See my response to this in the "Did Robert E Howard's death cause Smith to stop writing?" thread.

My grandmother refused to prepare oppossum because it's hands looked like a baby's hands to her - nevertheless, we often bought "rabbit" from the man who delivered coal, which dressed looked like rabbit, but was discovered as often to be cat. Ah the post-depression era!
As to "canned" food, that which has been referenced so far has to mean commercially "canned" food in metal (so called "tin") cans -- Clark's mother was an adept at "canning" in glass jars, as were most housewives after the advent of the glass jar and canning lid emerged - during the early years of my marriage, my wife and I had an extensive domestic garden and at one point had over 400 jars of "canned" goods in a storage room - green peas, peas, cherries, apple sauce, peaches, apple butter, pears, berrie
of various sorts and whole berries, juices - we made our own cider and Apple vinegar -
We also bottled our own beer (dark), made wine from everything (rose petals, rice, rose hips, cranberries -- we made our own pickles, slack lime sweets (what wouldn't I give for some of those now), and dill (old family recipes all) - we raised and butchered our own beef (jersey steer) and pork. Had a freezer full of our own fryers (did 100 in one day once, yuck) - had egg producing hens and ducks -
stored squash, potatoes, and yams, turnips, and onions -- you may be assured, Clark's Mom did very much the same, except for the meat in the freezer and butchering the larger animals - In addition, Auburn's climate was very agreeable for olives, and at the time I lived there they were produced commercially.
There was an olive tree, peach tree, and a couple of plum and pear varieties growing on the Smith 40 acres - and a limitless supply of blackberries. Canning in jars only requires a large pot, heat source, water, and tongs - plus a modicum of sugar and salt for most things - I might add that Clark loved pickled (german style) cabbage - and, though I don't think his mom made them, he liked the pickled watermelon rind my mom made - Clark gave my mother one of his carvings - small head Carol called "Dolup" - she gave it to my brother who, dear mercenary that he is, got a ridiculous price for it on ebay. (my brother hated picking blackberries - definitely an urban type).
'

Hmm, interesting perspective, regarding opossums. I never thought of that, as my experience with them has been limited primarily to chasing them from the back porch when they tried at night to eat the cat's food, or separating them from the family dog when she was on the prowl. My father did not like eating opossums because they were greasy! He also recalls during that time having endured meals of brains and eggs, and of--ugh!--"ram fries". As you say, the joys of Depression-era living in the South!

I recall picking dewberries with my grandmother when I was a boy in rural Texas. Even though I live in Queens, NY, now, I am fortunate to live in the upper floor of a house where my landlords keep an organic garden in the yard with tomatoes and green beans, as well as an herb garden. There is a persimmon tree in the front yard, and a fruitful pear tree outside my kitchen window. Nearby is also the Queens Farm Museum, New York City's oldest working farm; visiting there, one would not think that one was in a city, at all. Hardly akin to Auburn, of course, or to any other rural area, but it has its charm.

The oppossum is truly greasy, as is the raccoon - however, brains and eggs properly prepared is marvelous - there was one restaurant that prepared in so. Texas when I moved here, now, due to the queasiness of the cooks, that delectable dish is no more - and Pork brains are superior to cslf brains -the secret is to cook them thouroughly in bacon grease (light) -- the result is very much like the sausage one fines in authentic mexican omelettes - garnished of course with a Mom and Pop salsa -- as to "mountain oysters", in Eastern Oregon ranchland they are a common bar nosh - and dipped in hot mustard quite wonderful - more crunchy and delicate than chicken nuggets which they resemble in shape -
and of course really really cold beer.
The garden sounds great, and your proximity to organic yummies is a true grace - my daughter and son-in-law when living in the City, kept a little window box on the 6th floor of some converted defunct Hotel which happily had a sunward window; they fled to Texas at the first opportunity since the neighborhood they could afford on a teacher's salary was unsafe to go outside at anytime during the day for a young woman and baby, and my daughter was near to losing it entirely having been raised as an outdoor person in the high forests of Oregon, and a horsewoman to boot. The only good thing she got out of NY was her
husband (sang Judas for me in a production of "SuperStar" I directed 4 years ago) -

While we're reminiscing, here's an easy way to replicate (sort of) an integral part of "the CAS experience": Dark Sky Star-Gazing.

A bowl of picked blackberries, with a thin sprinkling of sugar, and cream (half-and-half). Life just doesn't get any better than that! Food of the Gods.

Another exciting variation I tried, was a zabaione made of yolks, brown sugar, madeira, scratched lemon peel, lemon juice, a bit of fine grained ginger; all whipped over sparse heat until thick. Blackberries put flat in ovensafe bowls, the zabaione poured over; grilled in the oven until light brown.

I bet the Smith garden (Garden of Adompha) also had cucumbers in the wet season, growing like limbs out of the earth. To feed a family with vegetables all year requires quite a big patch. These days people do homegrown for the fun of it, and to link with past and genuine roots. But it's usually not an economical solution for most. I sometimes bake bread, but it sure takes up time. On the other hand it's better bread than from the supermarket.

I don't quite understand the wringing of chickens heads. It seems like unnecessary cruelty. I asked my mother, whose foster parents had household farming during the WW2. Her mother had no problem with slaughtering chickens, and whenever she needed it for dinner, she went to the barn and chopped off the head of a couple of chickens. But my mother remembers no wringing.

Were Clark's fish soup and meat stew recipes (available somewhere on this site) standard in his cooking? Typical dinner? I have tried the fish soup, and it was very rustic and good. Or did Carol do the cooking after they married?

Carol prepared most meals - although you can see from one of my photos in "Sword...", black bread, a strong cheese, a cheap burgundy wine, "and thou beside me singing in the wilderness..." down on the beach was a favorite thing in Pacific Grove - there used to be a recipe for "slack lime sweet pickles" on the sack of slack lime; don't know if it's there any more since we haven't made our own picles for years, though we have relatives in NC that send us care packages periodically (stone ground corn meal, real hot dogs (red), Nahunta pork sausage, -- I thank God I didn't live my whole life in NC< I would easily weigh 400 lbs - the winter garden is most important - includes squashes (various), and the "cole" crops -- which are best after a frost --
btw - the electric bread making machines available today make the process much less time consuming - and the grandkids love to help and watch the dough being turned - the flavor is the same, just missing the tactile part of the job. Mrs. Smith senior was a famous bread baker - some of her magazine customers would give her a sack of flour to make some for them occasionally.

You ate your stomach full on black bread and strong cheese, only, for dinner?

What're the ingredients in black bread? I have never eaten it (only dark brown). Rye and dark syrup? Maybe I could bake it myself.

Edit: I found black bread on Wikipedia. Same as straight rye bread.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 8 Dec 08 | 08:47AM by Knygatin.

calonlan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> you can see from one of my photos in "Sword...", black bread,
> a strong cheese, a cheap burgundy wine, "and thou
> beside me singing in the wilderness..." down on
> the beach was a favorite thing in Pacific Grove

I think that's fascinating. A time gone, that was more laid back and romantic. Today everything is so darned ambitious. I sometimes settle for similar simple dinner meals, but tend to get scolded for not eating right and getting all nutrients, so I am not completely at comfort with it.

I don't imagine that Clark spontaneously broke out in song with wine glass in hand?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 8 Dec 08 | 09:16AM by Knygatin.

We did not over-eat the black bread, cheese, and wine - the bread and cheese are merely a complement to the wine -- Russian Rye is fairly close, but one used to be able to buy (at co-ops) a wonderful bread called "Siberian Soldier's Bread" which was a heavy bread, the loaf dusted with yellow corn meal -
American white bread I discovered over the years, mixed and kneaded with water, is an excellent
and long lasting caulking for installing window glass - one old timer in the Georgetown area built his entire place with native stone, and wwII metal window frames with foot square framers. 4x4. and installed all the glass with stale white bread worked into a paste -
Commonly during the day time or evening, if we had a gallon of Loomis Burgundy (which I always brought with me to Pacific Grove - 69c a gallon in those days), Clark preferred it mixed half and half with water and a little ice (if any) and called it a wine cooler -
As to Clark breaking into song - the only time I recall Clark singing was, having achieved a "rosy glow", joining in on a bawdy chorus of "oh, my sister Lily...", or "The Winnipeg whore" -- both of which are well forgotten -- he also enjoyed my German rendition of the marching song of the Potsdam Grenadiers -- in German, but I translated of course -- it is bawdy and vulgar at the level of 8th grade humor - very Germanic - However, I know that he had sung, and the recordings Don and I made (soon to out I hope) I rendered some of the songs as best as I could remember - at least the style - largely old english ballad style, or "madrigalesque" -

Calonlan -- Thank you for the anecdote about Clark's singing. I had no idea that he enjoyed music so much! Do you by any chance know whether he enjoyed any other particular songs, hymns, or perchance even Celtic music?

"The Winnipeg whore" is a nice tune. But we better leave the lyrics out of this forum!

Also, since I can't seem to edit my previous message, I'll add one more question: did the version of "The Winnipeg Whore" that the two of you sang follow the tune of "Reuben, Reuben" or was it another?

The Tune was indeed "Reuben, Reuben" and I am shocked that you knew that!! Horrors LOL - I do not know of Clark's appreciation by way of participation, but I was at that point in 6th year of vocal studies with famous Oratorio base, and Conductor of the Sacramento Bach Society, Frank Pursell - I had already sung with the Carmel Bach Society founded by Ernst Bacon, and with the NYCity Opera, and the SF Opera - and, of course,had acquired a fairly large repertoire of Old English ballads, and well known art songs from the French, German, Italian, and Russian composers in additon to American songs,and Negro Spirituals (I did a master Class in '60 with Marian Anderson) - and enjoyed singing some of these for Clark -- he loved the three b's, especially Brahms, I had a surreptitiously done reel - reel copy of Mahler's 6th, and we absolutely wallowed in the glory of the 2 chorus, 2 orchestra, 2 sets of soloists, and children's chorus production secretyly recorded during rehearsal in Berlin - Poet friend Harold Holden (From Athing et al) had snuck in during the reheasel in 1956 and made the recording on an old Wollensak portable (I still have it, and intend to load it on a CD someday I hope) - Clark like big sounds, though he appreciated the orgasmic stuff Chopin wrote for George Sand on Majorca (Carol liked that too) - he was not into popular music, and the only radio he had in his life was after moving to Pacific Grove - never turned on during any time I was there. As to hymns I cannot say beyond a discussion of Gandhi once where I pointed out that saint's favorite hymn (and sang it), "Lead, kindly Light" -he liked this very much - the words allow a generic spirituality, though it is very popular in the Christian context, -- not sung much anymore - hymn singing has generally degenerated into lots of "happy Clappy" choruses accompanied by Guitar, as opposed to majestic, grand monuments of great depth of sound and meaning requiring an Organ with at least a 32' low C.

Calonlan:

Quote:

he [CAS] was not into popular music [...]

It's interesting how poets' taste in music varies. William Blake was just the opposite, as he liked only the popular music of his day, and had no ear for, or interest in, Classical music, at all. (Blake also is supposed to have set his "Songs of Innocence and of Experience" to simple tunes of his own devising that he would sing, on occasion).