Making Firecake! (Revised)

Hey everyone! In this entry, I will be going over and talking about changes that I would have liked to make when I cooked Firecake.

After doing extensive research of the many types of food cooked during the Revolutionary War, I decided to make Firecake, a food eaten by Colonial soldiers during the Revolutionary War. Very simple to make, this Firecake only had 2, sometimes 3 components: water, flour, and sometimes salt.

Choosing the ingredients was fairly easy - but I forgot an extremely important part: oil! This caused my end result to be very soggy and still "doughy". Additionally, baking soda would have been very helpful.

Ingredients: I made my Firecake with ingredients as close as possible to those originally used.

> Flour

>Water

>Salt

When I first started working on the fire, I thought it would be pretty easy! It turns out I was very, very wrong. I ended up having to use a torch to even get anything on fire! I probably should have at least used a grill pit of some sort - the wind basically put out every fire I made.

There is no specific measurement of each ingredient as the only requirement is that the Firecake is thick and damp before you cook it. I also made a small fire in my backyard to cook it on top of.

I should have known that the Firecakes wouldn't cook all the way through if the batter was almost liquid, but I went with it anyway! An improvement I could have made is to use a bit more flour or possibly baking soda and oil.

1. Mix together the ingredients until you get a texture close to mashed potatoes.

The bottom line here is that I should have used a pan of some sort. I didn't even wash the rocks! All in all, my idea of cooking the Firecake on top of the rocks didn't work out very well.

2. Place on hot rocks to cook.

I probably should not have eaten this afterwards, considering the health hazards. In retrospect, it would have been better to try and cook the Firecake inside of an oven. As you can see, it came out almost gooey. If I had cooked it in an oven, it should have come out like a hard biscuit.

3. Eat when the dough is cooked!

I learned a lot about what kind of conditions the Colonial soldiers had to go through while researching about Firecake, especially their diet. Seeing what the soldiers had to eat to survive gave me a big wakeup call on how much easier it is for us to find a suitable meal. 

I'll admit... that was not the most exciting thing I have eaten in my life. It really, really does not taste great and makes you smell like smoke afterwards! The main reason this food was made so quickly is because the Colonial soldiers were constantly moving around, they were forced to create a food that would last a long time. However, it is still interesting to see what Colonial soldiers ate in the past.

Visiting Renaissance Festival 2013!

I went to Renaissance Fair with my family on Sunday, October 13th. We did not stay long, but I was able to get some really nice pictures and video. Due to my school schedule, I could not come to any other days.

 Here was a lady working on a loom, making blankets and clothes!

This is an example of pottery. Towards the bottom, you can see all of the sculpting tools used to create the plates and cups.

Here is a video of the parade as the reenactors moved towards the stadium.

Renaissance Parade

I had a great time, and I wish I could have stayed longer and come on other days!

Washing Clothes by Hand! (Revised)

In this entry, I will be reviewing and note additions or changes I would have done while washing my clothes by hand!

Today, I decided to wash my own clothes outside. I've always wondered how it would be like to be in the 1700s washing clothes by hand. Now I know.

I should have also set up a clothesline to hang my close on, rather than using my fence. 

Here is a picture of reenactors doing it:

One major tool I was missing was a washing board! My family doesn't own one, sadly. I believe I would have gotten a more in-depth experience if I had used one. Also, I didn't use soap of any kind, so that would have been helpful as well.

Truthfully, it is not as easy as it looks! After bending down and washing a pair of pants and a shirt, my back and my hands started to hurt. It is definitely a tedious and exhausting job; I sure wouldn't want to do it all day!

I would have liked the opportunity to go to a creek or river and retrieve water to wash my clothes. Not that it would have been cleaner, but I would have been able to experience the full ordeal of washing clothes during the 1700s and 1800s. 

Here is me washing clothes by hand outside:  

Local Historical Site in Katy, Texas

Photo courtesy of Google Map

It recently dawned on me that I have been to this local historical site in Katy, Texas countless times over the last six years, but never really thought about its history. As a matter of fact, I have spent several summers here with its owners. For this project, I interviewed the owners, my mentor, Mr. Samuel Saenz and his wife, Dr. Karen Pitts Saenz.

The house was built in 1910 in Katy, Texas. The address is 5718 Fifth Street.  P. C. Pitts and his wife F. A. Stockdick Pitts moved into the house in 1947.  Their daughter Karen Pitts was 1 year old at the time.  In 1972, Mrs. Pitts passed away and the following year Samuel N. Saenz and Karen Pitts Saenz moved in to the home to be with Mr. P. C. Pitts.  Mr. Pitts passes away in mid-1970's leaving the home to Mr. and Mrs. Saenz.  During the 1986 Texas Sesquicentennial year, the house was cited as a historical home as one of the first homes built in the Katy area. A historical marker was erected by the local Texas Sesquicentennial Committee for this quaint ancestral home. 

The home is not open to visitors and there are no exhibits other than the plaque in front of the house.The home is in a business district and city council was petitioned in 1980's to allow the home to become a homestead.  The petition was granted and the home is still in the residential classification.  There are no special rules that apply to the home as it is not a "National Historical Home." It is only a Texas State recognition.

Photo courtesy of Google Map

5718 Fifth Street, Katy, TX

Below are pictures of nearby historical sites within 

5 blocks  of the Saenz's historical home.

Katy Heritage Park 

Photo courtesy of Katy Heritage Society

Katy Post Office

Photo courtesy of Katy Heritage Society

Traditon of Freedom Train

Photo courtesy of Katy Heritage Society

MKT Depot

Photo courtesy of Katy Heritage Society

MKT Caboose

Photo courtesy of Katy Heritage Society