Cooking Camp 2010!

Last week we enjoyed the company of seven lovely young ladies as we hosted our annual "Whatcha Got Cooking?" summer camp? In three hours time, these ladies prepared a full meal of roast chicken with herbs, pinto beans, fried potatoes, cornbread, and apple crisp from scratch over a fire pit. They, of course, had a "little" help from our head fire pit chef Fred and historical interpreters Linda and Marcela.

Enjoy these photos!

Thank you, Mr. Goodnight...

If you've been involved with the Village for any length of time, you'll know what a talented woodworker our own Steven Suarez is. And so when we commissioned a chuck box to augment our firepit cooking demonstration, Steven was more than happy to draw up plans, prepare the lumber, and create a masterpiece that is as beautiful as it is functional.

So what's a chuck box, you ask? The chuck box was originally crafted by Charles Goodnight as part of a chuckwagon in 1866. Mr. Goodnight was looking for a handy way to feed cowboys on the months-long cattle drives from Texas to trail heads in northern and western markets. He fashioned a box that would fit into the back of a covered wagon. This box would contain spices, seasonings, utensils, and dry goods that "cookie" might need to prepare meals for starving cowhands. When the front cover dropped down, it would also provide a handy surface for chopping, mixing, and whatever else cooking prep entailed.

Although we do not have a wagon, we do have a wonderful free-standing chuck box that helps us tell the story of a bygone era. And our firepit chefs approve!

Here are photos of the process. Enjoy!

How does your garden grow?

As many of you know, we are very fortunate to have gifted fire pit and hearth cooks on staff here at the Village. And if you read this blog regularly, you also know that we are fortunate to have gifted gardeners to tend our beautiful herb garden.

A couple of weeks ago, these talents collided (in a harmless way, of course). Village interpreter Fred and his wife Gail, a volunteer interpreter and member of the Greater Fort Worth Herb Society, demonstrated the use of herbs in dutch oven cooking. Their captive audience was none other than Herb Society members themselves! We love it when a good collaboration comes together!

There were no leftovers, so we're assuming the food was VERY TASTY as usual. Thanks Fred and Gail!

Keeping the Home Fires Burning...

Check this out!

It's our new fire pit!

Isn't it fabulous????

Even looks great from this angle!

So why are we so excited about this? This new fire pit design, with the metal encapulated fire ring, allows us to demonstrate outdoor cooking without a fire marshal present--which means we can show this exciting frontier skill more frequently!

It's too hot to slave over a fire right now, but keep your eyes peeled for dutch oven lovin' this fall!