Depression Era recipes..(and others like it)

[Arielle]

@ YK--I"m NOT for foolishness regarding wild plants-- I'm talking about learning from a learned person. In the past, this information and identification was handed down generation to generation. When that continuitiy is lost, the food source is lost.

@ Lacy B-- smoked meats is something I have wanted to try; We have the smoker but have yet to use it; kids and I were discussing WHICH woods to use in it. We teach our kids how to ID trees-- DH learned from someone else years ago . . . But alass, a noted brain doctor has said smoked foods are a challange to our bodies; as in not healthy for our brains. So I"m trying to figure out how my love of smoked meats willl fit in my future diet!! lol

 

[Lacy Blues]

I think apple wood sounds like a really good choice, along with maybe mesquite and hickory?

 

[Arielle]

I think apple wood sounds like a really good choice, along with maybe mesquite and hickory?

THose sound good!!

 

[The Yakima Kid]

@ YK--I"m NOT for foolishness regarding wild plants-- I'm talking about learning from a learned person. In the past, this information and identification was handed down generation to generation. When that continuitiy is lost, the food source is lost.

@ Lacy B-- smoked meats is something I have wanted to try; We have the smoker but have yet to use it; kids and I were discussing WHICH woods to use in it. We teach our kids how to ID trees-- DH learned from someone else years ago . . . But alass, a noted brain doctor has said smoked foods are a challange to our bodies; as in not healthy for our brains. So I"m trying to figure out how my love of smoked meats willl fit in my future diet!! lol

Hi - well I do know how to sort out some common edible wild plants - but I see way too many people playing the Euell Gibbons game - and too many "knowledgeable people" like the river guide who confused hemlock with wild carrot. Stinging nettle is delicious - and non-stingy - as a potherb. Quail bush can be used as a substitute for baking powder - and there are a lot of plants that are too similar to toxic plants for me to eat very often. A very knowledgeable person I knew back home picked a camas one time. He thought he followed the stem down. On a whim, he planted it when he returned home. The hairs on the backs of *everyone's* necks stood up when instead of the lovely blue camas flowers, he saw the beautiful - but different - death camas. Nowadays most people don't harvest camas - not only because of the risk of confusion - but because they follow the forager goal of trying to take no more than 1/4 of the plant - and eating the camas bulb kills the plant.

 

[The Yakima Kid]

What's really weird is that thirty and forty years ago people tried very hard to keep mesquite out of their cooking and smoking fires.

If you're doing fish, try alder.

 

[Lacy Blues]

I had turkey one thanksgiving that was smoked... actually, it was two wild turkeys that had been obtained during hunting season... anyway... they didn't have enough mesquite chips to do the job so they threw in some hickory chips as well.

That was THE best turkey I've ever had in my life! Super delicious and moist and very flavorful.

 

[Arielle]

I had turkey one thanksgiving that was smoked... actually, it was two wild turkeys that had been obtained during hunting season... anyway... they didn't have enough mesquite chips to do the job so they threw in some hickory chips as well.

That was THE best turkey I've ever had in my life! Super delicious and moist and very flavorful.

Now I am hungry.

I buy smoked turkey tails occassionally, and I dont want to share; not one with my family. lol I will have to look someday at the packaging for the labeling-- what ever it is , it is goooooood !

 

[The Yakima Kid]

Baked Fleischkuchle

Make one recipe of white bread dough, choose a recipe that requires about 4.5 cups of flour. I like to use one that uses milk and maybe a bit of butter.

Begin to preheat oven at 350 degrees F

You will need one pound lean ground beef.
two medium onions, chopped fine,
and one head of fresh green cabbage, sliced finely.
. (The red or purple has a tendency to turn an ugly blue color which requires adding vinegar to turn to a more aesthetic shade.)

3 cloves garlic, ground, sliced, or crushed.
black pepper to taste

Sauté the ground beef until mostly brown and finely crumbled. Drain.

Add two chopped medium white onions. Sauté until translucent

Stir in the cabbage and 3/4 c water, garlic, and pepper. Cover the pan with a lid that is slightly offset to enable steam to escape, and simmer until the water is evaporated, and the mixture is dry, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat.

Punch dough down, subdivide.

Take one ball of dough, roll it out as flat as possible. Cut out 8" circles.

In each 8" circle, place between 1/4c and 1/3 c filling.

Fold over, pinch seam shut. You may use a bit of water on the seam if needed to seal it.

Place on a baking sheet that is either well greased or covered with parchment. I use parchment.

Bake 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

I tend to use all purpose flour instead of bread flour in the dough so the oven spring doesn't give it too much volume.

You may add other ingredients to the recipe - finely chopped carrots, grated potatoes, use sauerkraut instead of fresh cabbage, or even spread with pizza sauce and stuff with pizza toppings for filling.
.

 

[Lacy Blues]

Is it necessary or advisable to cut vent slits in the pocket?

 

[Arielle]

That is a recipe I need to try!