What did you eat when overlanding in the early 19th century

[paulj]

The Food Journal of Lewis and Clark by M. Gunderson gives lists of provisions and stores.

L&C had a significant store of food as they travelled up river by boat. As that got used up and they shifted to foot and horses, they had to depend more and more on hunting and trading with the Indians. One high tech food item was a precursor to our instant soup mixes.

They spent the first winter with the Mandan, who had a good agricultural base, so they got things like corn from them. Further west they bought a lot of dogs for food. The expedition did not like the salmon diet of tribes along the Snake and Columbia rivers. While camped on the Pacific coast, they collected salt to preserve meat (such as elk).

Camas was a major plant food source for tribes in Idaho and inland Washington and Oregon. But you have to know what you are collecting, since it is hard to distinguish the mature plant from Death Camas. I don't think the expedition collect of this for themselves.

 

[dieselcruiserhead]

I have a feeling recipes along these lines...

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13821

 

[James86004]

Applewood Books has published a copy of :
The Prarie Traveler by Captain Randolph B. Marcy, US Army
First Published 1859
Includes routes, first aid, recommended clothing, shelter, provisions, wagon maintenance, and the selection and care of horses.

I found this book online at http://www.kancoll.org/books/marcy/index.html

It is definitely interesting. Thanks.

 

[calamaridog]

Did you just break out the Apple II to play Oregon trail?

Exactly what I was thinking

 

[Mike S]

The wagon train immigrants brought flour, sugar, coffee, tea, bacon, salt pork, dried beans and fruit, sourdough starter, live stock (cattle and pigs), and possible some root vegetables that would keep during the trip.

Hunting along the trail was possible, but there were a lot of people traveling that route, and game was scarce. Rabbits and prairie grouse were probably on the menu, though.

They ate lots of biscuits, beans with salt pork, bacon, stew, soup, etc. I bet it was pretty much the same thing 6 nights a week. Very few ribeyes with Caesar salad, nd, worse yet, no cold beer.

 

[shahram]

What does salt pork and hard tack taste like? They don't sound appealing.[/IMG]

Hard tack tastes like an unsweetened, much harder version of shortbread. They are nice and brittle when they're fresh, but as they dry, whoa, look out for those teeth. Their dry hardness means they hold together in rough conditions and keep a long time. They don't require much to make, either, just a lot of flour, some water, salt, and very little fat. They can be eaten cold on the go, or dropped into stew or soup as dumplings.

Salt pork is just wonderful. Salt and pork, how can you go wrong with that?

 

[paulj]

There is one company that makes Civil War style hardtack, mainly for war re-enactors. I believe these biscuits are a couple of inches square, 1/4 -1/2 thick. Weevils are extra. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardtack

A Newfoundland company, Purity, makes hard bread. These are oblong hockey pucks, about an inch thick, and hard as rocks. They are usually broken into chunks, soaked in water overnight, and then stewed with meat or fish, making such classics as fish-n-brewis. I bought a couple of bags from the a Canadian company years ago, and still have one that looks as good as new. http://www.tidespoint.com/food/fishnbrewis.shtml http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fish_and_brewis

Pilot bread is more modern derivative of hardtack and ships biscuits. These are like heavyduty saltines, but without the salt coating. Nabisco used to make Crown pilot bread for the New England market. A Tacoma bakery makes Sailorboy Pilot Bread, mainly for the Alaska market. 2lb blue boxes of these biscuits are standard survival equipment for bush pilots. Diamond brand saloon biscuits are the Hawaian version. I have also found pilot bread, in regular and extra flakey versions, in Canada, mainly in coastal towns. Carr's water crackers are a thinner version.
http://dwb.adn.com/life/taste/story/9433461p-9345620c.html

A couple of the backpacking food companies package pilot bread. My initial taste was the Richmoor brand years ago when I starting backpacking as a college student.

I keep my camping supply of pilot bread in a couple of screw top plastic 'bottles'. It makes a good lunch time alternative to flour tortillas.

The texture of brewis - cooked Purity hard bread - is somewhat like lumpy mashed potatoes. The outer part of the biscuit retains a bit more chew than the interior. Taste is bland as one might expect from an unsalted flour dough. Flavor then comes from the bacon, salt pork or salt fish.

 

[DontPanic42]

Additional information on old camp recipes ( including hardtack recipes ), woodslore, homesteading, indian lore can be found in 'the Backwoodsman' magazine. The last issue contained topics such as "Brining Meats', 'Sourdough 101", 'Wilderness Raft', 'Backwoodsman Woodslore".
www.backwoodsmanmag.com for back issues and information.

 

[jeepmedic46]

Beans and varmints that they could shoot along the way.:camping: :chowtime: :REOutIceFishing:

 

[SinCityFJC]

Beans and varmints that they could shoot along the way.:camping: :chowtime: :REOutIceFishing:

Yummy I've had varmint stew as a kid while spending couple weeks camping/wheeling the Dusy Ershim trail.