripe gooseberries.split t

And I could not leave out Alexander Ladd’s favorite dish, Squabtougn

After the talk I described the various things on the table and how things had changed over time, how they did their preserving with a crock and a cow’s bladder in 1763 and the 1800’s version of pickling with a glass jar.standing jpg

I let everyone smell the rose water and the mushroom ketchup, and showed how the cinnamon marzipan walnuts were made.  I displayed a jar of gooseberry made like hops in sugar syrup. There were bags filled with chestnut flour and Isinglass and the cake pan with no bottom.flour jpg

We talked for quite a while, as everyone had questions about the differences in the centuries and where and why certain foods were served. Who knew that stoves and food could turn into a performance? It was a nice afternoon and I enjoyed sharing the stories of the Moffatt-Ladd kitchen and the food that was served.

Sandie

“After a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one’s own relations.”

Oscar Wilde

CHEESE

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Workshop at Old Sturbridge Village I’ve made cheese before, soft goat cheese and cow cheese, but never a hard cheese. Clarrisa Dillon of the Past Masters in Pennsylvania made me a lovely parmesan cheese for a preservation workshop once; however, it was not the same as having your own to show. Now this is quite a statement as it means I’m really thinking of making my own someday. So where to begin? I’m a hands-on learner so off I went to see Ryan at Old Sturbridge Village for a workshop on cheese. It was a cool day, yet dry, and the heat of the fire in the Freeman Farmhouse was as welcoming as Ryan was. She greeted us with her prize-winning cheese before her on the table and a pot warming the raw cow’s milk over the fire.

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I took three full pages of notes to make four different types of cheese. I’ll concentrate on the hard cheese and throw in a bit about the soft. Let’s hope I get the process correct. We used 15 gallons of raw milk, all having to get to a temperature of between 85 and 95 degrees. Then it was poured into a large cedar tub, covered with a cloth to strain out the impurities that might be found lurking about a farm. (Yes we found hay!)2 copy While the next pot of milk warmed, we made a pounded cheese with the prize-winning cheddar, then a Potted Cheese to have with crackers before our lunch. 3jpg Ryan showed us the rennet made from a young calf stomach that had been stretched and dried for making cheese. Now this was just a display rennet, and we used liquid rennet from the Wisconsin Cheese Company. The rennet is stirred in very slowly. Then the tub is left to sit until you put your finger on the top of the milk and the milk bounces. The function of rennin enzymes is to curdle milk and separate it into semi-solid curds and liquid whey. This is a simple explanation as I know it.  Ryan, who waxes poetically in scientific jargon about the process, lost most of us. I couldn’t spell half the words she said. She is deep into the science of food.5 copy We made another cheese while we waited for the rennet to work. With the milk warm enough to feel hot on the inside of the wrist, but not too hot, Susan added vinegar a little at a time until it curdled. When it was ready, it was spooned out into a cloth.6 This was then tied and hung by the rafters to drip and cure.4 Now the hard cheese was ready and it was time to cut the curds and release the whey. This was a slow process and you had to cut the curds just right so they would sink to the bottom and the whey could float to the top. Once this happened, the whey was removed, and re-boiled, and put back in. The warm whey helped to cook the curds and make them firmer. It takes about forty minutes for the curds and whey to process and cool. Then the fun begins – you get to play with your food.7copy Now you must go slowly. You dip your hands into the bottom of the tub and grab a handful of curd and gently squish it as you bring it to the surface. The cheese curds should squeak a bit when rubbed between the fingers. OOPs! Ours is not squeaking. Ryan thinks we may not have had enough good bacteria in the cheese to firm it up. However we forged on with our mission to make a hard cheese. With all the curds broken in bits Lisa spoons them out into the cheese basket that has a cloth that was wet with vinegar to help release the moisture in the curd. This basket is sitting on a cheese ladder, over a tub so the curds can drain.8The next process it to mill the curds. You add a goodly amount of salt, about 1 tablespoon for every cup of curd. This will help cure and preserve the cheese. Ryan and Susan grab the ends of the cloth and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. The leftover whey would be feed to the infants or sick and the pigs. Often it would be made into a second cheese called a half-skim cheese and the whey from that would then make a two-skim cheese, each time re-boiling the whey from the previous cheese.9 Then it is off to the cheese press. The important thing is to not overfill the cheese tub. We had more curds than we needed; however the chickens were happy. With the right lid on, and a few followers (boards to help the press work) placed on top, the cheese was ready to press.10 Ryan tightens up the press and ties it down. The cheese will sit all night and be turned tomorrow to press again.12jpg It was a long day and time to leave; however, it was also time to clean everything up. And it is not just a soap and water thing. It’s a cold water wash, and wash and wash, then spray with a special soap, then a hot water and more hot water rinse until every tub has clear clean water in the bottom, and don’t forget the cloth, stirrer and cheese basket. This is the part you don’t see when you visit someone who is making cheese. This is when we were really happy to have Jim and his strong arms to help carry the tubs during and after the workshop.11jpg

 

So off to home we went, and the next day the cheese was in the loving care of those at the Freeman Farm who turned and pressed it once more.

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So, Ryan, do you think in six months it will be properly aged, and we will have a winning cheese?

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Sandie PS: It will take a long time to accumulate all the needed items for making cheese on the hearth, and more lessons, I think! This is not a do-it-in-one-day, make-it-the-next-day food item. However, I do hope do make it at home over my own hearth one day. PSS: We loved the cheese we made, and we took home some samples of Ryan’s award-winning cheese. I made scalloped potatoes with her cheese and it was wonderful. Thank you, Ryan!

THEY ATE THAT!

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Pigeon Pear

When the ALHFAM New England Regional organization called for Foodways Programs for the Old Sturbridge Village conference in March 2013, I sent in a proposal. I knew I wanted to do something different, and different it would be. The title was called “They Ate That!” Pigeon Pear, Boiled Cods, Head and yummy minced Pie of Tongue,” a look at foods we don’t see on the menu today. This would be a workshop that explored some unexpected and shunned foods by today’s standards. My proposal was accepted and during the next few weeks I will post the results of our hearth cooking adventure at the ALHFAM regional conference. My first task was to find the best receipts for the three dishes. Edward Kidder was the inspiration for the Pigeon Pear. His receipt was novel and one of the few I have come across that uses a bladder. Edward Kidder was born in 1667 in Canterbury, England, and became a master pastry chef. He moved to London where the men of great power lived and worked. These lawyers and aldermen entertained in lavish style, and became his patrons. Kidder did more that sweets, he made robust food for large scale banquets and intimate dinner parties. In 1740, he wrote his receipts down in a beautifully illustrated book with elegant copper engravings of colored still-life with food, drinks and urns of flowers. Our team for the Pigeon Pear receipt was Faith, Beth and Susan. After reading the receipt through, they each took a task and started out. Gizzards were boiled, bread was toasted, spinach was blanched, gravy made and forced meat and a stuffing put together. With everything ready, Beth wraps the bird in bacon and stuffs the bladder with the forced meat stuffed, Cornish hen.

beth and stuf 3fBeth puts the filled bladder into a simmering pot of water. After an hour it was taken out. Our proud cooks really enjoyed the experience.

bladder water and 3 After the bladder cooled off, I cut the ties and the bladder in an attempt to save it for use on a crock. Unfortunately, it had too much food stuff stuck to it so I abandoned that idea. Then it was time to turn over to the chefs the cutting and serving of the Cornish Pear. girls cuttingDue to time restraints, we did not get to finish the hen. It still needed to be browned by the fire to crisp the bacon. I have posted a picture of one that I did previously. However, the cooks produced a delicious, tender and moist chicken. We ended sharing our feast with other workshop participants. A job well done and enjoyed, thanks to three remarkable ladies who came to cook. chic brown Happy cooking! Sandie

PREPARING FOR ALHFAM

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Cow’s BladderPaulus_Potter_-_Young_Bull

I spent several weeks visiting farms and following leads to try and find a cow’s bladder. I have a freezer full of sheep bladders for crocks but nothing large enough to stuff a chicken in. The reason I need one is that I’m doing a program for ALHFAM, The Association for Living History, Farm and Agricultural Museums. The regional meeting of ALHFAM will be held in March at Old Sturbridge Village. My workshop is called “They Ate That.” It’s a look at foods we don’t often use today. I will use the bladder for Pigeon Pears. I‘ll have more on the receipt and how it is done after the workshop, so stay tuned. If I lived in Europe I’d have no problem getting a bladder, as there they process them, dry them and ship them to all the restaurants who want them. However I’m glad I’m right here in the good old U S of A.

horemans_stillleben_mit_gerupftem_huhn

With a lead from Ron, the Executive Chef-Owner of Chez Boucher, in Hampton, I found a place on the other side of Manchester. I gave them a call, and in a week they had a bladder. So Allan and I drove over, not sure what to expect in size or condition. I once bought a cow’s bladder that was badly butchered and had holes in it and was of little use. Now a cow’s bladder is said to be able to hold 40 gallon of urine, that’s one stretchy balloon and the size I’m sure I would be looking for.

We arrive and the place was very busy; that was a good sign; and I introduced myself, and was immediately recognized, I’m sure, as the crazy lady who is looking for a bladder. Not many people pass through their door asking for one of those I bet. While someone went back to get it, I looked around and saw that they sell ½ a pig and many other interesting things. Soon Rick appeared with a clear bag and I was so happy to see a huge bladder in it. It was tied double and placed in a shopping bag. I paid for it and then it dawned on me; why not get a cow’s tongue there too? I’ll need one of those for our tongue pie, and sure enough they had one. So that’s two down, now I just need the cod fish head.

We arrived home, had lunch and I began working on the bladder. I first washed the kitchen sink down really good, found a knife and scissors to use and a few towels. I was ready to clean the bladder. The bladder was filled with urine and had fat and other attachments that needed to be removed. I first washed it down with warm water.

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The bladder is a slippery thing and it kept trying to go down the drain. I was afraid it might catch on it and puncture, so I placed it on the bag it came in and began to pull off the fat.

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I worked on the bladder for a good 40 minutes to remove all the stuff, using my knife and scissors. Once that was removed I could let the liquid out and then I filled it many times with warm water. There is a light membrane that is attached to the opening and I was very careful not to put any tear in the bladder as I pulled it off. Next I turned it inside out to give it a good wash.

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Here you see it cleaned and filled with water. Perhaps not 40 gallons, yet certainly big enough to do a demonstration of how it was stuffed with a chicken. Does look like a balloon, doesn’t it?

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I emptied the bladder and flattened it out on a piece of wax paper on a roasting pan and put it in the freezer. After a while it was rock hard and I wrapped it up and put it in a baggie for later use. Not all bladders were used in reciepts, many were used to seal the top of potted meat and other foods to keep during the winter months. Here is one I use as a demo, the top was tighter, however, the kids love to drum on it so it is a bit loose.together

I’m looking forward to the workshop and have other things to prepare before I go, and, thankfully, perhaps for my readers, nothing like this. I need to make 18th century catsup and fish gravy.

Your Most Humble Servant,

Sandie