Sunday, November 8, 2015

A Traditional Farm Life - Toasted Zwieback


A Traditional Farm Life

By Shasta Hamilton

Greetings from Enterprise, dear friends.  How novel it is to have the calendar page change to November and still be comfortable in shirtsleeves!  That little voice of reality in the back of our minds tells us it’s too good to be true, but we might as well enjoy it while it lasts, right?

Yet even knowing that “all good things must come to an end” somehow fails to motivate me this year to accept and prepare for the reality of winter.

In these modern times, of course, there is less to prepare for than for our pioneer ancestors.  It is very easy for us to forget how the seasonal cycle dictated the activities for farm and city folks alike for hundreds if not thousands of years. 

While we may still be motivated to lay in a certain amount of supplies for emergency situations, we are often lulled into a false sense of security these days, I’m afraid.  When the supermarket has everything we could possibly want to eat—and more--ready for us to purchase at our whim to supply the day’s need, it’s easy to forget how our ancestors spent three seasons of four preparing for the cold, dark days of winter when fresh food would be scarce.

Those among us blessed with the wisdom of white hair remember the large gardens and the stifling heat of canning winter’s supply of vegetables in the height of a Kansas summer.  Other methods were—and still can be—employed to preserve the harvest.

Before the advent of water bath canning, pickling was done by lactic fermentation in those large heavy crocks now often used for nostalgic decoration around our homes.  Root cellars not only housed the pickles but potatoes, carrots, onions, apples and other fruits and vegetables that were “good keepers” into the winter.

Summer sun and heat also provided the means to preserve food for later use by drying.  Sliced apples and apricots first come to mind, but some vegetables were also prepared in this manner.  Dried corn can be prepared in a myriad of ways, and indeed was a pioneer staple.  Perhaps you’ll be surprised to know that green beans were suspended in hot attics by needle and butcher’s string, dried, and these “leather breeches” were later rehydrated, cooked, and served.

Let’s not forget about salting, smoking and curing.  Family, friends, and neighbors used to gather for hog butchering bees when temperatures remained cold enough in the late fall to safely process the meat.  Our pioneer ancestors “used everything but the oink” to frugally prepare for the weeks and months to come.  Salt pork, bacon, smoked sausage and ham, pickled pig’s feet, and head cheese were just a few examples of delicacies prepared from the humble hog.  Butchering day often included spare ribs fried in the newly rendered lard—what a treat after a day of hard work and fellowship!

Preservation methods could also be employed to “extend the shelf life” of some baked goods.  My Mennonite ancestors regularly “toasted” zwieback, as this homemade bread stales quickly. The top “double bun” was pulled off and cut in half vertically to create two half-moon-shaped pieces.  The larger bottom was also cut vertically into three equal pieces.  In days gone by, the zwieback was toasted after regular baking was completed, as the brick ovens held heat well and slowly cooled down over a period of several hours—perfect for slowly dehydrating the soft bread into a crisp cracker-like treat.

Before emigrating in 1874, my ancestors baked and toasted bushels upon bushels of zwieback to sustain them on the long trip from the Ukraine to central Kansas.  How comforting this taste of home must have been in the dark, dingy confines of a steamer slowly chugging across the Atlantic toward an uncertain destination of unbroken prairie!

Making zwieback for our family gathering last weekend inspired me to carry on the tradition of simple food, simply prepared for our own family.  A table simply set in the tradition of our humble forefathers with zwieback, sliced bologna, wedges of cheddar, and sheet cake shared among family can draw us together just as well as the finest fare a king could offer—and perhaps even better.

Toasted Zwieback

zwieback, as many as desired
 
1.  Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2.   Pull zwieback apart; cut smaller upper bun in vertically in half and bottom bun vertically into three equal pieces. Place in a single layer on baking sheet.
3.  Bake for about 90 minutes or until zwieback have dried out completely all the way through and have browned slightly.  Remove from oven to cool.  Delicious served warm with butter.  Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Copyright © 2015 by Shasta Hamilton

Shasta is a fifth generation rural Kansan now residing in Enterprise, Kansas.  She and her husband own and operate The Buggy Stop Home-Style Kitchen with their six home-schooled children.  You can reach The Buggy Stop by calling (785) 200-6385 or visit them on the web at www.thebuggystoprestaurant.com.

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