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!