[Delmonico]

It was the annual Rock Creek Trail Days at Rock Creek Station State Historical Park this weekend. I've been a regular since 1999, this weekend they thought we had maybe 2500 folks come through to watch the living history demos and the ren-actments.

My helper and I got there about 11:30 am Friday to set up the kitchen and to have a slow kinda lazy day. We did cheese steak on biscuits in there early afternoon for 3 and chicken fried steak in the early evening for about a dozen.

The kitchen set up for business:

My helper doing some dishes:

Had a young trainee this weekend, one of my customer and a Civil War ren-actor who wants to learn out time cooking. Of course as a young kid he had to show up wearing pants that the crotch hung to his knees:

French Colonial Zouave outfit of Terry's Tigers out of New Orleans circa 1861.

Also a friend brought me her new large dutch oven to use, that's a 12 inch skillet on top of it:

 

[LuckyGirl]

That is really awesome! I wish we would have been able to come out, but with Lucky's surgery we just couldn't make the long drive.

 

[amazongold]

HOLY CRAP! That Dutch oven is big enough to feed an army!

 

[Delmonico]

Caution Cuteness alert, a friends granddaughter, Dave got ahold of a bunch of old cloth feed sacks and sugar sacks and grandma made an outfit for her:

A shot about 6:30 Sunday morning after the rain in the night, the dishpan shows how much rain:

Luckily a few coals in the fire hole survived so we got the fire up and going and coffee on in short time:

 

[LuckyGirl]

OMG how adorable!!! I want an outfit like that!

 

[Delmonico]

A few shots of some folks eating Sunday at noon:

And yes Jerry has a sport drink, needed in the heat and humidity, it got almost 90 and the humidity was lets just say high down in that creek bottom after 1 1/2 inches of rain.

 

[LuckyGirl]

I wonder if they had vegetarians back then.

 

[labby]

Great pictures, Glen.

 

[Delmonico]

I did not get a lot of food pictures because working with Jarred to learn cooking took a lot of my spare time, plus my cooking pard who often takes them was out teaching Boy Scouts outdoor cooking, I did not many till noon on Sunday.

But the fried cabbage, meat loaf and pumpernickel bread:

And the apple/molasses cake I whipped up, the humidity caused some problems and I was not happy with it, the top did weird things and it was a bit sticky, but everyone liked it so I guess it was fine:

And just some food on plates, none of my friends went away hungry:

Got some more pictures, but haven't had a lot of time, got a lot of wet dirty gear yet.

 

[Delmonico]

I wonder if they had vegetarians back then.

There were some attemps before the Civil War in Kansas, they could not make it, most of them starved out.

Some did OK in the settled east. Check out Sylvester Grahmn. Also later in the century check out info on the Kellogg brothers of Battle Creek Michigan.

 

[MidwestGirl]

I like that lady's red hat!!!!

 

[LuckyGirl]

There were some attemps before the Civil War in Kansas, they could not make it, most of them starved out.

Some did OK in the settled east. Check out Sylvester Grahmn. Also later in the century check out info on the Kellogg brothers of Battle Creek Michigan.

I'm going to have to go look that stuff up on google now!

That's sad some of them starved to death! I'm all about being a vegetarian, but I'm not about to let myself starve to death over it!!

People always ask me what if I was stranded on an island and there was nothing to eat but meat.
"Well the odds of that happening are almost nil, there has to be vegetation for the other animals to eat, but lets say there's nothing there but fish in the ocean..yeah I'd spear a fish and grill it up. I'm about animal rights, but if I -have- to eat then it's about the natural cycle of things and I'm not doing any harm to the environment in that situation....a better scenario for you to ask if I was stranded up in say some ice/snow covered mountain where there is NO vegetation and just a few friends. Of course you would start to look pretty tasty at that point."

But thanks for the info Glenn I had no idea people had considered that lifestyle back in frontier style days! Off to uncle google I go!

 

[jzgrlduff]

If it were 90 degrees out, humid, and I had to wear that red get-up....you would see me on the ground.
Dead.

 

[Delmonico]

I like that lady's red hat!!!!

Yeah, well as you can see in this picture from last year that lady is a dirty back shooter:

 

[amazongold]

If it were 90 degrees out, humid, and I had to wear that red get-up....you would see me on the ground.
Dead.

Same here! I'd die if I had to wear any long dress that covered me up that much.

 

[Delmonico]

If it were 90 degrees out, humid, and I had to wear that red get-up....you would see me on the ground.
Dead.

The guy doing my dishes is a former Navy Corpsman, he wouldn't let that happen, he has permission to hog tie anyone who needs electrolytes and hydration and argues.

He's sharp on that and sat several folks down. He keeps a good eye on me, but I am good at taking care of myself. Remember it's always hotter in the kitchen. BTW the showers up in the modern camp ground sure feel good in the evening.

 

[MidwestGirl]

If it were 90 degrees out, humid, and I had to wear that red get-up....you would see me on the ground.
Dead.

Same here... *poof*

 

[Delmonico]

As for being covered, check out how our troops in the Middle East dress, covered is really cooler if you can make your mind believe it, that's the hard part, but it is true.

Me feet take it the worst, but my heavy leather boots and wool socks keep the heat from the fire and ovens out.

 

[blacklabparent]

Same here... *poof*

Me too. Didn't they have bikinis in the 1800's ?

 

[MidwestGirl]

Me too. Didn't they have bikinis in the 1800's ?

If so did they have to shave with a straight edge? I would have cut off my arms!!