L ·· n £.Voluwre 1,No. 2 lVlng JllStory Sumwrerl991

believed to be poisonous. Dillon says garden there f.or severaf years. Therethat whenever she has proposed the is no documentation that Penn hadintroduction of tomatoes into colo- them in his gardens; Charlie feels thatniaV18th century kitchen gardens in they should not, therefore, be in thesoutheastern Pennsylvania, she has kitchen garden. Dillon notes that theencounteredthispopularmisconcep- town of'Salem, New Jersey has ation. That is why she enjoys writing tomato festival each summer to com­about this subject. / memorate the public consumption of

Our writer reports that tomatoes. It is believed that RobertCharlie Thomford, gardener at Gibbon Johnson "proved" they werePennsbury Manor, the reconstructed edible. This 1820 event is not conclu­country estate of William Penn in sively documented, according to Dil­Morrisville, PA, has planted toma- lon, and the eventmay be basedon yettoes in the ornamental or pleasure another popular myth.

TOMATOMANIA

When you harvest freshtomatoes from your garden this year,imagine next summer's gardeningas part of a fascinating experiment.Recruit your friends, children, rela­tives and neighbors to help you en­joy eating and evaluating a tomatoharvest like you've never had be­fore. We will help you get the factsand the seeds in preparationfor plant­ing heritage and contemporary va­rieties oftomatoes. You 'Illearn aboutvarious types oftomatoes grown thenand now; you'll love the compari­son. Get ready for salads, sauces andother dishes that provoke conversa­tion at the dinner table.

Heritage tomato varie­ties are notably different from theircontemporary cousins. Naturally, oldand new tomato varieties are similarin appearance, but there are differ­ences in yield, timing of the yield,flavor and texture. An article in ourwinter issue about heritage and con­temporary tomato varieties by BobBecker, Assistant Professor of Hor­ticultural Sciences at Cornell Uni­versity, will give you the inspirationand direction you'll need at the ex­actly when you'll be thinking aboutyour next year's garden.

In this issue, ClarissaDillon, explodes the myth that toma­toes were uncommon in colonialhome gardens because they were

Readers of this publi­cation are part of a living historymovement that has grown signifi-

candy in recent years. Living historypromotes hands-on learning about thepast. When something is concrete, itstimulates us to go deeper into a sub­ject. Active participants in historicalr'eenacttnents know this only too well.It's a perspective that avoids a passiverelationship to the past. A living his­torical approach involves adaptingtraditional methods to contemporaryproblems. It could mean organizing aliving history project as complicatedas a living history farm (see story onpage 4 ) or as easy as a com celebra­tion (see story of page 6).

Participation in livinghistory activities could, include visit­ing or volunteering at a living historyfarm or facility near your home. Orchoosing a specific time period aboutwhich you read widely, attend lec­tures, workshops and specializedcourses and then apply that knowl­edge and special perspective in someway to the contemporary scene. Somepeople plant heritage seeds for the

Continued on Page 8

Page Two

EXPLODING A HISTORICALMYTH ABOUT TOMATOES

For years people have be­lieved with varying degrees that thecolonists did not grow or eat toma­toes [Lycopersicon esculentum],which they "believed to be poison­ous." Looking into primary sources,we find something very different.

Seventeenth- and eight­eenth-century herbals were used inseveral ways: as plant identificationguides, botanical references, and forculinat y and medicinal plant uses.Toma' Je ,or love apples, were knownto be edible, according to reputable Isources of the period. John Gerard, irThe Herball or Generall Historie ofPlantes[1597,revised 1633] said theywere eaten raw and cooked. He nevermentioned any poisonous aspect, butdid complain that "the whole Plant isofa ranke and stinking savour." JohnParkinson produced two massiveherbals: Paradisus in Sole ParadisusTerrestris [1629] and Theatrum.Botanicum [1640]. Both presentedtomatoes as edible and the latterprovided much detail about cookingthem.

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Knowledge about tomatoescontinued appearing in the eight­eenth-century herbals. WilliamSalmon's Botanologia [1710] spokeof seeing tomatoes growing wild inthe Carolinas; in England they wereonly found in gardens. In hot coun­tries, he said, tomatoes were eatenraw with oil, vinegar, and pepper"for Sawce to their Meat, as we dohere only to please and cool orquenchthe Heat and Thirst of hot Stom­achs." They were also boiled in vine­gar with salt and pepper, then servedwith oil and lemon juice.

In 1737, in A CuriousHerbal, Elizabeth Blackwell wrote,"In Italy they eat them with Oil andVinegar as we do Cucumbers." TheUseful Family Herbal by Sir JohnHill reported in 1754 that "...wecultivate it in Gardens. The Italianseat the fruit as we do Cucumbers."The information was borrowedfreely.

These herbals, much prizedby their owners, were lovinglybrought to the colonies. We knowthere were copies in the Philadelphiaarea. Forexample, Elizabeth Drinkerwrote about acquiring TheatrumBo­tanicum in her diary, and JamesLogan ordered a copy ofParkinson'sother herbal for John Bartram. Sincethe books were here, the informationin them was available. Shared amongthe literate, it was available orally tothe illiterate.

With the expansion of gar­dening in England during the seven­teenth and eighteenth centuries camemanuals and guides which set forthnew designs, methods, and plantinformation. These early volumes

notonly deatt with ornamental spacesused for aesthetic and wcial pur­poses, but they also included kitchengarden and plant information.

The best-known and most­used English gardening books of theeighteenth century were by PhilipMiller. His Gardener's Dictionaryand Gardener's Kalendar were re­vised, enlarged, and reprintedthroughout the century. BenjaminFranklin owned the latter and alsoimported copies that he advertisedfor sale. John Bartram had a copythat had been recommended to himby his English patron, Peter Collin­son. Both of Miller's books, whichinfluenced not only his contemporar­ies but also later authors, tell ustomatoes were "much used" to flavorsoups.

Other books of this kindcover very much the same materials,often similarly organized. ThomasMawe, another influential gardeningauthor, listed tomatoes as kitchengarden plants in Every Man His OwnGardener [1776], saying they were"employed as an esculent and orna­mental plant." He and John Aber­crombie also spoke of their use insoups in A Gardener's and Bota­nist's Dictionary [1797].

These gardening booksconfirm that tomatoes were beinggrown in kitchen gardens, somethingestablished as early as 1615 in Ger­vase Markham's The English House­wife. Their medicinal uses, providedin the herbals, had become de-em­phasized, but not the culinary. Thetomato was not solely an ornamentalgarden plant as some today claim; itremained fmnly rooted in the kitchengarden because of its culinary uses.

Martha Bradley's The Brit­ish Housewife (1770?] directed thattomatoes should be harvested in sum­mer; they were "very well deservingto be brought into universal Prac-

Pinckney Horry began a receipt bookfollowing her marriage in 1770. Sheincluded directions "To Keep Toma­toos for Winter Use." In Virginia,Thomas Jefferson was growing toma­toes in 1781 and recorded in 1809 thatthey were both cooked and eaten. Bothwere travelers and letter-writers.

A nurseryman in Philadel­phia named John Lithen published abroadside catalogue. Although un­dated, it was probably published dur­ing the 1790s, according to the His­torical Society of Pennsylvania. Itoffered love apple seeds for sale in thekitchen garden section. BernardM'Mahon, another nurseryman, alsosold them. They are called tomatoes," ...being in much estimation for culi­nary purposes..." in his book, TheAmerican Gardener's Calendar[1806], which at that time became themost influential manual ofnineteenth­century America.

Tomatoes can be difficult togrow in the short, cool, damp, andcloudy summers ofGreat Britain. Thisfactor, rather than the nightshadeconnection, may well have been afactor in their acceptance as food.Parkinson was clearly aware of this.Early starting in a hot-bed or green­house was recommended; this wouldlimit their cultivation in ordinaryEnglish kitchen gardens. It might have

tice" and she reported that they werebeing sold in markets. She informedher readers, "It is the Fruit of a Plant~~of the Nightshade Kind, but is per- ~r~

fecdy Wholesome. So.ups are made >~very agreeable by thls...Some eatrff..them alone, but they are best in soup"to which they give an agreeable Fla­vour." Clearly she had grown to­matoes for culinary use and encour­aged other English housewives todo the same.

Hannah Glasse, in The Artof Cookery Made Plain and Easy[1796], recommended tomatoes ina Spanish fish dish. Another pub­lished cookbook, Culina, undatedbut stylistically late eighteenth­century, was written by someonewith the pen-name Ignotus. It pro­vided three recipes using tomatoes:two for sauces cooked down,strained, and spiced and one forpotted tomatoes to be used in soupsor with roasted meats.

There is a little book ofmiscellaneous memoranda in theDelaware County [Pennsylvania]Historical Society. It was begun in1715 by a Peter Dicks of ChesterCounty. In it I found an undatedentry, "A receipt to pickle Tomat­toes" and four pages later, in a dif­ferent handwriting, there is "Tomake Tomatoes Catsup." So, toma­toes were valued here in at least onefamily and in other families as well.Bartram's friend, Collinson, hadwritten in 1742 that"Apples ofLoveare very much used in Italy to putwhen ripe into broths and soupgiving it a pretty tart taste...Theycall it Tamiata." In 1765, JohnBartram, while on a journey to Flor­ida, recorded that a sharp frost hadkilled the pumpkin vines and theleaves of the Carolina peas "but didnot hurt ye tomatis."

. In South Carolina, Harriet

Page Three

been a class or sociaeconomic pref­erence. There is also the possibilitythat the growing and eating of toma­toes was a question ofcultural orper­sonaVfamily preference. Much moreinvestigation intofarnily gardens andfood preferences is necessary. In that

! way, more can be learned about thesegment of the population that was'growing and eating various plants.

Perhaps, as people todaybecome aware ofwhat has been writ­ten about love apples in the past, themyth will no longer be perpetuated.It is now impossible to obtain true18th-century seeds because too muchtime has elapsed. Perennials, espe­cially weeds, come closer than annu­als to their ancestors, but modifica­tions always occur in an outdoorenvironment. The "heirloom seeds"that are becoming available today,are for the most part, mid-19th cen­tury seeds collected from farmersand gardeners and then verified inperiod nursery catalogues. LandisValley Farm Museum in Lancaster,Pa. distributes old tomato seeds andcan provide instructions for seedsaving. The best we can hope fortoday for pre-1830 gardens is topurchase heirloom seeds when pos­sible and then save seeds each yearfor the following season.

Wouldn't it be exciting ifmore colonial historical sites begangrowing tomatoes in their kitchengardens? Research makes it abun­dantly clear that well before 1820,they did too eat tomatoes.

Clarissa F. Dillon, Ph.D

C1AJrissa Dillon's doctoral dissertation at BrynMawr College in 1986 discussed kiu:lu!n gar­d£ns, planJs and tlu!ir lISes as well as women'swork in 18th century SO/dlu!asternPeNISYlvania.She has been a gard£ner and consullanl for vari·ous historic sites in tlu! Philaiklphia area. Shealso d£monstrates and interprets tlte varied skills

ofcolonial hoti.sewifery.

Page Four

HOLDING THE LINEON DUTCH BARNS:One in New York operates as a living history denwnstration

The New World Dutch bam is an endangered architecture. Inthe 17th and 18th centuries this bam type characterized the farms and rurallandscape of New York and northern New Jersey where Dutch colonistsestablished their culture and language. Today only a few hundred examplesremain. Many are in a bad state of repair.

Dutch bams are rapidly disappearing because of fires, aban­donment and deterioration, the sale and removal of historic bams for theconstruction ofcontemporary buildings and the outright demolition ofbamsdue to obsolescence or new development. If the present trend continuesunchecked, few will survive the next 20 years. If we don't study anddocument them before they are moved, converted or left to rot, we will losethe opportunity we have to gain a better historic perspective on the Dutch

. bam and the way of life it represents.The Dutch bamis an aisle bam unlike English orGerman bams,

which have their wagon entrance on the side. One enters the Dutch bam onthe gable end. Inside, the bam is much like the design ofa church with a broadcenter nave and two narrow side aisles. Grain and especially wheat were theprincipal cash crop of the 18th century farm. It was thrashed and winnowedon a raised wooden floor in the center of the bam. Massive anchorbeams upto 30 feet long span the width of the threshing floor. About 12 feet above thefloor, closely spaced mow poles made of tree saplings rest on the an­chorbeams, on which the sheaves of grain were stored during the winter.

With a little experience, Dutch bams can be easily distin­guished in the landscape by their box-like shape, low side walls, and broadsteeply pitched roofs. A Dutch barn in a somewhat unaltered state has wideunpainted horizontal clapboard siding and wagon doors opening into the

bam. Doors with wooden hinges arenoteworthy. The large wagon doorswere made of three or four sectionsthat fasten shut to a removable centerpost. Many barns have been modi­fied with additions, silos, new rooflines, and new siding material. In­side, the free-standing columns andtheir massive anchorbeams withrounded tenons extend a foot beyondthe back of the column and are a suresign of a Dutch barn.

In 1969, Syracuse Uni­versity published John Fitchen'sstudy, The New World Dutch Barn.This work established the uniqueDutch architecture for future re­searchers. Fitchen was an architec­tural scholar who had studied theEnglish G9thic cathedral and wasfamiliar with European timber fram­ing. He examined and documented75 Dutch barns in New York andNew Jersey. His book, remains thebest on the subject.

Fitchen's book sparkedconsiderable interest in the Dutchbam. A small groupofpeople fonnedthe Dutch Barn Preservation Societyin 1985 in upstate New York to ex­pand the study of Dutch bams.Hundreds of Dutch bams in NewYork and New Jersey have beendocumented and recorded as a resultPrivate owners of Dutch bams andgroups concerned with preservinglocal history have responded to theincreased public awareness and as aresult, several important bams weresaved from demolition.

Contemporary uses forDutch bams are emerging. Presently,more than a dozen are open to thepublic. AdairVineyards in NewPaltz,New York, encourages visitors. The

- commercial concern has convertedan 18th century Dutch bam on itsHudson Valley farm into a wineryand tasting area. A cement floorreplaces the central wooden thresh-

Interior ofDutch barn at living history farm, Philipsburg Manor.

ing floor and the dirtfloors of the sideaisles. A wooden floor was addedabove the anchorbeanis where mowpoles once held sheaves of grain, butcarefl,ll remodeling has left the maininternal framework exposed. A goodsense of the structure's proportionsis still evident.

Of nine Dutch barnspreserved as museums in New Yorkand New Jersey, only three occupytheir original setting. The other sixwere taken apart, moved to a newlocation, and reconstructed. This isan expensive process, but it has oftensaved a barn slated for demolition.Dutch barns can serve varied pur­poses. The Windfall Dutch barn is arestored barn in Salt Springville, NewYork (north of Cooperstown) thatserves as a busy community centerfor the rural population there. After aphilanthropist purchased some landfor wildlife preservation, one of thedilapidated barns on the land revealedthe valuable beams of a Dutch barn.Trustee Wilhemus Dill says thatthrough the help of experts and agroup of young people willing tolearn how to rebuild it, the barn wasrestored to its original state. In 1976,the barn and a restored Victorianhouse were handed over to a board oftrustees who presently manage it. Itis open from June 1 to Labor Day;concerts, meetings, dances wedding.receptions, quilt shows and otherexhibits are part of a full entertain­ment season.

Some Dutch barnshouse collections of local agricul­tural tools.These include theWortendyke barn in Bergen County,New Jersey and the Bronck barn inGreene County, New York.

Only one DutGh barnfunctions as a museum that interpretsits historic use as part of a livinghistory farm. The Philipsburg Manorin Tarrytown, New York is among

the fIrst living history farm undertak­ings in America. At Philipsburg, avisitorcan learn about the Dutch barnas it functioned on a working farmmore than 200 years ago. In the re­constructed setting of 1720 to 1750,the staffdresses in the costume oftheperiod.They work a water-poweredgrist mill and cultivate the smallfarm's acreage. Early breedsofcattle,sheep and chickens plus a garden ofheritage herbs and vegetables aremaintained and explained to visitors.

Philipsburg Manorwasfounded as a living history farm in1940 with the interest and money ofJohn D. Rockefeller, Jr. Today it ispart of Historic Hudson Valley, anonprofIt operation responsible forsix major historic sites in the HudsonValley. The site at Philipsburg is theresult of many years of historic andarchaelogical study. The Dutch barnpresently on the site was moved 125miles to Tarrytown in 1981 fromAlbany County where it replaced anearlier barn that burned; the formerbarn was moved there in 1947 fromHurley, New York.

The New World Dutchbarn developed in the early 1600sand has remained somewhat un­changed for 200 years. Even afternew styles and ideas ofbarn architec­ture altered and fInally replaced theclassic Dutch style in the Northeast.The Dutch influence remained in the19th century barns. The continueduse of horizontal siding on barns in

old Dutch communities is the mostapparent vestige.

Few surviving Dutchbarns have not undergone latermodifications to accommodatechanges in agriculture, especiallychanges from grain to dairy farming.Little remains in the historic recordto help us understand exactly howthe Dutch barns functioned as part ofworking farms. To understand this,we must document and support thenecessary historic archaeology be­fore what remains is gone. We mustrecord the knowledge ofthe few tra­ditional fanners who are left and seehow they used the barns. Finally, wemust establish living history farmswhere we can recreate and demon­strate early farming.

The living history farmat Philipsburg Manor is both fasci­nating and educational. It is the bestinterpretation of an 18th centuryworking barn to date. However, itlacks an authenticityofplace by beinga reconstruction ofan Albany Countybarn. The design of the side aisles isnot totally convincing. Thereremainsa great deal ofconjecture on the earlydesign of stalls and mangers becausethere is so little remaining evidence.Hopefully in the future more ex­amples ofDutch barns will be savedon the land where they were built andmore of their original condition willbe maintained.

Peter Sinclair

r Page Six

If you 'loant to keep your fingers onthe pulse of the timber framing and

traditional joinery trades .you should be reading .

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THECORN REPORT:IS there a comfestivalin yourfuture?

Hlldsoll VaUey lIeritage corll raisedby tile Wolvell family for gellerations was all excel­lellt fllnd-raiser for tile repair ofold world Dlltcllbarns . People wallted to stay ill tOllcll, report 011

tMir J1I'ogress, and discover tile mallY ways illwllicll tlleyare partofUvillglIistory activities. 'TileCorll Report" serves this pllrpose.

A more complete article 011 tile ex­periences of those folks who planted the lIeritagecorll will be in Ollrfall and winter isslles. Tllis isslleincludes all intrOdllCtioll to corll cekbrations.Consider the possibility oforganizing onefor YOllrcommunity organization.

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CANADIAN CORN FESTIVAL

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As we approach the harvesttime of the year when so many of Ontario'sfruits and vegetables are ready to be picked,the harvest of sweet com or "com on thecob" is eagerly anticipated. Sweet com i~

one of the few crops widely grown today inNorth America that is native to the conti­nent. Com cultivation has a history ofculti­vation for at least 3500 years in the Ameri­cas.

There are five different kindsof com: pop, flint, dent, flour and sweetGenetically, sweet com can be differenti­ated from field com by a single recessivegene which prevents some sugars fromconverting into starch. The Iroquois peoplecultivated at least two sweet varieties andthe Indiansofthe upperMissouri wereknownto have cultivated four.

In Ontario, com was one oftheftrst crops planted by the pioneers for itcould be sown in the stumpy fields and ithelped break up the soil. Except in the mostsouth-westerly parts of the province, corncould not be consistently relied upon to

~~

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------- --------

mature; therefore it was not widelygrown. Of the corn varieties grown inthe 19thcentury, most was field corn,but some sweet corn was also raisedfor home consumption.

Popular early varietiesof sweet corn included Stowell'sEvergreen, Minnesota and Egyptian.Nineteenth century cookbooks oftencontain recipes for corn, with two ofthe most popular being for boiledcorn and corn oysters. According tothe latter recipe you grate the corn,then mix it with eggs, milk, bakingpowder and flour to form a batter.Then it is fried by spoonfuls in hotbutter.

Interest in plant breed­ing genetics in this century led to thedevelopment of many new hybridcorn varieties. Corn has been bred todevelop various qualities, includingyield, uniformity and resistance tobacterial wilt, while others are con':'sidered appropriate for the fresh ­market because of taste and appear­ance.

We hope you'll join usat the Ontario Agricultural Museumon August 18 in Milton, Ontario forour corn celebration. The highlightof this special event is our own spe­cial corn on the cob steamed in thehusk using a 1920s steam engine. Wedraw steam off the boiler and pipe itby rubber hose to one or two maplesyrup kettles. The hose is placedthrough an appropriately sized holecut in three-quarters inch plywoodkettle covers, ensuring that itis posi­tioned in the bottom. Corn is loadedinto the kettle almost to the top andthe cover is replaced. We make sureto weigh down the cover as the backpressure on the hose could kick itright outofthe kettle. Corn is steamedfor 25 minutes and tasted for "done­ness." The first pot takes the longestas the kettle is cold.

At the festival we in-

'vite the Ontario Corn Producers'lAssociation to set up a booth wherethey exhibit many items made ofcorn, including biodegradable bags.A popcorn company representativeis usually on hand. Square dancingenhances the entertainment value ofthe festivities. Even though the eventis a labor-intensive undertaking andthe butter and paper products areexpensive, but it can be a real team­building opportunity for your organi­zation.

Although we don't at­tempt to make a profit, it would beeasy for any group to do so. We need300 to 350 ears ofcorn and can get itaround the corner for $1.25 a dozen.If you're thinking of holding a cornfestival, consider stocking up onbutter, salt, pepper, mounds of servi­etts and paper plates. And get readyfor the unexpected. Garbage con­tainers must be emptied frequently.Wasps are corn on the cob lovers too!

Lynn Campbelland Susan Bennett

Ontario Agricultural Museum

For more information about theannual cornjest at the Ontario Agri­cultural Museum, write to the mu­seum staff at p.o. Box 38, Milton,Ontario, Canada L9T 2Y3, or call(416) 878-8151.

Page Seven

7WO MORE EXAMPLESOF CORNCOMMUNITY FESTIVALS

The Beacon SloopClub's "Corn Festival" on August11, 1991 is the 12th year this "foodorgy" on the Hudson River has beena successful fund-raiser. The groupsupports living history projects andis involved in drawing attention toenvironmental issues. The corn festi­val highlights crafts, food, environ­mental exhibits arid live mQsic, allday.

Beacon Sloop Clubmembers· say they promote livinghistory by sponsoring festivals simi­lar to Native American harvest cele­brationsofthepast. The Beacon SloopClub is also a support group forHudson River SloopClearwater, Inc.,a non-profit organization, whichoperates a 106-ft. historical replicaof a sloop, a common transport ves­sel on the Hudson until well after theCivil War. The replica is used forenvironmental education programsthat serveover 10,()()() students annu­ally in the river valley.

The com festival willbe held at the old ferry dock in Bea­con, N.Y., not far from the railroadstation where there is a noteworthyview of the river. At the event, sloopclub members expect to sell 1100ears of com, in addition to hot dogs,chili, watermelon, lemonade and icecream. About 50 sloop club mem­bers volunteer to serve on commit­tees which break the work down into,smaller units. They buy the corn,cook and husk it, prepare other foodsfor sale, set-up tables, clean-up, en­tertain, and publicize the event. Out­side vendors provide crafts booths.Activist groups take charge of envi­ronmental exhibits. Amateur and

Continued on next page

- ---------- --- --- --------

Page Eight

l_il~lil.lllrllllprofessional musicians volunteertime to provide entertainment.

The corn festivaldoesn't attract as many people as theother celebrations sponsored by thesloop club. Festivals featuring pump­kins, shadand strawberriesarea largerdraw, although the com festivalcontinues to appeal to over500peopleeach year. The Beacon Sloop Clubraises between $1,000 and $1,500with the event. For more informa­tion, call Phyllis Newham at (914)831-6962.

An even more finan­cially successful com festival is theone sponsored by the Hurley Heri­tage Society in Hurley, New York.The event celebrates the agricultureand contemporary and historicalimportance of com in this HudsonRiverValleycommunity. The moneyraised supports the heritage society'ssmall museum and it subsidizes lec­tures and other programs of histori­cal significance for the group duringthe year. The com festival in Hurleythis year will be held on Saturday,August 17 on the grounds of theDutch Reformed Church on MainStreet in Hurley from 10 a.m. to 5p.m. Admission is $1. This is the11th yearfor the festival. About 2500people are expected to attend.

Over 80 crafts vendorswill sell theirwares. Steamedcom onthe cob picked that morning at a localfarm will be on sale. Homemadecomchowder and com muffins are a spe­ciality at the event. Conventionalluncheon items can be purchased.Colonial crafts demonstrations willfeature blacksmithing,cooperingandspinning. Last year the historical

Other article~: S. Gurusiddiah wrilei about antibiotics in radishes, the Ore20f1 counterculture by Peter Gilman andremineralization by J. Sundquist /)01,'1 miss the third article on free amino acids in vegetables, herbs and medicinaltinctures by Kapuler and Gurusiddiah is particularly noteworthy.. .. . . . . .. .. . . . . . . . . . . 515

this. For some, genealogy research i.sappropriate or membership in an-ethnic or cultural association. Gene­alogy research often goes much fur­ther than the construction ofa familytree. Once you're hooked on geneal­ogy research, it isn't long beforeyou're delving into the social andpolitical climate of the times diningwhich your ancestors lived. Theprocess provokes insights into fam­ily char,acteristics and interests.

The above examplestouch on many different aspects ofliving history. This publication cov­ers the living history movement anda networkofpeopleon the grassrootslevel who engage in activities thatmake history come alive. There areliving history advocates in placeswhereyou'd leastexpecttofmd them.If you're reading this publication,chances are that you're going to findthings to do, places to go, and usefulideason how tojoinforces withotherslike yourself wqo are creating andsupporting living history themes,events and special activities.

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Also i1t this...11nQ jounral. Harry MacCormack and TomBowennan write about rediscovering research and theconservation of fannland.

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society raised about $9,000 for itsannual programs. After the conclu­sion of each year's com festival,planning begins for the next year'sevent. The responsibility oforganiz­ing the com festival falls to volun­teers.

For more information,contact the Hurley Historical Soci­ety, P.O. Box 1661, Hurley, NewYork 12443.

James Lawson writes about The World Peace GardenProject for Ecuador; Olaf Brcntmar gives a worlddatabase and (oevolutionary perspective on the grassfamily.

Alan Kapuler discusseshis recovery from lym­phatic cancer, sweetcorn in the 90's, and akinship garden for thecarrot-ginseng alliance.

•••111pleasure and relaxation associatedwith gardening; then they share whatthey've learned with friends andfamily members. Heritage vegetableand flower plants can be compared tosimilar varieties that are commer­cially available today.

In a fast-moving soci­ety, we sometimes forget where wecame from and the social/culturalsignificance of our family's past.There are many ways of addressing

***

EEL STEW:Part TWQ

A Conl'trsation with Hank VedderRecorded on audiotIJpe, August 1990, inSaugerths, N.Y. by Greg Huber, KarinParton, and Peter Sinclair. Comments byP.S.

Greg arranged withHank's neighbor, Harry Winnie, tomeet Hank one day in late summer oflast year and we all drove up to Saug­erties together. While sitting inHank's kitchen we recorded a threehour conversation filled with Hank'sknowledge and experience. He's aman who is as native to this part ofthe Hudson Valley as an old shaggytree growing on a craggy Catskillmountain side. Hank has done farmwork and still maintains a smallvegetable garden. He has hunted andtrapped in the woodlands that sur­round him, but fishing is Hank'sfavorite.

"We came up here totalk with you because we heard thatyou make eel stew," Greg said toHank, referring to the American eel(Angilla rostratus).

"I don't," Hank replieda little indignantly, pointing to aphotograph ofa neighboron the wall."You see that picture right there?She's the one that makes it [eel stew]and she can really make ittoo. I don'tcare what anyone says. It is good.Where I was born, I don't think it's ahundred feet apart from her. She wasup on a little hill and I was down therein a hollow. That's where I was born."

"What's her name?"Karen asked.

"Mary Mowers," hetold her.

Greg immediatelywanted to get to the subject of whywe were there.

HankVedder(left) with hisfriend andneighbor Harry Winnie (right) infront ofHank's house. Photo:PS

"How do you fish for eel?" he askedHank.

"First thing is, I try tocatch bait fish," he said. "I catchsome sun fish, take my knife, and cutnice little strips off. Put them on forbait. That's all I ever fish with, hook-

. and-line." And then he added with asense,of pride, "I've never used a fly .and whenever I come back, I've gottrout."

"You use a pole?"Gregasked, but he was really probingHank's fishing style.

Hank nodded"yes" andadded,"All my goodpoles gotburnedup in the fire [a recentwood stove firewhich burned the roof off his house]so I made one. I didn't think it wouldbe any good but it's caught a lot offish. It's had 68 trout so far."

Greg wanted to knowhow many eels Hank had caught bythe summer when we recorded thisinterview.

"I guess I've had abouteight eel, that's all. I go out and don'tstay late. They won't bite 'till it getsdark. Last night was a wonderfulnight- no mosquitoes. I got one eeland I lost one."

Karen turned the sub­ject back to cooking.

"What goes into the eelstew?" she asked.

"You cut potatoes into

Page Ninetiny smaIl pieces." Hank said, lithenyou put parsley into it, onions, and apiece ofbutter. You cook the eel first,just so it starts to cook and then youput the other stuff in."

"What riverdo you fishin?" I asked and Hank gave me a sourlook. Instantly I realized I had mis­used the local terminology.

"I won't eat no fish thatcomes out of the river," Hank said,"We go down back of Kaaterskill.Down near Catskill. It's part of thatcrick [creek]. It's the KaaterskillCrick."

The term "river" inthese parts refers only to the HudsonRiver which is in fact a 150 mile longtidal estuary where the eel enter fromthe ocean, swim upstream to maturein the brackish water of the river andthe fresh water of the creeks andkills. Eventually some return to theirplace of birth in the Sargassos sea,some 17,000 kIn to the south, wherethey spawn, give birth and die. Thet~rm "crick" refers'to the three freshwater streams (Esopus, Rondout,and Catskill) of this area, and theDutch word"kill"refers to the higherand smaller streams. Eels are knownto swim underground and over wetland in their search for the water'ssource. They often become land­locked and are documented as livingas much as 50 years under theseconditions.

Whilebeingquestionedabout the use of a "bob," a cluster ofhooks baited with wonns used to fisheel, Hank recalled his experiencefishing eel with his uncles in theHudson River near West Camp"We'd snap them out of the riverthere, in the cove." Hank said. "Weused to eat them but once we foundsomething in the eel and we never atethem after that. Too much garbage."

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referring to thejawlessmOuth ofsharpteeth which the lamprey uses to at­tach itself to a host fish.

"I don't think I'd wantone of them."

"Butyou haveeatenit?"Greg persisted.

"Oh, yeh," Hank re-

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the wooden traps and stone wiers,which funnel the eels into the traps,are repaired. There is only one com­mercial eel fisherman there. DanielConklin, who fishes in the Neversink,says Koreans would buy all the eelthat local people can catch but thatthey fished primarily for their ownuse.

"Hank, tell us about thelamprey?" I asked, referring to theSea Lamprey (Petromyzon marinusLinneaus), a snake-like fish similarto the eel but with a very different

. breeding and feeding patterns."Down in the Kaater­

skill there's a natural dam. I've seenlamprey eels go right up through thatwater. They're no good to eat, themlamprey eels." Hank said that thesmall black population, native to thearea, were thought to eat the tail ofit.

"Oh, but the lampreysare awful looking things," he said,

Hank told us he put theeel in his gunny sack, drove it home,and placed the creature in a five gal­lon pail of water until the morningwhen he killed and skinned it. Hankis careful not to put too much waterin the pailwhich would let the eel es­cape. That's a lesson Hank learnedfrom experience. "They don't getaway from me now. I work too hardto get 'em," he said.

Hank remembers nightfishing on the Esopus Creek with atorch and spear. It was a two-manoperation. The torch bearer in theprow of the boat speared the eel andthe man behind him removed it andput it in his sack. Once a popularmethod of eel fishing, it is no longerpracticed in the Hudson Valley.

The traditions ofspear­ing and trapping eels in the kills andcreeks of the Hudson Valley duringtheir downstream run in late Septem­ber seemto have ended because fewerpeople crave it as a food. In the upperDelaware River and its tributarytheNeversink, more than a dozenstone wiers exist at places where eelshave been fished since prehistorictimes.

Each summer at thesebroad shallow spots of the stream,

Page Tenthe Hudson River have made eelsunsafe to eat. Eels have been testedacceptable in the higher fresh waterstreams.

Karen was curious tofind out if eels bite.

"No," Hank told her,"They won't bite you. They getaroundyourarm and they have greaseover them. You can't hold 'em." Hepaused, thinking of his most recentexperience, and added, "Well, thatone didn't get away last night I gavehim one throw and he landed wayback of my car on the road. When hehit the blacktop he couldn't do nomore."

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The Society o/Creative Anachronism (SCA) demonstrates medievaljousling in Saugerties. New York.THE NEXT ISSUE OF LIVING HISTORY will include articles on the 25 year history of SeA and itspresent activities aimed at recreating medieval life. If you're planning a trip to see fall foliage, consider visitingDutch barns. Find out about the Timber Framers Guild, a young and growing group of caxpenters, manufacturers andhistorians concerned with revitalizing traditions of building and preserving the environment.