How does this re-enacting meal sound?

[BJ_BOBBI_JO]

Hi to our company Captain Jim incase he is reading this :veryhappy:laugh1: :whip:
------------------------

While at Manassas next weekend my night to cook the meal is Saturday. Im totally cool with that. Not a problem so Im not complaining at all

I was just laid off and now have a very limited budget. We will be feeding about 25 people give or take because each section is only allowed 1 campfire. This means not every family or person is going to have easy access to the only campfire to cook up their meals. So we decided to make 1 large meal in the evenings to share. I think it is a good idea and dont have a problem with it.

So please give me your thoughts on this meal(remember I want cheap, easy and as less cooking as possible due to that horrid high heat and humidty and blasted sun)

-Baked beans with chopped up hot dogs in them (along with spices. ect) in a dutch oven cooking over the fire. (will require occassional stirring and that's it)
-mac salad bought in bulk
-watermelon
-raw veggie tray with maybe some cheese.

That sound ok or too cheapy? :shrug:

If it was just our group I wouldnt worry about it but we have other groups falling in with ours.

Im so excited and cant wait to get there! I know it will all work out and be good.

 

[Lnwlf]

I am not a re-enactor, but I do eat!
Substitute bacon and seared ground beef for the chopped up hotdogs, and it sounds like a meal!

 

[Fifer]

Between the baked beans and the raw veggie tray I hope you're not in my brigade. Whatever you do prepare for scorching hot weather. I hope the heat does not ruin this event.

 

[radar]

TOTALLY inappropriate

IF you're going to to do it, do it right. Do a PERIOD meal, not beannie weiniy, YUK, out of context.:noway:

Fritz Jacobs
CPT, QM, USAR (Ret)
[email protected]

 

[Blessmag]

After watching Red Badge of Courage, "Hard tack and sow belly".

 

[Elaine Kessinger]

Some period recipes that go along with your menu!
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
From Miss Beecher's Domestic Receipt Book by Harriet Ester Beecher, circa 1846
Baked Beans.
Pick over the beans the night before, and put them in warm water to soak, where they will be kept warm all night. Next morning pour off the water, and pour on boiling water, and let them stand and simmer till the beans are soft, and putting in with them a nice piece of pork, the skin gashed. Put them into the deep dish in which they are to bake, having water just enough to cover them. Bury the pork in the middle, so that the top will be even with the surface. All the garden beans are better for baking than the common field bean. They must bake in a moderately hot oven from two to three hours.

Salad.

Salad, to be in perfection, should be fresh gathered, and put into salted cold water, which will remove all insects. Let them stand half an hour, and then drain them thoroughly.
Mode of Dressing Salad.

Take the yolks of one or two eggs boiled hard, mash them fine, mix with them pepper, salt, mustard, oil, and vinegar to your taste. Then cut up the salad, and mix it with this preparation. This is usually done at the table.




From:
The Ladies' New Book of Cookery by Sarah Josepha Buell Hale, circa 1852

To dress Macaroni.
--Wash and drain as much macaroni as you desire for dinner; put it on to boil in tepid water. When it is soft enough to pass a fork through, take it off, drain it through a cullender, wipe out the skillet, and return it immediately back again. Then add milk enough to half cover it, salt and red pepper to your taste, a piece of butter as large as a turkey's egg, and grated cheese as plentifully as you please; stew it all together, while stirring it for 5 or 10 minutes; then throw it out into a dish, cover the top with grated bread crumbs, and set it in the oven for a few minutes to brown on the top. If left long in the oven it will dry up and become tough and unpalatable.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I would caution that with temperature and humidity going to be what it is.. the dressing used on commercial macaroni salad will be apt to spoil before it can be eaten. Perhaps you could substitute a vinegar-dressing based green salad with some pasta added for your macaroni salad and veggie tray. That would be one way of "fancy-ing up" a side dish, getting in the greens, and keeping health in the heat. The pasta could be prepared ahead, so no fire time... the greens are cut fresh, so that doesn't need fire time either...and gives young'ns something to occupy themselves constructively. I know that adding another "starch" would not be good from a modern "balanced diet" standpoint, but you may want to include bread or biscuits. Some folks won't want the entree and bread seems to be a universally acceptable prevention from hunger.

Encourage your main group to purchase lemonade powder or apple cider vinegar and honey to be made into switchel and maybe some pickles to be out as a snack. The vinegar and sugar included in switchel and pickles will help too hot folks equal out their overheated systems... and lemonade powder will keep the water going down the throats of folks who don't like the "taste" of plain water.

Switchel is equal parts apple cider vinegar and honey (molasses can be used instead) mixed into a concentrated drink mix. Dilute with water, two tablespoons of drink mix to one cup of water.

Okay... I'll get off my lecture stump now about heat safety. I hope my recipes are helpful to you, they are meant well. Good luck.

 

[sargebill]

How about chicken and dumplings? if you make a good amount during the week bring it with you and all you will need to do is heat it up when you get there,we eat that down here at some of the events it's quick and easy for the most part,and if your worried about money ask for "donations" to off set the cost.

 

[M E Wolf]

I'm surprised that a collection of funds for meal hasn't been taken. People pitch in money up front, during and or after.

It will be very hot -- the temperatures are coming from Texas up and are climbing and expected to be 100 - 101 degrees without humidity.

Hot dogs weren't invented yet. Sausage though would have been possible. Bacon, chickens, cows, pigs would be normal around Manassas Battlefield.

Hope people add to their emergency kits, anything for sour stomachs as I'm looking at extreme misery as far as temperatures go, it will turn everything nasty very fast.

M. E. Wolf

 

[radar]

Paying for meals

Depends on your "trust" instincts on which way to go, but all the participants need to pay for the weekend. Have seen some units charge up front, no-pay/no-eat/no-credit or, like my group, one of the women buys enough food for the amount of people going to attend the event, then when we get there, sum is divided up equally amongst the group. The spend $50 for the weekend, and 10 folks come, then we pay $15 each. Again, depends on the trust factor. Sometimes you have 1-2 that conveniently forget their money, they conveniently don't eat. Tough luck (or tough s***). But the bottom line is, spread the cost amongst every one, top to bottom/bottom to top. Don't care if they are the captain/president, they still pay.

Fritz Jacobs
CPT, Qm, USAR (Ret)
Vice President Kentucky Soldiers Aide Society
[email protected]

 

[Republican Blues]

We do very much the same as Mr. Jacobs. At 150 Gettysburg, the initial prevent charge was $15 or so per person, may have been aroun $10. We fed all of us, at least 10 people, and in the end actual food costs came to just $7 a person, and we did NOT starve, in fact, on night we lounged about with our stomachs stretched VERY tight. If one person is doing the cooking, then cost should be spread among those partaking. If more than one family or person is cooking then the funds for eatables should be distributed among those doing the purchasing.

As Mr. Jacobs says, no pay, no eat. Shoot, we have had folks that pay into the meal costs, and then DON'T eat, and when we try to refund the money paid, they get indignant in a very humor full and friendly way. As to your choice of meal, the over all exeriance would be better served by a stew.

 

[BJ_BOBBI_JO]

Good idea about keeping it more period correct. I hadnt even thought about the hot dogs not being invented back then. There is a horrid heat wave coming in starting tomorrow (monday) for a big chunck of the US and Manassas, VA is one of the areas getting hit with high 90s and 100 degrees weather with over 70% humidity. Figures. So knowing that and considering how I dont do well in the heat Im going to look into those pre-cooked hams and chop it up to throw in the beans. That way I wont have to be standing over the fire cooking tons of differnt items as I literally cook to death in that blasted heat and sun.

When it is mega hot like that I dont care so much how perfectly period correct I am cuse I just wanna survive so I figure they might have been like that too. Heck they was glad to just have a hot meal and probably would not have cared much if it was a fancy meal or not. I know I dont like eating big heavy meals in that horrid weather.

Good idea on the money thing. I cant ask others for food money though. I dont have the nerve and I'd feel bad cause so many folks have helped us when we were down and out and hubby was seeking a job. Kind hearted ppl gave us groceries several times and helped us get by. I dunno how to return the favor other then to give food to others but if they was to donate money Id not turn it down. If I had to buy food to make giant meals all the time that is a different story but if it is just once or twice then I want to be able to return the favor in the name of those who helped us when we had nothing a few years back. Was an awful time and I dont want for anyone else going hungry or without. (yeah I know the word SUCKER is written over my head in big bold neon blinking glowing letters)


Im normally a mild mannered person but when it comes to the heat I get grouchy and testy so maybe Ill be one of those grouchy old housewives that spout off angry words and say "if yall dont like this meal then starve you ungreatful idiots!" Yeah that's what Ill do. Yep..........................ok never mind I cant do it...............I dont have it in me.......................................but I can think it muhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

ELAINE--Neat ideas! I didnt know that about the vinegar and sugar. Seems like the vinegar would go nasty in that heat or turn someones belly sour?? I need to read up on that, sounds interresting. I need to also get some lemonaide powder too. Great idea! I hadnt thoght about the heat making the mac salad unsafe soon after it gets out of the cooler. I soppose I could keep it in the cooler and have them dip up their own right out of the cooler? But coolers cant be in the open even though it's after hours? I dunno. Im kind of lost and dont know what to expect at a national event.

 

[Captain Fossil]

Paying For Meals

Depends on your "trust" instincts on which way to go, but all the participants need to pay for the weekend. Have seen some units charge up front, no-pay/no-eat/no-credit or, like my group, one of the women buys enough food for the amount of people going to attend the event, then when we get there, sum is divided up equally amongst the group. The spend $50 for the weekend, and 10 folks come, then we pay $15 each. Again, depends on the trust factor. Sometimes you have 1-2 that conveniently forget their money, they conveniently don't eat. Tough luck (or tough s***). But the bottom line is, spread the cost amongst every one, top to bottom/bottom to top. Don't care if they are the captain/president, they still pay.

Fritz Jacobs
CPT, Qm, USAR (Ret)
Vice President Kentucky Soldiers Aide Society
[email protected]

Nobody in this (my) unit has ever gone hungry - unless it was their own fault or doing. Nobody has ever gone in the hole for providing a meal for others as even the unexpected guest winds up contributing. Experience has shown that we usually come out ahead for meal funds.

Our Manassas company is about 30 military and 15 civilian. With consolidating with "sister" companies it is pretty tough to get a firm number on who will eat with us and who won't. Cooking in our company by the willing ladies is usually a labor of love and they do not go un-thanked nor un-compensated.

And yes, Bobbi Jo, Captain Jim is reading this...

Jas. T. Lemon
Captain 50th Va. Co. D, IGB

 

[BJ_BOBBI_JO]

Ha ha Fossil! That is your name from one of the younger guys isnt it?

Thanks for the reminder about it being a labor of love. It truely is enjoyable to do it and to give the left overs away. It's fun actually and it starts up good conversations and new friendships. Giving out left overs and other food items even got me 2 marriage proposals so far at re-enactments. LOL! I was just freaking over the heat and money but I think it will work out well so Im not complaining I need to stop being so green but I guess only time and experience will fix that.

 

[101combatvet]

I would think a vegetable stew would be easy and fit the bill for being authentic. Maybe, add bread, rice or potatoes.

 

[johan_steele]

Try fresh cucumbers sliced thin w/ onions sliced thin and vinager as a salad. It will go better than a stew on a hot day.

 

[BJ_BOBBI_JO]

I ended up not doing the beans and meat thing. It was way way to hot to do a heavy meal like that. The 105 degrees heat made for cooking over a fire very uncomfortable and IMO not wise. So we just did a cold meat sandwhich meal with easy side dishes. We did what we did for survival not taste buds. Just sitting still was uncomfortable. So cooking over the fire in the blazing sun was out of the question. Ppl did not have big appitites anyways due to the horrid heat and humidity.

 

[Nathanb1]

Stew and dumplings are incredibly easy and cheap. Bake your own bread ahead of time and that's cheap, too (especially if you've got your own starter). Whoever said chicken and dumplings was right. You can feed the multitudes with that, and it costs almost nothing. Shane's cucumber salad is appropriate, authentic and good. I can live off that stuff. I would say actual lemonade is cheaper than lemonade powder. As a matter of fact, if you're trying to be authentic, powdered drinks would be the last thing I'd think of.

And I'm appalled--no pay, no eat. You shouldn't have to bankrupt your family to feed a bunch of freeloaders. People can even pitch in ingredients. (My daughter could cook very well when she went to college--she never paid for groceries--she cooked and whoever wanted a good meal bought food!)

 

[Dugger]

After watching Red Badge of Courage, "Hard tack and sow belly".

Yup...sowbelly. Sowbelly dam near meant any kinda pork in them days...salt pork, bacon, etc.

 

[Dave Hull]

Shank stew is about as cheap as it comes. Beef shanks are cheaper than hot dogs these days. Most expensive ingredient would probably be the onion. For the adventurous company cook it is well worth the trouble. The quick and dirty is; saute your veggies;onions and celery, remove them from your dutch oven, dredge your shanks and brown them, toss your veggies back in, add some carrots, spuds and tomato, bullion and water, simmer for 3-5 hours and you have good eats cheap. If you are not worried about total period ingredients, tomato paste, olive oil, smoked chepotle spice, garlic power, beef or chicken broth. Prep work is the hardest part. The same recipe can be used and substitute ox tail for the shanks, but ox tail is getting pricey here lately

 

[Elaine Kessinger]

I suggested lemonade powder, being both historically available and relatively popular, as a means of easily transporting a tasty drink that can be prepared by the vat.

Here's the recipe available in period:

From Miss Beecher's Domestic Receipt Book: Designed As A Supplement To Her Treatise On Domestic Economy.
By Catharine Esther Beecher
New York: Harper, 1850, c1846.

Portable Lemonade.

Mix strained lemon juice with loaf sugar, in the proportion of four large lemons to a pound, or as much as it will hold in solution; grate the rind of the lemons into this, and preserve this in a jar. If this is too sweet add a little citric acid. Use a tablespoonful to a tumbler of water.

Other powdered drinks available in period:

Ginger Beer Powders, and Soda Powders.

Put into blue papers, thirty grains to each paper, of bicarbonate of soda, five grains of powdered ginger, and a drachm of white powdered sugar. Put into white papers, twenty-five grains to each, of powdered tartaric acid.
Put one paper of each kind to half a pint of water.
The common soda powders of the shops are like the above, when the sugar and ginger are omitted.

Soda powders can be kept on hand, and the water in which they are used can be flavored with any kind of syrup or tincture, and thus make a fine drink for hot weather.