Plentywood herald., 1928-02-10
S6Y ellOwstOme'' Kelly
I'm New Book Tells
OF Camp Cookery

hot bread than that made before tho
open fire"
This description of camp cookery is
worthy of preservation, as were undoubt-
edly other. but deleted details. Charles
Russell had a water color showing this
manner of baking camp bread. l never
saw 1t done, as most men who did their
own cooking while crossing the plains
used Dutch ovens. Bread in the ovens
was not likely to be covered with the
dust or ashes. 1t was cleaner.
Kelly also gives the best description of
how pemmican was made, that l have
ever seen. He says; THE buffaloes being
killed and scattered over q considerable
area of ground, all hands turn in and
cut up the meat, which is packed to
camp. Here it is cut into great slabs
the thickness of ones finger and hung
on long lines of rawhide or lariat to dry
in the sun" In another place he states
that meat so hung at once acquires a
glaze which protects it from the blow
flies.
when throughly dry the meat, much
reduced in weight and size, is toasted
slightly on GOALS then placed on raw
hides or stiff canvas and broken up as
much as possible with fails much like
those used for threshing wheat" Most
who read this may have never seen fails.
They were in quite common use on farms
in the days when / was young. They
were made of two sticks about a yard
long and loosely tied together at one end.
One of these was the handle, and the
other was used to beat the grain. 1t
required some deXterity on the part of
the worker to manipulate 1T without
failing himself.
"The dessicated meat" adds Kelly, "is
then placed In rawhide sacks and the
mass is solidfied by pouring in hot tall
low or marrow fat, and the sacks, are
fastened by rawhide thongs in much the
same way that sacks of grain are tied.
One pound Of this wholesome and con-
centrated food is equal to about ten
pounds of fresh meat. 1t will keep in
good condition for one or two years, and
the Red river people sold tons Of it to
the trade posts on both sides of the line
besides conserving great quantities for
their own use and for sale in the set
Elements The dessicated meat, fresh
from contact with live Goals, is most ap-
petizing and sustaining, and when mix
ed with marrow fat 1t makes rich food"
The pemmican also contained dried
| berries, and cherries pounded up stones
and all. This, together with the roots
due in the summer, prevented scurvy.
ThSa corn and vegetables were sometimes
purchased from the Mandans who raised
| them
| The buffalo hump was considered
luxury by trappers and hunters. Mr..
Kelly describes how the camp cook pre-
pared it, "An excavation was made for
the fire, and the hump ribs were pre-
pared with pepper and salt and whatever
| condiment, paste or relish / will not say
| Ut being the cooks secret) but when
the fire-hole was aglow with live Goals,
the hump, in piece of green hide, was
consigned to It, the mass OF Goals was
drawn over 1t, and over all dry earth was
packed. When the hole was opened in
the morning and the skin cover removed
the steaming hump was revealed, juicy
and brown, cooked to turn. At least
we thought SO, as seated around the camp
fire with tincups filled with coffee we at
tackled this choice roast"
The early trappers rarely had either
pepper or salt to add to the roast, and
hunger supplied the salt.
One man with whom Kelly travelled ex-
perimented in cooking coyote. 1t was
found to be extremely tough after the
first boiling but the second cooking made
it eatable, If not tender
Kelly himself essayed cooking, and
once after the Indian fashion. A noun
tain lion had been killed, but no deer
Nevertheless" says Kelly, I'VE had a
feast at this camp for we brought with
us couple Of marrow bones clothed in
meat, a length Of intestine, and mar
row gut.
II prepared the principal disn which,
intestine for container Washing this
for the second time, 1 turned it inside
out, and washed it again Then I tied
one end with bit of sinew. 1t was
now ready to be filled Cutting bits Of
buffalo meat and adding some bits OF
bacon to give 1t body, I mixed little OF
our precious flour and made some tiny
dumplings which went In with the meat
, until the container was properly full,
, then / tied the end and laid the whole
on a bed OF live Goals and watched it.
cook. 1t lost shape rapidly, and had GO
tendency to curl, making it difficult to-
manage but 1t cooked without break;
the marrow bones, meanwhile, were
browning. and when ready needed only a
tap with the back Of butcher-knife to
, break in two and reveal the richness
within.
! MY masterpiece was now not at all
, attractive in appearance, but when cut
In two and shared each particular morsel
was delight, and with the marrow and
a cup Of coffee fulfilled the requirements
Of square meal"
t Indians had neither the bacon nor
. dumplings to include in the stuffing, yet
. this way Of cooking yenison was COM
l mended by explorers who tried 1t.
81 When on his trip northward from Tt.
, Rerthold, Kelly had an opportunity to
. try Mandan cooking and witness its prep
, aration. Entering one Of the log huts
: was greeted with loud cries Of Howl
D Howl by group of warriors who until
< my entrance on the scene had been alb
r sorbed in watching big pot Of meat and
g dried corn boiling in the fireplace. The
t master of ceremonies was an old Indian
9 who was armed with wooden paddle,
9 with which he occasionally stirred the
I mess, licking the paddle off with his
tongue. I was invited to join the circle.
Y and finding that they lacked minnesquea,
! as salt is called by the Sioux, produced
S a handful from my supplies and 1t was
e added to the broth.
4 II also became absorbed in watching
4 the finishing touches of that pot OF In
dian mulligan The old fellow now
a changed his method Of manipulating the
: paddle, for on removing it after Wig
), orous stir, he used his forefinger In
1 transferring the oily drippings to his
j mouth. Apparently the dish was now
e cooked, for he signed to another Indian
to remove the pot from the fire, and
dishes of wood, stone, and copper being
! brought, a general distribution was made
: in which each one received share, there
e being none left after the last man was
g served. l ate my portion until the first
e sting of hunger was appeased without
4 calling to mind the incident OF the pad
G die and the Indian who was so partial to
= it,"
From the foregoing it viii be seen that
the simple life had its UNPLEASANT fea-