A LIVING HISTORY BLOG.

18TH CENTURY LIVING HISTORY IN AUSTRALIA.

Wednesday 13 May 2009

TRAIL FOOD & FOOD PRESERVING.

TRAIL FOOD & FOOD PRESERVING. Copyright Keith H. Burgess. MSF 2007, Armidale 2350.
Trail Food.
Pumpkin is nourishing and filling. Cut pumpkin into slices ½ to ¾ of an inch thick, or 1-2cm thick and cut the skin off. Cook slices on a tray in the oven. When they are cooked, open the oven door and let them dry out, at least enough to form a skin on the outside. These slices can be placed in a linen or cotton bag and carried in your haversack or market wallet to eat along the trail. It tastes great! NOTE: This process is more easily accomplished using a wood burning stove or an open fire.
Preserving and storage.
For preserving pumpkin, cut into slices as above. The butternut pumpkin is easier to process, but any pumpkin can be used. Dry the slices in an oven with the door open, or in front of an open fire. Be careful not to cook, treat the same as when making jerk (dried meat). In camp this can be done in front of the fire, over the fire on a rack, or sun dried. When dry, thread the slices on a line and hang up. Make sure each piece is separate, and not touching any other pieces.
When I store pumpkin at home, I cut a slit in the slice of pumpkin before drying. After it has dried I slip the pieces over coat hangers which I hang from a beam or pole. Dried pumpkin does not take up much room in your pack, and it is light.

Friday 1 May 2009

17th & 18th century underclothing for winter. An update on the under-waistcoat research.

17th and 18th century winter clothing for the common people.
Despite my earlier post on under-waistcoats, and undershirts, further research has found nothing to confirm that there ever was a specific undergarment. However, for those who are looking for more items of clothing to wear for winter, there is good news!
Although there is no proof of specific undergarments such as the under-waistcoat, an extra normal waistcoat can be worn under the normal shirt, or under another waistcoat. The same applies to an extra shirt, which can also be worn under another shirt. There is even documentation of two coats being worn at the same time.
Primary information for the above can be found at the following links: http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/PSAS_2002/pdf/vol_055/55_213_221.pdf
And
http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/PSAS_2002/pdf/vol_106/106_172_182.pdf