PICNICS, BURGOOS AND CORN-ROASTS.
TRACES of foreign ancestors are apparent occasionally in most of us,
true Americans though we be. It is perhaps a spice of gypsy blood in
our veins that sets our pulses throbbing with pleasant excitement when,
seated in an old hay-wagon, we go bumping and thumping down the road
prepared for a delightful holiday.
With camp-kettle swinging beneath, and coffee-pot stowed safely away
within the wagon, do we not feel able to provide as savory dishes for
our picnic dinner as any concocted by the gypsies themselves? Surely no
coffee is ever so delicious as that cooked over the camp-fire, albeit
it tastes somewhat smoky when prepared by hands inexperienced in the
art of out-door cooking; but if the fish we broil is a little burned,
and the baked potatoes rather hard in the middle, who cares? Hearty,
healthy appetites, which the early morning drive through the fresh,
exhilarating air has developed, laugh at such trifles and dinner
is voted a success in spite of sundry mistakes and mishaps in its
preparation.
There are _picnics_ and _picnics_. When one drives out in a fine
carriage to meet a fine company, and partake of a fine lunch prepared
by fine servants, is one kind.
When one goes with a large party, on a boat, and takes a lunch of
sandwiches, cake, pickles, hard-boiled eggs, etc., which is spread on
the grass at the landing and eaten as quickly as possible, is another
kind; but the picnic most enjoyed by young people who are not afraid
of a little work, which is only play to them, is the one where the raw
materials for the dinner are taken and the cooking, or most of it, is
done, gypsy fashion, by the picnickers themselves.
A pleasant innovation in the ordinary routine of a picnic is
=A Burgoo.=
Thirty or forty years ago the men of Kentucky, in celebration of a
holiday, would get up what they called a burgoo. In character it was
very much like the clam-bake of to-day, but instead of chowder, or
baked clams, the company prepared and partook of a soup or stew made of
almost everything edible. Early in the morning the party would meet at
the appointed place and decide what each should contribute toward the
making of this most delectable stew.
Those who were fond of hunting would go forth in search of birds,
squirrels, rabbits, and game of all kinds, with which the woods were
filled. Some caught fish, and others provided fowl, pork, vegetables,
and condiments.
As the ingredients were brought in, those who had charge of the cooking
prepared and dropped them into an immense pot which, half full of
water, was suspended over a roaring fire.
When everything of which the stew was composed was cooked to shreds,
the burgoo was pronounced done, and was served in tin cups, and eaten
with shell spoons, made by splitting a stick and wedging a mussel-shell
in the opening.
That this was a most appetizing feast I know from an old gentleman who
has frequently attended the burgoos and partaken of the stew. Of course
at a picnic composed of girls and boys, it would not do to depend upon
the game which might be shot and the fish which might be caught, for
the dinner, but the burgoo should be adapted to the ways and means of
the party, and each member should provide something for the stew. The
following recipe will make enough for fifteen or twenty persons.
=Burgoo Stew.=
Two pounds of salt pork, the same of lean beef; two good-sized
chickens, or fowls of any kind; two quarts of oysters, the same
of clams; twelve potatoes, four turnips, one onion, two quarts of
tomatoes, and any other vegetables which may be obtainable. Make a
bouquet of parsley, celery, and a very little bay-leaf, thyme and
hyssop, tied together with thread.
[Illustration: _Fig. 66_]
Put the beef, fowl, pork, oysters, clams and a handful of salt in a
large iron kettle, three-quarters full of water; skim it before it
begins to boil hard, and add the other ingredients; keep the kettle
covered and boil until the bones fall from the meat. Serve hot with
crackers. Wild game and fish may also be added to the recipe. When a
burgoo is decided upon, it is best to prepare a light lunch to be eaten
about eleven o’clock, and have the heartier meal at four or five in the
afternoon, as it requires some time for the stew to cook.
Our illustration shows four ways of suspending the kettle over the
fire. While the girls are preparing the ingredients for the stew, the
boys will build a fire in some such fashion as is shown upon page 135,
and put the kettle on. The best way to boil coffee is to make or build
a kind of little stove of stones and mud, and set the coffee-pot on
top, as shown in Fig. 66; this will prevent the smoky taste it is apt
to have when placed directly on the fire.
=A Corn-roast.=
During the season when green corn is plentiful, there is no better
way of having a real jolly time than by getting up a corn-roast. It
is not as elaborate an affair as the burgoo. Some green corn, a long
pole sharpened at one end, for each member of the party and a large
fire built in some open space where there will be no danger of causing
conflagration makes us ready for the corn-roast.
Several summers ago a gay party of friends from New York and vicinity
took possession of and occupied for a few months a little cottage at a
place on the coast of Maine called Ocean Point.
[Illustration: Then The Boys will Build The Fire In Some Such Fashion
and Put The Kettle on.]
Toward the end of August, when all places of interest had been
explored, when the stock of shells, starfish, and such like treasures
had grown beyond the accommodation of an ordinary trunk, and the minds
of the sojourners were beginning to be filled with thoughts of a speedy
return home, green corn, for the first time that summer, made its
appearance. This was hailed with delight, and a farewell lark, in the
form of a corn-roast, was promptly proposed and almost as promptly
carried into execution.
The place selected on which to build the fire was a large rock jutting
out into a little cove called “Grimes Cove.” Here the party met about
three o’clock in the afternoon, each member bringing only such dishes
as were considered necessary for his or her own use. It is needless to
say that the supply was not very plentiful, many limiting themselves to
a cup and spoon; still as the supper was to consist merely of roasted
corn, bread and coffee, these answered every purpose.
Not only was the corn roasted on the ends of the long poles, but bread
was toasted, and in true American fashion it was eaten piping hot.
One of the gentlemen, much to the amusement of the rest of the party,
produced a piece of breakfast bacon, which he fastened on to the end
of his pole and toasted over the glowing embers, declaring that it was
better cooked in that way than in any other.
Yes, corn-roasts are great fun, and they can be held almost any place
where a large fire can be safely built. It is best to allow the fire to
burn down until it is a glowing pile of coals; then sticking the sharp
end of a pole into an ear of corn (Fig. 67), and standing as far from
the fire as the length of the pole will permit, it can be held close to
the hot embers until thoroughly cooked; then with butter and salt this
roasted corn is excellent eating.
[Illustration: _Fig. 67_]
Enough corn should be provided to allow several ears to each member of
the party, as mishaps are liable to occur, and the tempting ear of corn
may be devoured by the flames, instead of the person for whom it was
intended.
The poles, about six feet in length, should be as light as possible,
for if too heavy they will tire the hands and arms of those holding
them.
[Illustration]
[Illustration: White Clover Design.]