Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1912-11-13

Thanksgiving time, when 80 many th,n.
had to be baked at once. For not on,v 80
brick oven but also the whole flren,acs .Ae
often devoted to cooking for the e,a..
annual feast.
IL was necessary 20 raise the BODY o. ~.
pot or kettle, whatever the cooking A..
might be. above the ashes and Goals ~ ~
open fireplace. Then IL the bed OF c,,s,,
and burning logs was too deep for the iro,
legs, the dish must be hung from ahov.
Even the toasting forks and waffle i,nn,
had legs and so did the gridirons.
While the andirons OF the Longtel,ou
fireplace are too far back to be seen in -.
the picture, they are there, substantial n.
tsirs of iron, vastly different from these :,
hr,ss in the chambers and living room q,
the house.
ROASTING THE TURKEY.
II WAS momentous occasion, the coo..
ing Of the THANKSGIVING turkey. nn
those first Thanksgiving days wild ,ur.
keys we're served At the great dinner, and
they were roasted by the housewife wbo
suspended them In front OF the fire nv /.
strong hempen string tied to a peg in tia
ceiling while some CT the children, USUALLY
reluctant little girl, turned the roa.,
around from time TO time.
II was hard work for the housewife
with so much to do, to tend to the bastiny
of the turkey, so she taught the children
how to do IL. Every time IL was bastsd.
the child gave the string good twist. and
then il would untwist and then twist A
little again, till the vibration ceased, when
IL was again basted aud started.
When turkey was very fat and Juicy.
the juices sometimes ran down In the
roast and left the upper part too dry, 50
"double string" roaster was invented BY
which the equilibrium of the joint could
ba shifted.
Another method OF roasting was one
that, happy, found no favor among the bet
ter hammered New England housewives.
Originating in England, the turnspit dog
was "littie low, bow legged, patient soul
trained to run In revolving cylinder and
keep the roasting joint a-turn before the
fire..
Near the waffle irons In the pictured
box-iike arrangement open on one side
which when In use was turned toward the
DIRE. They often were supplied with legs
to bring the open side before the blaze,
and there was little door at the back
that could be opened for convenience IN
basting the roast.
Birds and joints and bread were baked
in these kitchens, and very good they
were as the old Thanksgiving records
show. In some OF the old farmhouse
these ovens are still used, snd IN the
camps they still retain their usefulness.
THE BAKE KETTLE.
Besides The Dutch oven the bake kettle
WIS used for baking bread. Strong and
strudy, standing on dumpy legs, one Of
these kettles will be used Thanksgiving
day; placed among the hot Goals Of farm
house fire, and covered with 8 metal cover,
1t is to BE- hoped that the rolls and biscuits
baked within, will have the same favor
that they did when baked by great grand
mother half century ago.
Whether seen at Thanksgiving or any
other time, the colonial kitchen wss
goodly sight. The glimpse of the Long
fellow kitchen, with Its quaint old-iash-
Toned furnishings and the generous depth
of fireplace, shows that the heart OF the
family life OF colonial days was centred
in this room, the living room OF the
homestead.
No matter where Thanksgiving days
observed, there Is sure to be some member
of the family who will look back down
the years and recall some dear remem-
brance OF the time hen his own Thanks
giving circle gathered round the hearth nre
"s then lowering near.
We watched the srst red blaze appear,
Heard the sharp crackle, caught the CLEAN
On whitewashed wall and sagging beam,
Un;il the old, rude furnished room
Burst, hower-like, into rosy bloom