O Say Can You See?

Five questions for a colonial culinarian

It's not everyday that you get to meet an expert on colonial foodways—especially not one dressed in a historically accurate pilgrim outfit.

But that's exactly what happened to me at the museum recently. Colonial Foodways Culinarian Kathleen Wall spoke with museum visitors about colonial life and food, so I took the opportunity to ask her five questions about how pilgrims celebrated the harvest. Since 1980, Wall has been on staff at Plimoth Planatation, a Smithsonian Affiliate. She blogs about pudding and stewed pompions at Pilgrim Seasonings.

Colonial Foodways Culinarian Kathleen Wall speaks to visitors in the museum.

1. What are the top food myths about what was on the table for the "first" Thanksgiving?

Myth 1: Cranberry sauce. There might have been cranberries (but a berry by other name is still pretty not-so-sweet). They have lots of other names in English: Fen-berries, Fen-grapes; Marish-Berries, Marish-worts, Marish –whortleberries; Mosse-berries, Moore-berries, and kranebeere in Dutch... you get the picture.

Myth 2: Turkey was the centerpiece. Turkey was good, turkeys in Plymouth area were plentiful, big, 'fat and sweet,' but they weren't the only bird on the table. Ducks, geese, quails, pigeons (passenger pigeons, now extinct) and even swan could have been there, as well as venison.

 

Cranberries photograph by flickr user Oschene (Philip Chapman-Bell) used via the creative commons license.

2. What did they really eat at the harvest celebration in 1621 (the phrase folks at Plimoth Plantation prefer to "Thanksgiving")?

Corn (for flour for bread and grits for porridge) and venison; wild fowl (usually considered waterfowl) and turkeys. No potatoes, sweet or otherwise. No green bean casserole. No pie—neither apple nor pumpkin.

3. How do we know what was on the menu then?

Mostly we don’t. Quotes from two contemporary accounts:

William Bradford, Of Plimoth Plantation, Morison ed. p.90.: "And besides waterfowl there was great store of wild turkeys, of which they took many, besides venison, etc. Besides they had about a peck a meal a week to a person, or now since harvest, Indian corn to that proportion, which made many afterwards write so largely of their plenty here to their friends in England, which were not feigned but true reports." [You can read the full historical text.]

Mourt’s, Applewood, p. 82.: "At which time, amongst other recreations, we exercised our arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and among the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five deer, which they brought to the plantation and bestowed on our governor, and upon the captain and others."

 

Wall and Richard Pickering, deputy director of Plimoth Plantation, dressed as Mayflower pilgrims, get ready to answer visitors' questions at the museum.

4. Who did the dishes?

Let's just file that under 'A Woman’s Work Is NEVER Done'

5. If I want to serve a pilgrim-inspired dish this Thanksgiving, what do you recommend?

Pottage is a great dish for day TWO of Thanksgiving!

The pottage recipe for Stewed Turkey with Herbs and Onions below is reproduced by permission.

Stewed Turkey with Herbs and Onions

4 pounds turkey parts (thighs and legs work well for this recipe)
1 teaspoon salt
2 large onions, sliced into ¼ inch rings
Bundle of fresh herbs, tied (any combination of sage, thyme, parsley, marjoram, and savory), or 2 tablespoons dried
⅓ cup red wine vinegar or cider vinegar 
2 tablespoons (¼ stick) salted butter
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon black peppercorns 
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
6-8 1-inch-thick slices of hearty bread, cut in half and toasted or fried until browned

Rinse the turkey pieces and place them in a pot large enough to accommodate them. Cover with cold water and add the salt. Cover the pot and bring the contents to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the temperature to keep the broth at a low simmer for 1 hour. Periodically, skim any froth that rises to the surface.

Remove the turkey pieces and set aside to cool. Raise the heat until the broth comes to a boil. Continue boiling, uncovered, until the liquid is reduced by half. This will take about 1 hour.

Bundle of Thanksgiving herbs. Photo by flickr user Cromley used via the creative commons license.

Add the onions, herbs, vinegar, butter, sugar, peppercorns, and cloves. Simmer for another 20 minutes, or until the onions are soft. While the broth is simmering, cut the cooled turkey into serving pieces.

Before serving, taste the broth and adjust the seasoning. Place the meat in the broth and let simmer gently for just 1 minute. Pour the turkey and sauce into a serving bowl. Pass the toasted bread slices to serve as a base for the turkey and to sop up the sauce.

Serves 6

Recipe source: Curtin, Kathleen; Oliver, Sandra L., and Plimoth Plantation. Giving Thanks: Thanksgiving Recipes and History from Pilgrim to Pumpkin Pie. New York, NY: Clarkson Potter, 2005

Erin Blasco is an education specialist in the museum’s New Media Department. If you’re still craving more food history, explore Food: Transforming the American Table, 1950-2000, which opens on November 20.

Confession: we peeked at your feedback (but would still like more)

Tell us what you think about this blog!

Whether you're a regular reader or this is your first visit, we want to hear from you. We appreciate your feedback! Please take five minutes to complete this online survey.

 

Yesterday, a colleague of mine told me a real-life ghost story. Lauren Jaeger, a contractor in Collections Documentation, had been doing an inventory of part of the collection related to workers on the Panama Canal. As she sifted through photographs, documents, and a particularly morbid telegram, she discovered a historical twist that had escaped notice.

Luckily for Lauren and I, we don’t have to keep this story to ourselves.

Next week, Lauren's blog post will bring the ghost story to light. You'll be able to see the photographs she inventoried and read the century-old letters and documents—real voices from the past. This blog allows us to share behind-the-scenes stories an unexpected angles on history with you as we discover them.

One of the photographs that led my colleague to a ghost story.

But the blog can also do a lot more.

The blog can be a jumping-off point for discussion, such as when this post about bringing little tots to museums sparked a flurry of commentary on Facebook and Twitter. 

It can also provide a platform for participatory projects, such as when we decided to commission a portrait and asked you to decide who it should depict. 

Those are just a few of the possibilities. We know there are more. So we’re asking you: what do you want this blog to be? So far, 144 of you have given us your feedback and we’re hoping that even more of you take this short survey.

While waiting to receive our ideal number of responses and close the survey, I couldn't help peeking at what you've said so far. 

You identified the blog's strengths, which will help us stay grounded in what works as we make changes:

• "I love having a peek into the museum's 'behind the scenes' operation"
• "The blog often helps me with my family tree search by giving me other areas to research."

Others provided constructive feedback that the blog team is already excited about acting on:

• "More photos to go with the story."
• "More short posts, single photos, interviews, less walls of texts. Most posts are way too long."
• "Have a mobile phone display version."
• "I think you have to diversify your posts so it's focused on different subjects and interests. Decide what your audience is, and how the blog fulfills your mission." 
• "...you're writing for a public audience—not an academic one. It needs to be funny and engaging to read!"

You also recommended history blogs to inspire us as we re-envision our blog:

• The Museum of the City of New York's blog, which posted about the "Oyster Wars"
• Boston 1775, which gushed about a historic wedding dress
• The Harry Ransom Center's blog, which explored the re-telling of war narratives
• The Tenement Museum's blog, which explained how New York immigrant families made dinner in apartments without running water, electricity, or refrigeration
• Two Nerdy History Girls, which divulged how to reveal your future spouse on Halloween

We try to be real and honest on the blog. We hope you are, too, when you share your feedback with us!

Erin Blasco is an education specialist in the New Media Department. She coordinates blog posts about ghost stories, oyster shucking with Julia Child, the history of pinball, and dirty laundry.

Tell us what you think about this blog

From time to time, we ask you what you think of the museum’s blog. Based on your feedback, museum staff write blog posts on new topics, experiment with new formats, and do more of what you like best.

Please take five minutes to complete this online survey.

We’ll respond to your feedback by summarizing what we hear from you and how this will impact the blog’s future. In past surveys, for example, we’ve learned that many of our blog readers aren’t in the Washington, D.C., area. As a result, we now make sure that posts have nationwide appeal and we make resources related to on-site programs accessible to readers far and wide.

Whether you’re a regular reader or this is your first visit, we want to hear from you. We appreciate your feedback! Take the survey today. 

Erin Blasco is an education specialist in the museum’s New Media Department.

This jug commemorates the first census of the United States taken in 1790. Unlike today’s quick and easy online survey, the 1790 census was undertaken by U.S. marshals on horseback. The creamware jug was make in England for the American market. We won’t be making a jug to commemorate our survey results, but we do appreciate them!

Part II: My Experience on the set of "Gettysburg"

Editor’s note: As part of our free Classic Film Festival featuring four Civil War movies, you can see Gettysburg (1993) at the museum on Saturday, October 20, 2012. Inspired by the film festival, we’re taking you behind the scenes of Gettysburg with guest blogger Brian James Egen. He is the program development officer at The Henry Ford. You can find Part I of his blog post here. 

Bradley Egen, Brian Egen (the author of this post), and Roy Adkins, Jr. on the film set.

"CUT!" "CUT, CUT, CUT," echoed through the woods of the Little Round Top set. Assistant director Skip Copser's amplified bull-horn voice ended the down hill bayonet charge of the 20th Maine against the 15th Alabama. The momentum of the charge started to diminish and eventually came to a halt. "Back to one," was the next and anticipated directive from assistant director Cosper, causing everyone on set to return to their starting point for another take. Filming this triumphant and climatic scene for the movie Gettysburg, led by Jeff Daniels as Colonel Joshua Chamberlain, was an exhilarating rush of adrenaline and excitement.

For the Civil War enthusiast familiar with 20th Maine’s unconventional and successful counter-attack that ultimately saved the Union army at Gettysburg on July 2, 1863, this was equivalent to hitting a walk-off homerun to win the World Series. Portraying a junior officer of the 20th Maine, I was ecstatic about what I had just experienced and participated. As I turned back up the hill for another take, I saw a group of soldiers and production assistants calling for the medic as they clustered around a soldier lying on the ground.

Filming combat scenes for movies, even with blank rounds and safety measures in place, can be dangerous, especially those involving hand-to-hand combat. My euphoria turned to complete terror as someone saw me and called out, "Brian, I think it is your brother." My heart sank as I steadily and directly went to where my younger brother and only sibling, Bradley, was lying. I did not want to outwardly show panic, although a combination of complete fear and utter anger raged through my veins. My heart pounded as I didn’t know if he had been accidentally bayoneted, fell, or was shot by something inadvertently left in the barrel of a musket.

As I approached I could see his eyes blinking but he was not moving. I quickly scanned his torso and face for blood, but found nothing as I knelt down beside him terrified that he was paralyzed. "Brad?" He did not respond. More direct now, "Bradley, can you move your legs?" He mumbled something as I took his one hand and placed my other on his chest. Emphatic, but quietly stern, I said, "Bradley, move your legs!" After what seemed like an eternity, I saw his legs shuffle the earth and flora underneath. Initial relief came over me that he was not paralyzed. "Can you see," was the next question I asked. He responded in the affirmative as the set medics arrived and started to analyze the situation.

He still wasn't coherent as the medics started asking questions. I remained by his side providing as much information about him as necessary. One of the other extras said they thought he was clubbed in the face with a musket by a Confederate re-enactor. The bridge of his nose and forehead was reddish and started to swell, but there was no blood. Although I am sure it was an accident, my impulse was to find this individual and give him a piece of my mind about being more careful and how I didn't take too kindly to an injured kid brother.

"Battle of Gettysburg" Lithograph, Kurz & Allison-Art Studio, 1884

 In the smoke, noise and confusion during the momentum of the charge, I had become separated from Bradley. He was directly behind me when action was called and Jeff Daniels yelled "CHARGE!" leading the 20th Maine attack down hill as the Confederate soldier extras were coming up the hill. My brother and Uncle Roy Adkins, Jr., also from Monroe, Michigan, came to Gettysburg for several days to participate in the filming as 20th Maine soldiers. By now the medics were putting him on a back board, stabilizing his head and extremities. When he was satisfactorily strapped to the board, the medics and a couple other stout re-enactors carefully carried him out of the woods to a waiting ambulance.

Brian James Egen, left, with the film's on-set historical advisor, Brian Pohanka, who also doubled as Brigadier General Alexander Webb.

Although there were many more scenes to film that day, including one of the three scenes where I was to deliver lines in my speaking role as the "Cocky Lieutenant," I got in the ambulance and away we went to Gettysburg Hospital. Although we were both newly minted adults, we were a long way from home—and I was not going to leave my brother’s side until I knew he was alright.

As it turned out, Bradley suffered a mild concussion. He was able to return to the set the next day on limited duty. He remained on set for another couple of days portraying a "shell shocked" wounded soldier not moving around a lot. The production postponed the scene where I had my second set of lines until the next day. Whether or not it was intentional because I left with my brother, or just a matter of a re-arranged schedule, I was grateful for the chance to deliver my lines in spite of the circumstances that transpired the previous day.

It was a surreal experience as we were all wearing period uniforms, reenacting a famous Civil War battle charge and my brother was truly wounded—to what extent and how serious, we did not know. In the confusion of battle and being momentarily knocked out, he doesn't recall exactly what happened but remembers seeing the stock of a musket swing up toward his face. No one came forward taking responsibility of the accident and apparently was just off camera so it will forever be a mystery of exactly how Bradley was wounded on the Little Round Top set.

There is a particular camera shot of that scene where Bradley is clearly visible charging down the hill behind Captain Ellis Spear. Every time I watch that scene in the movie and see my younger brother charging down that hill, I think that moments afterwards he was struck down. Although it produced a few very scary moments for the Egen family, it was a truly memorable experience for two brothers from Michigan fighting in defense of Little Round Top.

Brian James Egen is the Program Development Officer at The Henry Ford. In August 2011, he was appointed by Michigan Governor Rick Snyder to the Michigan Historical Commission and recently appointed chairman of Michigan’s Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee.

Part I: My experience on set of the movie "Gettysburg"

Editor's note: As part of our Classic Film Festival featuring Civil War movies, you can see Gettysburg (1993) at the museum on Saturday, October 20, 2012. Inspired by the film festival, we’re taking you behind the scenes of Gettysburg with guest blogger Brian James Egen. He is the program development officer at The Henry Ford.

"Tom Chamberlain" (C. Thomas Howell) left and the "Cocky Lieutenant" (Brian James Egen, author of this blog post) right during a break in the filming on the Little Round Top set during filming.

The movie Gettysburg, based on the 1975 Pulitzer Prize winning classic novel The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara, was an on-again, off-again film project, almost since the day it was published. In 1992, after ten years of lobbying studios and distributors, writer/director Ron Maxwell was able to collaborate with Ted Turner and Turner Pictures to finance the film. On July 20, 1992, principal photography commenced in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Although some of the film's scenes were shot on the actual battlefield (a truly unprecedented National Park Service allowance), the vast majority of combat and opposing fire sequences were filmed on set locations three miles west of town. I spent six weeks on the film and, although was I was originally hired as a background extra, my participation culminated in being cast in a speaking role as the "Cocky Lieutenant."

Brian James Egen left with the film’s on-set historical advisor, Brian Pohanka, who also doubled as Brigadier General Alexander Webb. An author, historian, and battlefield preservationist, Pohanka consulted for other Civil War films including Glory, Cold Mountain, and Gods and Generals. Mr. Pohanka died of cancer in 2005.

Having graduated college in the spring of that year and recently been hired as a part-time historical presenter at The Henry Ford (Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village), I applied for a leave of absences to participate in this long-awaited film project. Arriving in mid-August, I participated in what as known as "Pickett's Charge Week" that was highlighted by filming the advance of Pickett's Division from Spangler's Woods along Seminary Ridge to Emmitsburg Road across the same ground as the original participants.

The initial advance of the Pickett's Charge scenes was filmed at the original location on the battlefield. Here, a portion of the 3,000 extras march at the double-quick up to the fence bordering the Emmitsburg Road. For the tourists and those passing by, it was a moment they will probably never forget.

I have never had a more intimate experience with history as I did the day we filmed that scene on the actual battlefield. The step-off point for Pickett's division started in the hollow west of Alexander's Knoll wherein Cemetery Ridge (the Federal position) could not initially be seen by the Confederate soldiers. As I, along with nearly 3,000 extras, marched toward the Federal position and out of the hollow, we could at first see the tops of the taller monuments, then the top of the infamous Copse of Trees, then the Federal regimental monuments, the fences, and finally the stone wall where the Federal Second Corps was positioned. Sans the monuments and markers and with thousands of armed men waiting for them, this is what the original soldiers would have viewed as they approached—for many this was their last view. As we proceeded toward the Emmitsburg Road (our stopping point for filming), I was brought to tears—overwhelmed by the inculcation of the moment, location, and facile understanding of the historical event we were replicating. The remainder of the Pickett's Charge scenes were filmed on the set location.

"Cocky Lieutenant" (Brian James Egen) left, "Tom Chamberlain" (C. Thomas Howell) center, and Captain Ellis Spear (Donal Logue) rehearse scene 68. This is the first scene in which the "Cocky Lieutenant" speaks, "Colonel, it seems to me all the fighting is on the other side of the hill."

In the last part of August, I participated in the filming of General John Buford (played by Sam Elliot) cavalry scenes as part of the Federal First Corps infantry. On September 2, production shifted to film Colonel Joshua Chamberlain (played by Jeff Daniels) and the 20th Maine Infantry—nearly half of the movie's storyline. A general call went out to the 250 remaining core group of extras that six men were needed to help flesh-out the "officer’s corps" of the 20th Maine. Borrowing some of the necessary officer accouterments, I applied for and obtained selection as one of the six.

On September 14, believing my excitement and participation could not be rivaled, Assistant Director Skip Cosper approached another young officer and I, asking if we, "would care to audition for Ron [Maxwell] for the role of the 'Cocky Lieutenant'?" Of course, the answer was yes, and my counterpart and I were given three script scenes to memorize that feature the "Cocky Lieutenant." Two days later we auditioned for director Ron Maxwell, saying the lines to a tree. Subsequently, I was chosen for the role and finished the rest of the filming in my part. Although I was involved in nearly every 20th Maine Infantry scene in the movie, there were three scenes that I had speaking lines all of which were with Jeff Daniels portraying Colonel Joshua Chamberlain.

Copy of a collodion wet plate process photograph taken of the majority of the Federal cast in front of the Leister House (General Meade's headquarters) set building. "Tom Chamberlain" (C. Thomas Howell), "General Winfield S. Hancock" (Brian Mallon), "Colonel Joshua Chamberlain" (Jeff Daniels), and "Lieutenant Pitzer" (Bill Campbell) are around the table. Ken Burns, who had a cameo appearance as General Hancock's Aid, stands to the right of the table with his hand in his blouse. Brian James Egen stands to the right of Ken Burns. This image was used in the opening title sequence of the film.

Filming wrapped on September 30th, with the final scene filmed being the last scene in the movie wherein brothers Joshua and Tom Chamberlain embrace—and yes, that was the real sunset in that scene.

The entire experience was exceptional and informative in many ways and helped fuel my interest in history and film making. I met many people on set that have become life-long colleagues and friends in the field of history. My brother and uncle were able to participate in some of the filming which added to the memorable experience of making of this monumental film.

The back view of the Lutheran Theological Seminary set building used as a backdrop for the first day battle scenes where Federal General Buford’s Cavalry and General Reynolds's Infantry held back the Confederate attack depriving them of the high ground. This scaled version of the Seminary building was built on a farm about 17 miles west of Gettysburg where the large battle scenes could be staged.

Brian James Egen is the Program Development Officer at The Henry Ford. In August 2011, he was appointed by Michigan Governor Rick Snyder to the Michigan Historical Commission and recently appointed chairman of Michigan’s Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee.