Need Hardtack Help

[FTrooper]

OK guys, this is going to sound a bit goofy, but wonder if anyone can keep me from having to do several hours of experimentation.

Next Summer we are hosting a camp for under privileged children with a little more of a Civil War focus. We would like to have a "rations" meal, giving the children a choice of roast pork or beef, beans, hardtack, a vegetable common to Fort McKavett's gardens, and tea (instead of coffee).

What we would like to do to keep this realistic for these kids since they are not of the same caliber most of us are (and quite young) is to make hardtack that has the consistency of toast at best.

Anyone out there done this before or have any ideas how to best obtain this result?

Chris Fischer
Fort McKavett
&
F-Troop

[Charles Heath]

Chris,

The modern hardtack recipe that includes Cream of Tartar as a non-period ingredient will suffice, and adding more will give the cracker a more pastry-like texture instead of the rock hard bread from the days of Mechanical Baking. If the budget allows for a 75 cents per cracker extravagance, then the crackers from Bent's Cookie are fragile enough to be first cousins to unsalted "Saltines." In this day and age, not having the kids chew on rocks is a good idea for liability purposes, and some sites have restrictions on what can and cannot be fed to visitors.

Pre-War San Antonio had a subsistence depot, although I believe the location was not your fort, but a site over in Bexar County. I posted the amount of desiccated goods (just a six month supply) from one 1859 order recently, and the quantity requested was mind boggling.

Good to see you are still out there interpreting. I miss the banter and research on the old Manifest Destiny and FGLHA fora.

[lukegilly13]

Just add a little cooking oil (vegetable or canola) and make your crackers just a bit thicker than you normally would. Turn the heat up a bit and don't bake them quite as long. The outside will get crunchy, the inside will be spongy like a biscuit.

[Hank Trent]

Since you've already gotten good answers on making softer hardtack, I'll just toss out another thought. What about using hard hardtack, but preparing it in a simple way to deal with the hardness, like breaking it up and stewing it in water and sugar?

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net

[Daniel G.]

Hey,

I was making some hardtack and my dumb self forgot to check what flour I was using....self rising flour made the inside soft and the out side kind of hard, but not too crunchy. Just make sure you cut it very thin and bake them at normal temp for about 10 min.

[J.H.Berger]

My experience has shown that some baking powder will make them a little more "airy" so you can bite them even with bad teeth;)

[Charles Heath]

What about using hard hardtack, but preparing it in a simple way to deal with the hardness, like breaking it up and stewing it in water and sugar?

Hank,

I'll assume Chris knows how to make hardtack dumplings after all these years, however, they are something that rarely fail to please even the most discriminating palette! That being said, the kids would probably enjoy desiccated potatoes very much. I know I do.

Chris, beware! Kids like to squish the raw bacon! :wink_smil

[FTrooper]

Every one is being so helpful and I really appreciate it. These are great ideas and will pass them onto the cooks and see which works best.

Its a three years program and this year we exposed them to some Mechanical crackers we had in storage for living history (we told them not to eat them) but watching the kids with those little bricks was like watching cavemen discover fire...it was GREAT.

The first year gives them a multicultural view of the fort and area.

Next year we are taking the top 50% and going to give a little more of a military focus. Thus I want to make them have the same menu (posted above) for lunch everyday, kind of get the "Army Monotony" into them a bit.

The third year we take the top 50% from that group and we take a two week road trip starting at Glorietta Pass New Mexico and then hit as many ACW sites as possible ending up at G-Burg as close tot he anniversary dates as possible (but missing them...for obvious reasons)...LOL!

CHARLES- I would LOVE to get copies of that 1859 info!

Chris Fischer
Fort McKavett
&
F-Troop

[Charles Heath]

CHARLES- I would LOVE to get copies of that 1859 info!

Chris,

This summer has found this old bald man way too busy to get back down to the swampy sweltering city known as Dee Cee, but maybe the good life will slack off a bit this winter, and I can get back to that records group with digital camera in hand. You would think by now that these files had been beat to death by researchers time and time again, but it wasn't breaking the 1960s vintage shrink wrap (can you imagine no one had opened at least one of the massive 3rd Army Corps order books since that time?) that fascinated me, but the pre WWI packages (wood ends and hemp twine) that had not been opened since they were boxed up way back when. The regimental files are well used, but the brigade, division, corps, army, and other higher level (think depots) piles o' paper are awaiting a good perusal. The 1820-1860 stuff is lightly trod, in any case.

Unfortunately, in many cases the meaty documents (no pun intended) were tossed it the trash by archivists, and the only remaining item is the transmittal lettter. Oh, yeah, nothing like seeing 20 linear feet of single page cover letters that basically taunt, "This is a list of really the cool and fascinating stuff we tossed in a landfill over 100 years ago." Sigh.

Interpreting to the wee folk can be fun. While the small fry may not grasp the overarching causes of the conflict on the first go-round, they may leave the site with an understanding that leather shoes once mooed, wool clothing once said "baaa," and their cotton tee shirt didn't come from an animal. The debate is still going as to what an alleged chicken nugget once made. Cluck lightly, my friend.

[Daniel G.]

Chris,

"Every one is being so helpful and I really appreciate it. These are great ideas and will pass them onto the cooks and see which works best."

What do we get if we win?? Lol!

[FTrooper]

The winner gets a years supply of ExLax so that he can authentically interpreter dysentery at the next EFUBU event! Be the envy (or bain) of your tent mates!!!
:D ...and I will wave your entrance fees to Ft. McKavett for life!

Chris Fischer
Fort McKavett
&
F-Troop

[Daniel G.]

HUZZAH! hahahahahaha