Food

Today my mom took me grocery shopping. We are incorporating more of the food common on the frontier/prairie into our everyday food. It has been a great experience so far. The kids have responded well so far and so has Jimmy. Here is a short list of some of the things we purchased today.

• 4 lbs. Navy Beans


• 4 lbs. Yellow Cornmeal


• 10 lbs Sugar


• 20 lbs Flour


• 2 lbs Salt Pork


• 5 lbs Onions

I know in actuality the quantaties of the time may have been a lot smaller due to the finances not always being strong in some families.

Here are a couple of links for some recipes of the time.

19th Century American Foodways

Food from the Mormon Trail

Random Fact: Up until the 19th Century most children did not eat at the table with their parents, they waited for scraps. During this time children became welcomed at the table and were even given chairs or benches which to sit on at the table.

Common Food Prayer

Bless O Lord, this food to our use,And us to thy loving service;And make us ever mindful of the needs of others,For Jesus' sake. Amen.

Corn Meal : Corn Meal Mush

Corn meal was a staple in the homes of the families of the plains. It was even a staple of food during the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Corn meal during the 1800's was cooked in cast iron cookware.

We are experimenting with cornmeal recipes and will shae them as we find and use them. All food recipes we are currently trying out are cooked in cast iron unless otherwise stated.

CORN MEAL MUSH

2 c. corn meal

7 c. water

1 tbsp. salt
Mix the corn meal in 2 cups of cold water. Bring to a boil the remaining water and salt. Add the corn meal slurry to the boiling water. Cook slowly until thick, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve as a hot cereal with brown sugar, butter and milk.