Lessons from 1876: Seasonal Stewardship Then and Now

image: TIVASEE on Pexels

As I've been putting together menus for our household for the week, my mind has been wandering back through history and thinking about how many of our eating habits have changed. Look in your fridge and freezer. What do you see? How many foods were grown in a distant location from your home? How many foods do you eat each day that simply can't be harvested in the week you consume them?

I have a ripe avocado sitting on my kitchen counter right now. Two weekends ago we enjoyed wild blueberries harvested on the opposite coast of our country. And tonight I made a Mexican bean soup that contained corn. All of these foods had to travel from some far away location to my kitchen

Around the Centennial of our country, meal planning was vastly different from today. There were no 24-hour supermarkets or pinterest boards for inspiration and recipe links. In summer, you likely walked out to the garden to see what could be used in the coming few days. On the Fourth of July in 1876, a celebration may have included a picnic in the town square or on the grass in front of the church. Depending where in the US you lived, you might have brought cold chicken, new potatoes in their jackets, and pie made with ingredients from your own garden. The community may have put together something for entertainment, a recitation of the Declaration of Independence, and a barrel of lemonade. Alternatively, if you lived in a city, there may have been a parade along with patriotic readings and recitations. If you were celebrating in your home, your meal may have included garden-fresh green peas, lettuce leaves, and if you lived where the soil warms quickly in spring, your corn may have been ready to harvest for eating green.

Even at the highest government levels of the time, seasonal eating held true. I recently came across the menu from the White House in 1887 for the Fourth of July. Under President Hayes, the White House residents and their honored guests dined perhaps more luxuriantly than common citizens, but the local and seasonal emphasis remained. Here's what was served for the main meal at the White House that year for the Fourth:

Clam Soup

Boiled Cod with Lobster Sauce

Roast Lamb. Mint Sauce

New Potatoes, boiled

Green Peas

Spinach with Eggs

Cucumbers sliced

Chicken Patties

Naples Biscuits (Ladyfingers)

Vanilla Ice Cream

Chocolate Macaroons

Strawberries

Coffee

The produce on the menu, the new potatoes, the green peas, the cucumbers, and the strawberries, would have all been ready to harvest by the Fourth of July in that year.  [The White House Cookbook .ⓒ 1887 on Internet Archive]

When I survey my own vegetable and fruit garden in early July, I feel a deep connection to the farmers and gardeners of years' past. I, too, head out to the garden to see what can be used in our meals. And when I decided on my Fourth of July menu plan, what was ready in my garden significantly influenced the final plan.

When we plan our meals around what is seasonal, not only do we save money, but we also practice a timeless form of stewardship, with an emphasis on sustainability, health, and responsible resource management. Eating locally and seasonally reduces transportation emissions, minimizes preservative use (with fewer wax coatings or artificial ripening agents), and delivers a higher nutritional value and flavor. It's a win, win, win all around. 

Wishing you all a lovely Fourth of July. Enjoy the good food and good company!

A Frugal Fourth: Planning a Festive Holiday Menu Without the Stress

I flipped the calendar over to the next page this afternoon and about had puppies when I realized the Fourth of July is THIS SATURDAY! I've got to make my Fourth of July menu asap. In my defense, I've been distracted with other things.

As I am miles behind, it would be easy to just hit WinCo and buy a bunch of ready made sides, a pre-made dessert, and buy something to serve for a main dish. Yep, that would be festive, indeed. Honestly, though, food prices are still so high. I'm trying to do this holiday on a budget -- yet I want it to feel special. I think that 250 years is something to celebrate.

When I plan a big meal, I try to include something sweet, something tangy, something crunchy or fresh, something savory, and something creamy. Before I actually draft my menu, I shop my fridge, pantry, freezer, and garden first, making a mental note of what I have to work with. On hand right now, I have: fresh carrots, yellow onions, 1/3 of a red onion, garlic, herbs, apples, 1/3 of a head of cabbage, eggs, two kinds of cheese, assorted condiments, a fresh batch of homemade barbecue sauce, frozen chicken, beef, Lil Smokies sausages, an 8-pack of uncured beef hotdogs, butter, baking ingredients, frozen cherries, dried beans, rice, dried fruit, graham crackers, chocolate, root beer extract, sparkling water, garden kale, garden raspberries, garden Swiss chard, and garden rhubarb.

We had baked beans two nights this week already, so I'll skip baked beans. The cabbage isn't enough for much. I made rhubarb jello for Memorial Day. So . . . I'll use the uncured beef hotdogs, one package of Lil Smokies, the barbecue sauce, garden kale, garden raspberries, frozen cherries, fresh carrots, baking ingredients, graham crackers, chocolate, sparkling water, root beer extract, mayo, the red onion, and a couple of eggs.

Here's what I've come up with so far, using what I have on hand:

• beef hot dogs
• soft scratch hot dog buns (using a refrigerator roll dough)
• Lil Smokies in barbecue sauce to have as a little snack while we wait for dinner
• a kale and raspberry salad in a sweet and tangy vinaigrette
• a scratch cherry pie
• tangy mustard-glazed carrots
• a creamy potato salad, using the mayo, the red onion, and a couple of boiled eggs
• s'mores using graham crackers and chocolate
• homemade root beer, using the extract

What I'd like to have, but will need to buy:

• watermelon
• a second package of some sort of hot dogs or sausage
• baby potatoes for a smashed potato salad
• pepita seeds for kale-raspberry salad
• marshmallows for s'mores
• one more bottle of sparkling water for the root beer

I think I've hit all of the flavor and texture profiles. I'm keeping it simple. And my grocery list isn't too long or costly. Watermelon is a classic summer cook-out or picnic fruit, and it's so affordable. Baby potatoes are more expensive than regular mature potatoes, but they will make a super easy smashed potato salad. My daughter-in-law is allergic to tree nuts. When I make a salad for which I normally use nuts, I buy pepita seeds, as I know she can have them. However, I buy just what I need from the bulk bins. I'll buy store brand marshmallows and store brand sparkling water, saving a little off of the cost of name brand. Not too bad of a shopping list -- I'll be buying 6 items for the Fourth.

By shopping what I have on hand before I make my menu, I can come up with an interesting and tasty selection of foods while still protecting my budget. At the end of the day, our family won't remember how fancy or simple our Fourth of July feast was. What they'll remember is the laughter and conversation that we shared around the fire ring. They'll remember that we all gathered together to celebrate a milestone in our nation's history. They'll remember that mom asked for a fair amount of country music to be added to the playlist. They'll remember that dad is a fierce competitor in croquet. They'll remember that we licked our fingers after eating s'mores around 10 or so. And they'll remember that we're a family that loves each other and our country.

Do you have favorite Fourth of July or summer cook-out foods? Will you do anything special to celebrate the 250th? I'd love to hear about your plans for the holiday!