A fall day- and a lot of soup!

The 10 gallon soup pot

Is there a better way to spend a crisp fall day than with friends? Yes, with friends in funny clothes! This past Saturday I had the great pleasure of hosting some of the best people I know at my site (Bentonville Battlefield) for our annual Fall Festival & Living History. This year there was an added night tour component as well, which meant I was set to cooking for the 100ish people that were coming for that.
So what goes into a pot that big? A lot of soup! I used a combination of beef stew recipes from Elisa Leslies Cooking in its Various Branches. It has become a go-to for me, and when feeding a big crowd- stay with what people like.  So into the pot went 25 pounds of beef, 20 pounds of potatoes, 10 pounds of carrots, 5 pounds of onions, and bit of celery. Whew! That was a lot of cutting!

Veggies ready to be cut up

However, I was lucky to have plenty of help during the day! I am so grateful for their help!

Helping cut the never-ending veggies

The day was not all full of cutting and stewing. We did have a great picnic lunch. What a spread it was too! There was ham, bread, pickles, cake, sausages, cheese, corn fritters, biscuits, slaw, nuts, pickled cauliflower, and lemonade- I am sure that I have forgotten part of what was included- but it made for a great midday meal with friends.

Part of the picnic spread

Morning prep for the big pot of soup!

Some of the guys resting

 It was such a great day to spend with such great friends! These small events are where I really get a chance to see how much the public enjoys period demonstrations.

After hours of cooking a pig pot o' soup it was time to serve everyone! While I am still not sure how many people were served, I do know that there was almost nothing left when were done.

Serving Begins

Out of 10 loaves of bread and 10 loaves of pound cake there was only one left! It was a long day, but worth it!

Of coarse, we also have fun with the hospital props! 

Pound Cake

Pound cake. Pound Cake. Pound cake. A staple for family reunions, holidays, and church dinners.  I think everyone's family has a recipe handed down from grandma that is a go-to. Our family variety includes raisins and nuts and dumping your flour into your sugar box to measure it - yes that's how my great-grandmother wrote it- and that's how we make it.
This round of pound cake is a little more traditional than my great-grandma made it (shhh... don't tell my family) and it is as easy as it sounds. Let's look at some receipts.

American Cookery, Amelia Simmons, 1789

The Virginia Housewife, Mary Randolph, 1838

Practical Cook Book, Mrs. Bliss, 1850

So while I did not use an exact recipe- I guess you can say I followed Amelia Simmons the closest. One Pound Flour, One Pound Sugar, One Pound Butter, One Pound eggs, and some Vanilla. 

Start by getting your eggs and butter at room temperature- most bakers will tell you this- it allows your ingredients to incorporate better. Also, if you can find good butter, buy good butter! The best butter you can get! I prefer Kerrygold, Irish butter- yes it is a bit pricey- but it makes all the difference. 

My favorite butter to bake with

Now, cream that butter!!! With your sugar- one pound of sugar- yes one pound- weigh it. Really cream the butter and sugar together- they will be almost white and very, very fluffy. I run mine for 6 to 7 to 8 minutes on medium- just watch it. 

Fluffy butter and sugar! 

Now, that that is combined add  one pound of eggs-lightly beaten and one pound of flour- yes one pound of each. If you do not already have one-invest in a kitchen scale for serious baking- and other things. One pound! This is a pound cake after all!

Weight=1 pound!

Now, this make take a little while. Add your eggs and flour alternately in thirds, mixing well. This is where I add my flavor as well- Amelia  Simmons suggests Rose Water, and while it is in my pantry, these cakes are for a big group of people, so I stuck with vanilla- but I sometimes I wish I had put in the Rose Water for that "true" flavor. By now you should have a pretty thick, fluffy batter-isn't it lovely?!? I  used two loaf pans for mine, but a regular pound cake pan will work just fine. 

Start with a cold oven turned to 275*, bake for 15-20 mins, turn cakes and crank oven to 350* for about 30 more minutes! This will make a lovely crust (which is my favorite part!) 

Ta-da! Lovely Cake!

I know this is not the "period way" to do it with a stand mixer, but I was pushed for time ( and had to crank out 10 of these babies!)- but you can follow all of the steps with a period tools and techniques. The recipe has been unchanged for years- but as I said earlier- every family has its various flavors, as is also evident with the historic recipes. 

Now- enjoy your cake! 

Material what?

Material culture: noun, 
the aggregate of physical objects or artifacts used by a society.

In the realm of living history and reenacting there are different levels of enthusiasm, as is the same for most hobbies. However,

the realm of "living history" recreates a specific point in time. I have to say that to some, the material culture of a person/place/time has no impact on their impression. And in my opinion they could not be more wrong ( but I was an American Studies major). For example: Civil War Reenactors (I have the most knowledge of them-but you can sub any "military") will almost everything about the jacket they are wearing or the gun the are carrying- but when you ask them who they voted for or where they went to school- they give a blank look. 

Taking the Census, Francis William Edmonds, 1854

The problem being that every soldier was a citizen- but not every citizen was a soldier. The items they used everyday before joining the military would be very familiar to them. Think about all of the things you use on a daily basis- blankets, cups, plates, napkins, clothing, food, farm equipment, lamps, etc. The list is almost endless, and while no one can expect to know about everything about a particular time period- the resources are available to familiarize oneself with at least some of these items.

Take a look at a few of these things-

Item 1

Item 2

Item 3

Item 4 

How many of those items do you recognize? They are everyday items that most citizens in the 19th century would have at least have some working knowledge of. 

Item 1- A tin reflector oven. Used to roast meat in the kitchen, these had been around for quite a while, and most folks would at least recognize one. 

Item 2- A tea pot c. 1830. Who doesn't know how to use a tea pot?

Item 3- Ladies slippers.  I will admit these are a bit "fancy" for any impression I have done recently, but the concept is the same- how many of us today know name brand shoes and styles though we are not able to wear them ourselves?

Item 4-  A child's undergarment- commonly called a petti-chemise to combine a chemise & petticoat together. How many men know what a chemise even is in the living history world? Probably not as many that know what a slip is today. 


These are just a few examples of why all living historians should at least be familiar with some part of their own local culture. At least some national events that were in the news constantly. 

Here is another little quiz- who is pictured in this political cartoon?

Louis Maurer cartoon, 1860

The caption may have given it away- it is an 1860 political cartoon depicting the presidential race as a baseball game. Most are familiar with the Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas debates- but what about the other two candidates? John Bell and John Breckenridge? Who were they? And which one would you have voted for in 1860? Remember, if you are a woman, you had no choice in the matter, since women would not get the vote for a another 60 years.  Would you have supported your husbands decision? Do you think it is right for women to be involved with politics? ( I recently participated in an event where politics were an issue, and I had to admit that "my husband will make the best decision"- which made me upset just to say- even as 1864 me!) 

These are a few issues that can be addressed either on a local or national level. Like I said- take a morning and aquatint yourself with the items you use for your morning routine- do you know their period equivalents?  Would have had access to them? During the war years would you have been able to afford them? 

Heritage Festival Demonstration

This past weekend I had the pleasure of cooking for the Cape Fear Botanical Garden's Heritage Festival. It was a fabulous weekend, the first real cool weather we had in NC, which made the fire that more comforting. There were many different demonstrations and activities- butter churning, tobacco tying, candle making, the general store was open & more!
Saturday's menu was simple- Chicken noodle soup. The chicken noodle soup is a easy recipe you can find here- its a go to for an easy meal!

The morning started well, after fighting to get the fire started on a very damp morning. I did have a few volunteers from the site helping as well. We started by getting the chickens in the pot and chopping vegetables. The recipe does not call for carrots- but I like them in my soup, and they add some color! 

Everyone is amazed when I start making noodles on site during demos. It is something that everyone enjoys watching- they are SO easy! Mix, roll, cut, dry. And only 4 ingredients! 

After removing the chicken and taking it off the bone- add chicken and noodles to the pot-and I had a BIG pot! 

The soup turned out great! 

Sunday was even cooler than Saturday- which made me the popular demo for the day.I had hot apple cider ready all day! On the menu with cider- fried sweet potatoes!  

Cider & boiling sweet potatoes

Directions for Cookery and its Various Branches, Eliza Leslie, 1844

These fried sweet potatoes were a hit! It is always a good idea to cook what is in season- and right now sweet potatoes are coming out of the NC fields by the truck-load. For more on sweet potatoes- click here.  I was all by myself on Sunday- so the simple menu really helped, but also reminded me of all of the hard work that is done with cooking. 

I did manage to snap one photo of myself! 

Look for a wrap-up of my Bentonville Fall Festival in a few weeks!