FEATURE
Making Do with Hobo Stew
Hardworking volunteers take a much-needed break between work stations during the annual kid’s “Chore Day” at the farm. Photo by Bernie Marshall.
Almost a century has passed, but black-and-white images from the Great Depression remain etched in the memories of those of us whose parents and grandparents lived through those days of hardship. As a youngster listening to the stories of deprivation and suffering, I was fascinated by the resourcefulness and resilience of that generation.
Most of their tales centered around food—or the lack of it—so it is not surprising that our memorable interpretive programs today also involve food.
As the educator at Gallant Farm, a living history farm where we interpret the Depression Era, I have had the opportunity to present hundreds of programs, many of which have included “victuals.” Obtaining food has been the predominant interest of humans throughout history and it was especially challenging during the 1930s.
To recreate those scenes for today’s visitor is also a challenge, but the inclusion of food stories and recipes can be a great help. Whether we are talking about the unemployed men in large cities selling apples for a nickel or demonstrating the antique apple press, we can whet the appetite of the visitor. If they then get to actually taste apple cider, get a slice of apple pie, or try apple butter on a warm biscuit, those guests are using another of their senses to experience history.
Providing “A Taste of History”
Having spent much of the last 15 years in a housedress and apron in front of the wood-burning cookstove, I have provided a “taste of history” for thousands of guests. It is often as simple as a freshly baked cookie or popcorn popped on the stovetop. (Many are surprised to learn that popcorn was sometimes eaten like cereal with milk and sugar!)
Presenting traditional food practices requires lots of prep and includes plenty of hard work but the results are always gratifying. Visitors leave a program that includes food, happy and satisfied. If they have learned a little about the past, we as interpreters have truly accomplished something special.
Here at Gallant Farm, we are fortunate enough to have a dedicated group of volunteers with decades of experience in first-person interpretation. They love nothing better than to turn the farmhouse kitchen into a bustling hub of activity like any farm kitchen of the past. Visitors are delighted to be treated like a long-time neighbor who has come to call. They are soon shocked to find themselves enjoying a cup of “Hobo Stew” while discussing FDR’s New Deal!
One of our talented volunteers, Joby Easley, has been cooking and baking in farmhouse kitchens at living history sites for many years. She said, “Cooking in the ‘old-fashioned way’ connects me to my grandmother and great-grandmother.”
As a unique way to engage guests, Joby feels preparing and serving food can bring joy to both interpreter and visitor. “Nothing thrills me more than when a visitor says, ‘I still have my grandma’s Roseville mixing bowl!’ or, ‘I have a recipe for shortbread brought here by my family from Scotland,’” she said.
Volunteer Joby Easley laughs with other volunteers while making vegetable hand pies to serve to visitors during an Antique Tractor Show at Gallant Farm. Photo by Nancy Taylor.
“The scent of sausage frying or fresh baked bread coming out of the oven, the sound of the bacon sizzling in the pan, or the rasp of nutmeg being grated, the feel of the resistance of the coffee beans as they are ground in a hand-cranked grinder, or the rolling pin gliding under your hands as you roll out pie dough – all of these things can open the door to memories that we had all but forgotten.”
-Joby Easley
Mary Zaye has been a volunteer we have counted on since the farm’s opening. Calling upon her own precious childhood memories, Mary pulled out her grandmother’s recipes. For one of our first events, she brought a batch of Black Walnut Cookies—the taste of which can transport older visitors back in time and offer young guests a taste they are often unprepared for! The earthy scent and flavor of black walnuts is very different from that of the English walnuts we eat most often today.
Black walnuts were once such a part of life that canning jars filled with the nut-meats were given as gifts! As they were a “tough nut to crack,” a jar of processed walnuts would have been a much-appreciated offering indeed!
A young visitor helps turn the crank on the ice cream churn at Gallant Farm during an event. Photo by Robin Mayes.
“The only thing we have to fear is ... SALT!”
When Gallant Farm first opened in 2012, our fledgling site was featured on a local morning news program. The on-location host instructed me to “just act like you are cooking” whenever the camera panned around as he did the “teaser” for the upcoming spot. So, to comply, and, I thought to add to the authenticity, every time the camera operator entered the kitchen, I stirred and salted.
After several brief spots about the farm, the field reporter sat down at the table and I served him a typical home-cooked farm breakfast. He grabbed a biscuit and I spooned hot sausage gravy onto his plate and stepped back.
He ceremoniously dug in and took a big bite. “Oh!” he loudly exclaimed. Horrified, I said, “Oh no! I should have told you it is still hot!” He just laughed and said, “No. It is delicious!”
What a relief! After the spot ended, the crew and some of the park district employees all sat down to eat eggs and biscuits and gravy. Everyone seemed to love it and even took seconds. After things wound down and they had all left, I was cleaning up the farmhouse kitchen and washing the dishes and pans. As I scraped the leftover gravy from the skillet, I licked the spoon—my first taste of what I had cooked that morning. I was shocked at how SALTY the gravy was! Apparently, all of that stirring and salting had added an over-abundance of sodium to the gravy. I was even more shocked that they had all enjoyed it so much.
Three young visitors enjoy their first experience pulling vinegar taffy. Even a shy youngster forgets their inhibitions when faced with a hands-on (a BUTTERED hands-on) experience like this! Photo by Sheldon Ross.
“When the going gets tough, the tough make more hotcakes!”
Also in those early days, Farm Manager Gabe Ross and I decided to tap a few maple trees and offer a drop-in “maple sugaring” program. He boiled the sap over a makeshift firepit of stacked cinderblocks while in the house I had warm syrup and buckwheat pancakes for visitors to try. We had expected a handful of families … maybe 50 guests in total. Imagine our surprise at the end of the day to see the impromptu event had drawn more than 250 visitors!
I had served buckwheat pancakes until the buckwheat flour was gone. Switching to white flour, I began turning out traditional griddlecakes. As those began to disappear yet people continued to appear, I supplemented the griddlecake batter with cornmeal and milk thus making it stretch further. The improvised corncakes did the trick!
Every one of our visitors that day got to sample maple syrup on a pancake. As we cleaned up and attempted to unwind in the kitchen at the end of the day, Gabe irreverently joked to the volunteers that I had been “like Jesus feeding the crowd with a few loaves and fishes!” These days, whether we expect a crowd or not, I prepare for one!
The author making buckwheat pancakes. Griddlecakes. Hotcakes. Pancakes. Whatever you call them, no one can resist warm pancakes with maple syrup! Photo by Sheldon Ross.
“If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen.”
As in the past, when a woodburning kitchen range was considered “the heart of the home,” our “Gem” cookstove is the star of the show at the farm.
When asked, “What do you see in this kitchen that is different from your kitchen at home?” schoolchildren always point to the big, black range. They are even more amazed when the firebox door is opened to reveal the blazing fire.
The woodburning cookstove is also of special interest to adults, especially those who dream of “homesteading” or living “off grid.” This became evident when a simple video posted online featuring the stove drew thousands of views. Of course, we could talk all day about the cook range itself … as anyone who uses one knows. There is a lot to talk about.
The first thing visitors ask is, “How do you control the temperature?” The short answer is, “You don’t.” The temperature of the stove controls you! If it is raging hot you are going to wait for it to cool or your cookies bake very quickly. A lot depends on the type of wood you are using. Cottonwood seems to create very little heat while hickory and black locust make a good, hot fire. Traditionally, ash wood was considered ideal. The praises of it as firewood are even sung in the traditional poem by Lady Celia Congreve. It is reliable whether it has been seasoned or not.
An apple pie bakes in the woodburning cooking range at Gallant Farm. Photo by Robin Mayes.
“But Ash wet or Ash dry, A king shall warm his slippers by.”
Sadly, in our area, an invasive beetle has provided us with many dead ash trees.
With a woodburning cook stove, you do not “set it and forget it.” This is one of the reasons there was often a rocker in the farmhouse kitchen of the past. While waiting for baking or boiling, you would use the time for darning or needlework.
There is definitely a learning curve when cooking with fire. Every stove seems to have its own different personality. Once you and the stove become friends, cooking is a breeze. And it is no wonder women often named their stove.
For those unfamiliar with woodstoves, reminders are required. During an event at Gallant Farm, I needed to leave the kitchen briefly. I asked a volunteer to please remove the cupcakes from the oven in 5 minutes. Imagine my disappointment when I smelled burnt cake as I entered the kitchen. She had faithfully removed the pan from the oven but then set it atop the stove where the little cakes continued to cook! They were thoroughly burnt from the bottom up.
The day before applebutter-making is the time for fellowship while preparing the apples that will go into the big copper kettle. Once the crowd arrives and the cooking starts there is no time for relaxing. Photo by Robin Mayes.
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without. Still good advice today!”
As grocery prices rise, interpreting the lean times of the 1930s strikes a chord with many. Although the economic situation today cannot be compared to the extremely hard times of the Great Depression, rising food costs have made the simple recipes of the past more intriguing.
Whether we are making Potato Candy, Wacky Cake, or Water Pie, guests are amazed that a few simple inexpensive ingredients can result in a sweet snack.
Savory dishes from the era are no less taste-tempting. A few pieces of dried beef, for example, can be transformed into a delicious gravy and served atop a piece of toast.
Two cups of dried beans can be simmered into a filling meal for a family. A “Soup’s On!” program can demonstrate exactly how easy it is to make versatile dishes with inexpensive, protein-rich, dried beans. By having plenty of beans and small jars on hand, participants can make custom soup bean blends to take home and put their new skills to use.
“Let them eat ... PIE!”
Even though we were always told not to play with our food, we can encourage our visitors to. Many foods translate into hands-on activities. Popcorn can easily be crafted into popcorn balls by small hands. And who doesn’t love an old-fashioned taffy pull?
A “bake-your-own-pie” program for kids is a fun way to get them involved. Less dough is required if mini foil pie pans are used. You can even let the participants take their freshly baked creations home in the pan to share with family. If making enough piecrusts for 20 small pies is not your idea of fun, pre-made crust can be purchased. A demonstration of making the dough from scratch should still be included, however. But, allowing each child to roll out pie crust, fit it to their pan and add the filling of their choice, makes for many smiling faces!
Including some pie history adds to the fun. Were four and twenty blackbirds really baked into pies? That and other historical tidbits can greatly enhance an ordinary pie-baking demonstration.
Robin Mayes weaving pie crust strips into a lattice for an apple pie. Photo by Sheldon Ross.
“Where there's a will, there's a way.”
During the early days of the 2020 pandemic, we in the education department of the park district were encouraged to increase our social media presence. While the naturalists were busy creating content featuring turtles, birds, and other amazing creatures, Gabe and I focused on farming and history. Many of my posts featured food, of course.
On a warm spring day, with a yard full of beautiful yellow dandelions, I posted a recipe and photos of battered, fried blossoms. Later in the season, homemade ice cream was the post of the day. Photos of our wooden churn and the cranking required showed the steps to making the delectable confection.
Image of an Instagram post the author used to encourage followers to forage their own dandelions. Photo by Robin Mayes.
“Every cloud has a silver lining.”
As a child, listening to tales of the Great Depression recounted by those who lived through it, I wondered how people survived times with so little food, hard work, and even worse … no TV!
But, as an adult recalling those stories, I am struck at how heartrending it must have been for parents trying to feed children and keep their family healthy. It is amazing, as well, how those terribly lean times eventually morphed into pleasant memories for my parents.
My mother always said she was protected from the worst of the hard times by being shuffled around to whichever extended family had the most food at the time. Thus, she spent much of her childhood in the 1930s with an aunt and uncle who operated a roadside fruit stand. She recalled that often in June, at the height of the strawberry harvest, shortcake might be the whole meal. Tomato sandwiches and watermelon were the staples by late summer.
My dad and his mother once spent a winter living in a “tent in a cornfield.” Although I know those days must have been uncomfortable and the nights bitter cold, decades later, when the two of them recalled those times, they always spoke of them fondly. Grandma would reminisce, “I remember coming home from working hard all day and Buddy would have walked up town and bought a couple of slices of bologna and he would have them frying on the little woodstove and it would smell so good!” Dad would agree and say “how cozy” their little canvas home had been.
At the height of the Great Depression many who still had relatives living on farms abandoned their home in the city and moved back to the farm where they could pool their resources and energy to grow food for them all.
It is that spirit of cooperation and the sustainability of a small family farm that we want the public to love when they visit Gallant Farm, and we have found that the way to a visitor’s heart is through the stomach!
The Gallant Farm table spread with a farm breakfast during a sausage-making program. Photo by Robin Mayes.
