A Traditional Farm Life
By Shasta Hamilton
Greetings from Enterprise, dear
friends!
Twenty years ago a dashing
young man with rugged good looks swept me off my feet.
We were students at Bethel College in North
Newton, Kansas.
He was a senior, and I a lowly
freshman, but in God’s timing we noticed each other and were drawn together by
our mutual interests. We were both
double majors--Bible and Religion as well as History—and our love for “the old
paths” continues to strengthen our marriage bond today.
Precept upon precept, line upon
line, early on in our marriage we started making small changes in our lifestyle
fueled by our understanding of the Bible.
Change has not always been easy,
but with conviction comes courage, and we can’t imagine raising our children
any other way.
Even so, on our wedding day almost
18 years ago, we certainly did not imagine ourselves joyfully going through
life in suspenders and straw hats, flowing dresses, black aprons and head
coverings.
A simpler lifestyle without
television, radio and internet access in the home creates a fertile environment
for family interaction in the evenings after the chores are done. Reading is a favorite evening activity of
ours.
In years past, on long winter
evenings my husband has read Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House on the
Prairie series to us as a family.
Historical novels such as these have been both inspirational and
tutorial to us, as we seek to find ways to live a simpler lifestyle.
Over the years, we’ve had the
opportunity to give our six children traditional farm chores Laura and Almanzo
were very familiar with. Our little ones
have gathered eggs, older ones have tended large gardens, milked cows and fed
horses. I’ve made butter, cheese, and
yogurt by the gallon and spent the summer canning pickles, tomatoes, jams and
jellies.
There is great satisfaction in
eating vegetables from your own garden, spreading fresh-churned butter on warm
homemade bread, and admiring rows of sparkling jars full of canned produce put
by against the winter winds.
If I led an academic life today, I
would probably specialize in the history of food and how it relates to one’s
culture. I love old cookbooks and
comparing and researching “the way it used to be.” The yellowed pages of old cookbooks have
opened up another world of “cookery” to me.
The years in which we had farm fresh milk were enriched by those
farmwives of old who wrote down how they made butter, used the buttermilk, and
baked with truly soured cream.
Adding fuel to the fire recently
was our friend Kelly Taylor of Chapman lending us two cookbooks featuring
Native American recipes. “American
Indian Cooking and Herb Lore,” and “Corn
Recipes From the Indians” are invaluable windows into that culture’s
cuisine.
Indirectly, these slim volumes shed
light on the similarities of that culture with pioneer cooking. We all know the story of the Pilgrims and the
first Thanksgiving, so it’s no wonder that a good portion of early American
pioneer cooking also centered on beans, corn, and squash as well.
With two cookbooks in front of me,
it shouldn’t have been hard to choose a recipe for you to try this week. My fun-loving family very much wanted me to
share the recipe for “Dakota Weshungle,” a taste-tempting stew of Indian sweet
corn, fresh short ribs, dried pumpkin, black pepper, wild prairie turnips,
dried cow hoofs, and salt. (If you find
yourself planning to tend a slow fire for 6-1/2 hours with 4 dried cow hooves
on hand, give us a call at The Buggy Stop and we’ll get you the recipe.)
Instead, I decided to share with
you the recipe for “Indian Squaw Bread,” a biscuit-like dough rolled thin and
fried in oil. Today it is often referred
to as “Fry Bread.” Interestingly, the
recipe is very similar to “Crullers,” thicker strips of biscuit dough twisted
and fried as an accompaniment to watermelon—a favorite of my pioneer ancestors,
the Russian Mennonites. It’s a small
world after all!
2 cups (8.5 oz.) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 to 3/4 cups milk
oil for frying
(lard would be
the traditional choice)
1. In a 12” a
skillet, pour oil to a depth of 1/4” and begin heating over medium-high heat.
2. Place flour,
baking powder, and salt in a medium sized bowl; mix with a fork. Add 2/3 cup milk, and stir with the fork
until all flour is moistened, adding more milk if necessary. Divide into 4 pieces, kneading gently 2 or 3
times to form a ball.
3. Dust each piece in
flour and roll out on a well-floured board until 1/8” thick and approximately a
7” circle. Cut two slits in the center.
5. VERY CAREFULLY
slip into hot oil. Fry until bottom is golden brown, turn with tongs and fry
other side until golden brown as well.
6. Remove to
paper-towel lined plate. Repeat with
other three fry breads. Cut into wedges
to serve. Sources indicate these treats
were served with maple syrup or fruit jam, and often with bacon.
Yield: 4 fry
breads (7”).
Copyright © 2015 by Shasta Hamilton
Shasta is a fifth generation rural Kansan now residing in
Enterprise, Kansas. She and her husband
own and operate The Buggy Stop Home-Style Kitchen with their six home-schooled
children. You can reach The Buggy Stop
by calling (785) 200-6385 or visit them on the web at www.thebuggystoprestaurant.com.
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