“At some point in your childhood,
you and your friends went outside to play together for the last time
and nobody knew it.”
But time marches on...and friendships are a whole lot different now - - -
As Clint Eastwood said, and Country singer Toby Keith sang, "The old man's knocking - don't let him in."
Even with degenerative discs in my lower back and sciatica in both legs, I'm living by these words. I'm far too immature to allow an old man to take over and age me. And I'm far too much a historian - a living historian - to pass up time-travel opportunities. And I do thank God for putting people in my life who either don't mind (my wife) or will join me (again, my wife plus my amazing friends Larissa, Charlotte, Jackie, and Norm). Even if we're not perfect.
None of us are letting the old man - or old woman for my female friends - in.
~*~
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| We're ba-ack! |
I do a lot of reenacting throughout the year, even during the heat of summer or when the bitter cold of winter strikes. And I have to say, out of all the times I spend in period clothing, my most favorite of these times spent in the past are when we utilize the Waterloo cabin as our 18th century frontier "home," where we do cooking, gardening, and other period chores, and live the day as if it were 250 years earlier.
And we do this in all four season of the year, no matter the weather.
So that's where we were July 27th - right smack-dab in the middle of summer!
Living history doesn't end for me.
In fact, the weekend previous I did Charlton Park's Civil War event on Saturday and Frankenmuth's colonial event on Sunday.
And here I am---a week later, at the frontier cabin living as if it were summertime 1774, including celebrating the summer holiday of Lammas Day:
You see, August begins with Lammas Day (or Loaf Mass Day), August 1st, the day when a bread loaf baked with flour from July-harvested wheat or corn would be brought into the church and blessed. It's one of the oldest points of contact between the agricultural world and the Church.
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| Our loaves to be blessed for Lammas Day. |
Many colonial farmers celebrated the holiday (or holyday, as these special days of celebration or worshiping were called) on August 1st, which marked the first major harvest of the beginning fall season. Yes, it's still summertime - we're not rushing anything - but, in fact, oftentimes the words "fall" and "autumn" could be replaced with "harvest." At least, back in the old days.
Even though it is still technically summer, August was once considered the first month of harvest time. As such, Lammas Day was a sort of Thanksgiving, and so it remained for many colonial families not only here in America, but in many parts of the world, especially the British Isles.
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Our summer harvest Thanksgiving meal.
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On a colonial-era Lammas Day, it was customary for the head of the household to bring to church, for a blessing, the first loaf of bread made from the new crop. We did not have a period church near us, so we invited the pastor into our home to carry out the blessing.
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| Pastor Gerring performs a Lammas Day prayer and ritual of the colonial times. In fact, to hear his Lammas Day prayer, please click the You Tube link below: Religion is so very down played in many living history events and organizations. I've seen it here n there, but not nearly as often as it should be, especially in historic museums. |
Religion in Colonial America was dominated by Christianity, although Judaism was practiced in small communities after 1654. Christian denominations included Anglicans, Baptists, Catholics, Congregationalists, German Pietists, Lutherans, Methodists, and Quakers, among others. Whether one wants to agree or not, it is true that religion was fully integrated into the lives of the colonists and completely informed their world view.
The New England Colonies had been founded by separatists – Anglicans who advocated separation from the Anglican Church, and Puritans - those who sought to purify Anglicanism of Catholic influences and practices – while the Middle and Southern Colonies were founded by Anglicans, Quakers, or in the case of Maryland, Catholics and non-conformist Protestants.
(from THIS site)
Lammastide - August 1st - fell at the halfway point between the summer solstice and the autumn September equinox. Bread loaf/loaves were then used as the center of the family’s Lammas Thanksgiving feast.
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| And this is what we also did for our Lammas Day meal. |
We did our best to replicate this tradition, though 'twas not actually on Lammas Day - - our celebration was held on Saturday July 27 - five days before - the best day for our gathering.
Close enough, I would say.
It's too bad museums have forgone religion in presentations.
We proudly keep it alive.
We arrived at the cabin in the early part of the day. You see, this cabin where we do all of the wonderful colonial living is at least an hour and a half freeway driving from mine & Patty's house, and a little less from Charlotte's house and from Norm's house, so it is a bit of a journey to travel from our suburban city life to the country past.
Like traveling through time...
Arriving is a magical feeling, especially on a soft summer morning, where the air is still cool, the humidity is low, and the surrounding trees give cooling shade.
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| A summer morning at the cabin - heading out to the kitchen garden. |
For this first part of the day - the coolest part - we spent our time doing the work before the afternoon heat set in. The ladies were out in the kitchen garden weeding and harvesting and doing general care.
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| Patty was pulling weeds. She absolutely loves gardening, so she is in her glory here. We so very much appreciate Waterloo for allowing us to experience our research! |
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| The beans were growing like gangbusters |
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| This was only the beginning... |
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| Green beans on the trellis |
As my mind is in constant wonder, I had to find out what salads were called in the 18th century - or were they simply called "salad"?
In the 18th century sallad (spelled in the British manner) referred to a mixture of greens and herbs, possibly radishes, dressed with vinegar and oil and perhaps a raw egg. It could also mean chopped cabbage, known in the early 19th century as “cold” slaw.
In the 18th century, salads took on many different forms. Of course, they had their cabbages and their lettuces. In fact, today we know this as Romain lettuce, in the 18th century it was just Roman lettuce.
(from THIS site)
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| Salad greens |
Salmagundi was a popular dish in 17th and 18th century America, although it has its origins as far back as the 1500s. In 18th century America, salads were often called salmagundi, which were composed salads that could include many ingredients and were eaten like a meal. Salmagundi recipes varied by time and place, but typically included greens, fresh vegetables, roasted meat, and something pickled. Ingredients could also include fruits, nuts, edible flowers, and cheeses, and the dressing was usually oil and vinegar based. In high-end homes, salmagundi was sometimes made from leftovers from the previous night's dinner.
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| Here are some more of our green beans |
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| Green beans, pumpkins, and beets - all doing well! |
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| Charlotte making sure her plants for salad were doing well. |
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| Pastor Gerring is not as strict as he looks here! lol He blessed our crop during spring planting on Rogation Sunday and God saw it fit to bless us with a bountiful harvest. |
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| Patty called me out to the kitchen garden see how well the pumpkins we planted in May were doing - she knew I would be most excited about seeing how they are coming along~ |
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| Checking out my pumpkin patch~ |
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| I was ecstatic to see that, so far, we counted about a half-dozen pumpkins! I certainly hope they last on the vine until at least October 6 so we can show the visitors who come out for Pioneer Day! |
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| Whoa! Check this one out! |
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| I am so pleased, for I have been wanting to plant a small pumpkin patch, and this past spring, I did---from seed! The fruits (gourds) of my labor are coming forth. As mentioned earlier, I do hope they can remain on the vine until we are there on October 6 - Pioneer Day. (Click HERE for our spring sewing - in fact, here are two pictures from this past May of our planting):
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| A classic vignette (without even trying!) of colonial cabin life~ |
A gathering of friends.
We do our best to refrain from modern "hot topic" talk, for we do come here to get away from such topics as best as we can, though it does tend to find its way into a conversation here and there, almost without thinking. But once it does, I try to kick it out and get back to where we once belong (lol). Mind, I don't mean we speak in 1st person - that would take far more time and practice to do correctly and not sound "Hollywood." I mean, we may throw in a period word or phrase here and there, but to make the attempt to carry on in such a manner all the day long is beyond what we actually care to do. 18th century English is like learning a second language. So, we keep our time there focused on daily life-researched based, and that works just fine.
I completely understand how such modern political discussions can so easily occur, and we all do it, for it seems like that is all anyone talks about anymore in 2024. It's blasted at us 24/7. It can be difficult to stop cold turkey, but we all do our best to conform to a more 18th century subject matter for our time here.
Leave the 21st century where it belongs - in the 21st century!
It can be done - and we are working on it!
(By the way, yes, we've all made mistakes through the many reenactments we have participated in and have been politely called out - and that helps us to keep our focus where it should be while "in the past")~
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| I am working at the shaving horse to make myself a cudgel – an item to mash apples before pressing them into cider. For I plan to make cider the “real” old-fashioned way – as was done 250 years ago! |
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| Many thanks to Chuck and Roy, historic presenters from the historic 1750s Daggett House, for it was they who inspired me to take my living history a bit further. This is why you see me doing what I am here in this photo. |
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| Stripping off the bark with the draw knife before smoothing it out. |
All participants in our cabin excursions must have something to do. We get dirty, and so does our clothing. Some folks think we're nuts, getting our period clothing - which are not cheap - stained with dirt, spills, melted wax, greens, and soot, and filled with wood chips, dust, sweat, and even burn holes from fires. But that's what gives us the authenticity we strive for. How can we claim to be farmers, workers, pioneers, colonials, while wearing pristine clothing?
And here at the cabin, to work is to eat - everyone pitches in, in one way or another.
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| I got the fire going good. I remember when I was a kid my father asking me to start the fire in our fireplaces. In our house we had two, so I got pretty good at it. |
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| Bringing in water to be boiled. |
Um...no...you wouldn't.
Imagine spending the day in a colonial cabin/home, no air conditioning - not even a fan! - no shower, no entertainment (TV, cell phones, radio, etc.). We are lucky, for our cabin has a wood floor, unlike most cabins at the time, often with a dirt floor. And windows! Many, many had no windows or a small one without glass, but with oiled paper.
No heat in the winter, aside from the very meager warmth coming from the hearth. Candles for a light - and what it takes to make them will ensure that they will be used sparingly.
Flies and other insects like you've never experienced:
Those pesky flies, attracted to the wonderful aromas of fruit and food wafting through the open screen-less kitchen window, were seemingly given an invitation to come and eat. Covering food with cloth was a common way to keep the flies off, though once they found their way inside the home, they multiplied and swarmed throughout.
Those pesky flies, attracted to the wonderful aromas of fruit and food wafting through the open screen-less kitchen window, were seemingly given an invitation to come and eat. Covering food with cloth was a common way to keep the flies off, though once they found their way inside the home, they multiplied and swarmed throughout.
The variety of insects only made the heat of a summer night even more unbearable, therefore making sleep nearly non-existent. With summertime bringing an invasion of the flying (and crawling) insects, there was little defense. On these sultry nights, our ancestors suffered with flies and mosquitoes with far greater difficulty than we do in our modern day. Garbage and human waste all highly contributed to the factor of an over-abundance of these pests, as did the large number of horses and other livestock that were so prevalent in nearly all walks of life at the time.
The extinguishing of any light from the candles proved to be necessary as well "for if you do not, you will find yourself eaten up by mosquitoes."
But, if you preferred to have some light, be prepared; Mary Almy wrote on a hot August night in 1778, "frightful dreams and broken slumbers, listening to the noise of a fly or mosquito as they hummed around a candle."
Food?
Better pray for God's blessings for a successful crop, for there is no local store to skip to in case you run out of anything. Hunger was common in 18th century America, with some periods of famine after the American Revolution. Malnutrition led to diseases like beriberi, scurvy, pellagra, dysentery, and malaria, which could worsen the psychological effects of isolation and despair.
Better pray for God's blessings for a successful crop, for there is no local store to skip to in case you run out of anything. Hunger was common in 18th century America, with some periods of famine after the American Revolution. Malnutrition led to diseases like beriberi, scurvy, pellagra, dysentery, and malaria, which could worsen the psychological effects of isolation and despair.
Medicine?
Hahahaha!
Hahahaha!
Don't forget to boil your water first before using or drinking!
No...most would not want to live back then.
We as living historians very much enjoy emulating those from the past, their trials and tribulations. It's a sort of challenge. But we know - everyone today knows - we can always come back to modern times to enjoy 21st century conveniences.
As I like to say, the past is a great place to visit (which I do often), but I wouldn't want to live there.
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| Patty snapped the beans as Charlotte put the meal together. Cooks snap off the end of green beans so that they can cook evenly and be more tender. |
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| Given that we did not have a massive garden, we were still pleased at the amount of yield we were already getting. It was perfect for our Lammas Day celebration. |
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| As my modern wife likes to say, "Fresh from the garden." However, in the 18th century she says no such thing lol |
For our meal we had a quick and easy pasty.
"Say the word “Pasty” (pronounced “past-ee”), and you’ll likely receive a passionate Pavlovian response from hungry folks from several regions of the U.S. (i.e., Michigan, or parts of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Montana, and California)."
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| Pasties ready to be cooked~ |
Pasties have been a popular dish on English tables for centuries. The Oxford English Dictionary claims the earliest use of the word in English literature was in 1300. The OED’s definition of a pasty matches most modern expectations of the dish:
a meat filling, enclosed in a crust of pastry, and baked without a dish. I have traced similar definitions at least as far back as 1764. Earlier definitions seem to be a bit more generic or obscure, describing a pasty as “a great pie” or “a pie made with flesh or fruit.”
While most 18th century recipes were for venison pasties, other types of meats were used (e.g., beef, pork, mutton, and poultry). Many period recipes also suggest marinating and aging meat for several days, as well as beating it to a pulp with a rolling pin. This was done to further tenderize the meat. Beef was likely much tougher then than it is today.
So which style of pasty is most historically accurate? They all are. It seems the common denominator between all pasties is simply two things: a crust and a meat filling….oops, then again, there were also fruit pasties as well.
Ok, it seems there is ONE common denominator: crust.
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Here you are - making the paste for pasties. This comes from the book "The Compleat Housewife; or, Accomplish'd Gentlewoman's Companion" which is a cook book written by Eliza Smith and first published in London in 1727. It became extremely popular, running through 18 editions in fifty years. |
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This is an original copy: It was the first cook book to be published in the Thirteen Colonies of America: it was printed in Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1742 and contained the first published recipe for "katchup," and appears to be the earliest source for bread and butter pudding. |
Using what they called "paste" for the encompassing dough is likely where the word “pasty”/ "pastie" came from. And I found a few pasty recipes in "The Compleat Housewife" 1744.
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| More pasty recipes from The Compleat Housewife. |
Tin kitchen...reflector oven...or roasting kitchen?
All of these titles are acceptable, though I usually use the term "tin kitchen."
Tin kitchens were used from about the mid-17th century through the 19th century, until cook stoves took over and their popularity waned greatly. Due to their shape, they cooked food more efficiently than a simple spit over an open fire, for the oven surface reflected the heat back from the fire, centering it onto the front and back of the food.
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| Placing the tin kitchen on the hearth. The curved nature warms front, back, and sides. |
By the end of the 18th century, more and more households were equipped with tin kitchens for roasting. The cook put the fowl or meat inside and would turn it so the open side would face the fire, using the small door in the back to baste or check on the progress of the food...
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| Pasties in the tin kitchen~ Doot doot doo lookin' through the back door! |
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| I so very much appreciate that I was able to obtain such a contraption from a friend! And I appreciate all of the teaching that Larissa has done in 18th century hearth cooking! |
Did you know these tin kitchens also went by the name of "Roasting Kitchen"? According to historian Alice Morse Earle in her Home Life In Colonial Days book, this was another name listed for this hearth-cooking tool.
Since it was such a wonderful summer day, it was decided to eat our first harvest meal underneath the shade tree outside the cabin door. The light breeze and low humidity made for a perfect day to do this.
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| Looking out the cabin door, we can see our Lammas Day celebration set up. |
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| And I snapped a quick shot from the opposite angle. |
The food - all the food - was so good!
We did not grow wheat to grind into flour to bake the bread. We're not actual farmers who live at the cabin site to be able to do such a thing. But the bread was made from scratch, though with store-bought flour. However, the vegetables we had did all came from our kitchen garden there on the grounds or from the gardens at our homes. |
The following comes from the 1964 pop hit by Chad & Jeremy called "A Summer Song." I purposefully left out a few lines because, well, it's a love song, so I left the "love" part out ~~~ lol But it still works pretty well for what I'm trying to convey: Trees swaying in the summer breeze Showing off their silver leaves... Soft kisses on a summer's day Laughing all our cares away... They say that all good things must end someday Autumn leaves must fall... And when the rain beats against my window pane I'll think of summer days again... |
As one who loves the season of Autumn most of all, I don't think of good things ending just because summertime will be over...au contraire! I, instead, know that the good things will be getting even better! And our fall celebrations here at the cabin I love most of all!
But let's still enjoy summer while that season is here - - - - - - -
But let's still enjoy summer while that season is here - - - - - - -
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| Our Lammas Day meal - this will go down in the books: A half of a pasty, green beans, gourd slices, and bread - all fresh! Plus we had beets and cherries and cheese as well. And a gravy for the pasty. Yes, we ate with our knives (and fingers), as colonials did. |
I am proud and happy that we are experiencing life in the past in this agricultural manner. In a very real sense, we are living by the seasons at each and every cabin visit. That was my absolute intention from the start - to experience the seasons of America past. In fact, one of my favorite books by thoughtful historian Eric Sloane (click HERE) is called "Seasons of America Past," and under 'Author's Note' he writes (with very slight modification from me put in parenthesis):
We have actually come to believe today that we must either progress or retrogress. Each season of existence should be an entirely new one, according to 20th century thinking, and there is no such thing as intelligently remaining stationary. Next year's things, we assume, must necessarily be improvement on this year's, and to want anything but the newest, brands us as quaint.
We have actually come to believe today that we must either progress or retrogress. Each season of existence should be an entirely new one, according to 20th century thinking, and there is no such thing as intelligently remaining stationary. Next year's things, we assume, must necessarily be improvement on this year's, and to want anything but the newest, brands us as quaint.
Contentment, too, is considered a bogey in this century. One should either be sad or joyful. Contentment is a warm sty for eaters and sleepers. How different was America (over) two centuries ago when Benjamin Franklin declared that "Contentment is the philosopher's stone that turns all it touches into gold!"
We often observe that great (great great great) grandfather had a knack of enjoying himself that we seem to have lost.
The American heritage, as I see it, is grounded in the freedom and expression of the individual, and individual freedom, I maintain, was a fresher spirit (two centuries) ago. Individual expression was likewise richer. I believe that freedom becomes stale and expression becomes poor without constant appraisal.
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| Do my lovely wife and I look content? We most certainly are! I have to be honest - - I find her more attractive in these clothes far more than in modern clothes. |
“Let us never forget that the cultivation of the earth is the most important labor of man. When tillage begins, other arts follow. The farmers, therefore, are the founders of civilization.”
Daniel Webster
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| Time to soon begin our journey back to the future... |
It's difficult for some to accept that we do this sort of thing for our own personal benefit. We call it "experiencing our research." Except on occasions when we are asked (and will usually say "yes"), there are no visitors who come to see us during most of these 18th century cabin excursions, for that's not our purpose. We had no visitors come out, nor did we really expect any. We just do our thing, and those who work/volunteer at Waterloo Farm Museum let us be to do our thing - they simply let us be. And, yes, we will happily present to any visitors that may happen by, but that is a rarity for us on these "off" days (which is fine with us).
There is very little there to remind us of the 21st Century. More often than not, there is not even a modern sound to be heard - no cars, no planes, no electronics, no modern people...just us in nature's silence. In fact, at one point, I made a note of that:
"Listen," I said. "Do you hear that?"
Both Charlotte and Norm stopped what they were doing and perked up their ears. Aside from a light breeze blowing the leaves at the tops of the trees, there was nary a sound.
We all smiled at each other.
Even nature kept us in the past.
Utilizing our senses once again.
We are not perfect, but I believe we are heading down the right path.
Happy Lammas Day everyone!
Until next time, see you in time.
~I took photos, my wife Patty took photos, and Norm (Pastor Gerring) took photos.
I certainly appreciate all of the images that allow us to relive - and to allow others to see - our wonderful day in summer 1774!~
I certainly appreciate all of the images that allow us to relive - and to allow others to see - our wonderful day in summer 1774!~
To visit the Waterloo Farm website, click HERE
To learn about Michigan's Log Cabin history - click HERE
If you are interested in our other colonial cabin excursions, please click the links below to the many posts I wrote, all of which are filled with photographs:
To read about our 2020/1770 our first autumn excursion at the cabin, click HERE
To read about our 2021/1771 wintertime excursion at the cabin, click HERE
To read about our 2021/1771 springtime excursion at the cabin, click HERETo read about our 2021/1771 summertime excursion at the cabin, click HERE
To read about our 2021/1771 summer harvesting of the flax at the cabin, click HERE
To read about our 2021/1771 autumn excursion making candles at the cabin, click HERE
To read about our 2022/1772 winter excursion at the cabin, please click HERE
To read about our 2022/1772 spring excursion at the cabin, please click HERE
To read about our 2022/1772 summer excursion at the cabin, please click HERE
To read about our 2022/1772 autumn excursion at the cabin (Pioneer Day), please click HERE
To read about our 2022/1772 autumn exploits - including the cabin - please click HERE
To read about our 2023/1773 winter excursion at the cabin - Candlemas, please click HERE
To read about our 2023/1773 spring excursion at the cabin - Rogation Sunday, please click HERE
To read about our 2023/1773 late spring - more planting at the cabin, click HERE
To read about the 2023/1773 early summer weeding at the cabin, please click HERE
To read about the 2023/1773 mid-summer Lammas Day Celebration, please click HERE
To read about the 2023/1773 autumn Pioneer Day event we participated in, please click HERE
To read about our 2023/1773 Thanksgiving celebration in early November, please click HERE
To read about our 2024/1774 Winter experience at the cabin, please click HERE
To read about our 2024/1774 spring excursion at the cabin, please click HERE
To read about our 2024/1774 summer gardening with just Patty & I, click HERE
~And that brings us up to today's colonial cabin post.
Just in case you are interested, we've also experienced 1860s time at the cabin as volunteers for Waterloo's Cabin, Blacksmith, and Soldiers Day:
2024 - click HERE
2023 - click HERE
And to learn more about Lammas Day, please click HERE
How about 18th century farming - a year in the life? Click HERE
Then there's experiencing an 18th century summer - click HERE
How about an 18th century Autumn - click HERE
Winter - click HERE
and Spring - click HERE
Come out to Waterloo Farm Museum and visit us in the cabin on Pioneer Day, October 6, 2024 - you'll get a wonderful 18th century experience!
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