(Left) A group of Hale area youths traveled to the “Road to the Horses 2019 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky. Pictured at the event are (l-r) are Kaylee and Emily Morley, Zander Johnson Larkin and Reese Space.
(Above) Jillian Tremonti Engelhardt, Director and Owner of AuSable Dance Center, giving last minute instructions to Kyra Emmons with Molly Wright looking on at the recent Walled Lake for Hall of Fame Dance Challenge.
Toad's Stool B-3
From the Comfy Chair B-6
Eagle Voice C-1
New snail invasion B-1
Laughing Buck B-7
Grayling dance awards A-7
HMR in Mio Page C-2
What's in this issue:
Apr 2019
Strengthening the communities of Northeast Michigan Vol. 9, Issue 10
Voice
Free Up North
A Recipe for Everything
By Jim Smith GRAYLING - One of the documents housed at the Crawford County Historical Museum is an old, tattered cookbook. The front cover and first six pages are missing and the paper is yellowed. According to the title across the top of the pages the recipe book was put out by “The Ladies of St. Mary’s Church”. On first inspection the book would appear as most cookbooks put together by various groups and organizations as fund raisers or similar projects. Not much is known about this publication, however, based on the names of the contributors, the recipes included and the ads of supporters of the project, it was published in the early nineteen hundred in Grayling. In addition, the only St. Mary’s Church anyone can remember in Grayling is the Catholic Church which raises an eyebrow because so many of the recipes are Danish and the majority of the early Danes in Grayling were Lutherans. The best guess is that this cookbook was a
(Above) Does anyone remember where this restaurant was located? (Below) The phone number in this ad suggests a simpler time.
project of the Catholic Church but, Grayling being a small community at that time, all church’s and other community members were invited to contribute which provides us with a truly eclectic view of the early community menus. Upon closer examination the cookbook provides a vivid insight into what our early life styles were like, based on what we ate about one hundred years ago. As with most cookbooks this one contains a section on measurements and conversions, but how many modern cookbooks contain a table of recommendations for serving gatherings of fifty people? This harkens back to the days when organizations put on dinners that attracted most of the community or preparing and feeding lunch to the harvest crews that assembled to help each other gather the crops. It also probably helped the cooks in the lumber camps to feed the lumberjacks. The mid-day break was an essential part of the fall harvest or in the lumber camps. They worked hard starting at dawn and the ladies and camp cooks started just as early to prepare the food for the lunch. They all worked together, moving from farm to farm until all the crops were harvested or to be ready for the lumbermen when noon break arrived. Most of the recipes use high calorie and carbohydrate ingredients to provide the energy required by these rigorous jobs. The recipes were telling in the type of food that was cooked. Many the early settlers in Crawford County were Danish and the recipe book reflects that in many of the recipes offered. The first part of the cookbook describes “Danish Cookeries”. Danish soup, buttermilk soup and “Gronkall” soup and “Sago” soup and “Bolle” soup, (dumplings in milk soup) just to name a few. Another section contains recipes for “Danish Meats.” Frikadeller was a dish made with either round steak or pork ground up with other ingredients, including lots of suet. The mixture was
(Above) The recipes on the back of modern cake boxes aren’t nearly as informative as this. (Below) With these selections Mrs. Wolff must have been a remarkable hostess.
rolled into balls and fried in hot lard. Both Mrs. T. Boesen and Mrs. N. C. Nielson submitted recipes for this dish. Another dish, submitted by Mrs. Nels Olson was called “Applesflaske”. It was apples, peeled and sliced, fried up in bacon grease and ► See RECIPE on page 4