The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1918-11-22
6ere and Ohere

There were so many strange foods
in early Thanksgiving days that I'm
quite sure many of our young peo-
pie never knew about. 1t seems
wise to devote this chapter to those
unusual things that were served and
in the next one tell how it was done
Often one doesn't know what they
have in the book shelves that pro.
vides entertainment until bit OF
enthusiasm starts search, then
good things unfold, that combined
with memory sketches, or catch
! thoughts soon pile up until one
scarcely knows where to begin.
AS there were no industries other
than those about the homes, the set
tier had to turn to the forest and
sea for foods and they did not do
so in vain. Deer were plentiful;
some families living on it for nine
months of the year. Down in Vir-
ginia they were hunted this way:
Large tracts of forest were burned
over by starting a continuous circle
of fire which burned in toward the
center. BY this method the deer
were driven to the center or middle
of the circle and hundreds killed
Ihis miserable wholesale slaughter
however was for the hides, which
were valuable. At the first Thanks
giving feast in Mass, the Indians
brought five deer to the colonists.
There was also a great store Of
wild turkeys" Beautiful birds with
gold and purple bronze plumage.
One man saw flock on the Chesa-
peake Bay that weighed from 80 to
40 pounds each. One weighing so
is especially mentioned.
Wild pigeons in flocks that dark
ened the sky and broke the limbs
of trees where they lighted. The
partridge family were plentiful.
There was an abundance of wild
honey in hollow trees and, by the
way, it is claimed that the honey bee
Is not a native Of America, but was
brought over by the English; that
the Indians called them English flies.
The Indians made maple sugar in
some crude way and taught the col
onists how to, produce it.
The sea, the rivers, the lakes,
teamed with fish. There were enum-
Grated over 200 kinds of fish caught
in New England waters alone. Lob
sters weighing sometimes rs pounds
each, often 5 and feet long. A
crab made meal for 4 men. Oys-
ters were often a foot long. This
sea-food probably kept the Virginia
colonists from starving at one time.
nj
luscious food.
There were water fowls in great
abundance especially down the coast.
The Indian corn was native of
the new world and quite intelligently
cultivated by the Indians, who taught
the settlers to break up the land
and plant corn; to grind or mash
or break 1t and cook 1t in several
ways, just as We do now. Hominy,
pone, suppawn, samp and succotash
are names the Indians gave to dishes
made from corn and all in use to
this very day in some localities.
A method Of preparing corn was
to boil 1t slowly for twelve hours,
then to pound the grain in a morter
or followed stone until it became a |
course meal. Then it was sifted |
thru a basket and the larger pieces
pounded again and so on.
Suppawn was favorite dish. It
was a thick corn meal and water
porridge, such as we call mush. It
Is still used in those states and fur
nished the evening meal for many
arge families in a generation Just
passed away. The Dutch learned to
ike it Immediately upon settlement
Ind their defendants still continue
% use 1t at times.
In my childhood days spent in
New York State we always said "In-
1ian meal" and corn was often called
maize" presume the custom is
,till the same. Those housewives
made fresh maize bread, baked in
,blong shape, mixed with dried
luckleberries, which lay as close in
t as raisins in a plum pudding.
Our succotash harks back to those
I'D days only they used more elab-
,rate spelling like this: sukquttah-
lash. The Indians planted corn in
succession for more than two months
o have roastine ears. A hard In
lian pudding made of meal and
water slightly sweetened was used
n some homes every day. Corn
zone or appone was baked before
he fire. As there was no -four,
neal was used for many dishes, one
Il which we should not pass by. The
orn was parched in hot ashes, then
he ashes were sifted from it, after
which it was be;.ten to a powder and
'ut in long lec ther bag which was
arried on the back when on a jour-
ey and out of which three spoonfuls
day were eaten. They mixed it
nth snow in winter and water in