madPete

6 hours ago, Stynky Tudor said:

I have a couple coolers that I plan to bring, not sure that I'll make covers in time.

1-LARGEish size
I figured we can use it for food and or drinks

1-MEDIUM
Holds a couple six packs

 

Canvas, Canvas, canvas...

We'll have to do Ice runs periodically. There's a bulk ice machine across form Circle K as you enter the island. its 1-1/2 ish [miles] from there to the fort.

Anyone have a decent soft side cooler?  I was looking online and surprised how expensive they are. We can buy cheap ones there at walmart and just keep them full of ice, but a quality one would be very useful as it holds the ice longer.

recommendations?

So we have two big dinner nights Friday and Saturday, and a smaller group Thursday. Sunday will be teardown so no production dinner. Those staying on til Monday morning will need to forage or ad-hoc something. (Thinking we need to get cooking gear back to Chris on Sunday, and someone deliver women's tent to Chris on Monday)

Here's another Williamsburg recipe, basically thin beef wrapped around a stuffing and kebob on the fire. (no olives LOL). might be a good side to the above Ragoo French beans

https://www.colonialwilliamsburg.org/learn/recipes/beef-olives/

Proposed dinners...

Thursday Dinner: Pasta and white sauce, greens, bread, vegetable dish

Friday Dinner: Ragoo-french-beans and Beef olives (see recipes), greens, bread

Saturday Dinner: Vegetable stew with BBQ'd Beef or BBQ'd chicken  on the side that can be added to stew (or not), greens, bread

maybe need some sort of dessert dish as well like sweet potato pie?

other ideas, comments?

I ran across this dish on the Colonial Williamsburg site. Maybe served with a meat dish of some type (or bacon on the side of course)?

https://www.colonialwilliamsburg.org/learn/recipes/ragoo-french-beans/

17 hours ago, TudorSmith said:

Yeah the cot is only minimally about comfort. I mainly need it as something to get up off the ground to cut the damp and chill. Obviously longer legs would provide that even better but not so much to warrant the extra packing space. I have to say this does feel much more supportive then the old Colman camp bed I used to use. 

The camp pad really has been the good find. It's narrower, but sturdier feeling then a regular air mattress. It definitely feels more firm/less prone to sag too. It said on Amazon that it had like an r3 insulation level....which I doubt, but better then a wholly uninsulated conventional air mattress. But I plan on lining the bottom of the mattress pad cover with like an emergency blanket or something to help insulate, and blankets on top should do the trick 

I think taller eliminates dampness but increases chill. The ground provides insulation. Less air circulating underneath you when down low is a good thing. I would even stuff things underneath to block the air. I was a on a normal height cot at one event in Northern arizona, with 2 wool blankets doubled up underneath me, one on top and a wool great coat and I was still cold. Yet when I sleep on the ground on a self inflating camp mattress (1-1/2 inches tall at most) I'm fine with a single blanket underneath.

That's a serious breakfast.   If you had 10 people buy in, can you estimate the cost per person?

Thanks HalfPint!

2 hours ago, TudorSmith said:

This makes sense and honestly kind of relieves me. My logic in asking was that if accomodations were to be made best to know about them as far in advance as possible, but I agree with with the sentiment that this is an optional buy in, with limited resources.

It was a good question which allowed me to set the expectations. We'll try but no promises.

I ran into something similar at a Rev war event and someone was put out because there was no kosher food at a potluck. Better to set the expectations on the front end. We do have limited resources but we'll do the best we can to feed our group.

1 hour ago, TudorSmith said:

So jacket shell is constructed. No pics yet but might get some later. Pocket,/flaps and lining. Might go without a collar. 

But on other projects front....i had pulled the trigger on a cot/camp mat configuration. In an effort to disguise it/make it look more period I took some of that roll of striped cotton Essex I had and made a cover for the pad so it looks more like a mattress. Might also make something to hang over the edges to obscure the cot frame too, but all and all, pleased with the look. A wool blanket on top, a down pillow and it should look decent, balanced with comfort and ease of transport. 

 

Back to the jacket next....

Nice! I have a short cot like that also, but uncomfortable. Maybe the mattress would fix it. That does give me an idea...

Speaking of coconuts...

On 7/7/2023 at 10:11 AM, Mary Diamond said:

Might I recommend: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002CMQJYU?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

IMHO, it is better by far than others (better protection against a wide variety of little vampires), won’t eat your plastics, is safe for your fabrics, and is available in pump and lotions, as well as a spray to treat larger items (such as tents, jackets, etc.).

 

😊😄

Mine arrived today - thank you for the excellent reference! ( I guess the spray will get shipped along with something else)

$60 is a bit steep, not gonna deny people because they have a modern trencher from the thrift store.

I like your philosophy, A true scientist!

William says they will have porta-potties but your question  is excellent. Will they have them on Wed/Thu/Mon for those arriving early, leaving late?

1 hour ago, TudorSmith said:

If I may suggest that we add a category on the sheet (or at least a running list somewhere) of any food allergies/dietary requirements other then veg types... easier to plan any accommodations if we know ahead of time.

 

Otherwise, trawling through recipie collections for the unicorns - easy, scalable for a crowd, wide appeal, fairly stable ingredients and able to be done on a fire lol

First, this is an optional buy-in. You dont have to buy in to any specific meal or any meals at all. Every single Mercury member will be from out of town and we dont have the luxury of our own kitchen or knowing what grocery has gluten-free/peanut free whatever to meet specific allergy requirements.  If this is a concern, I recommend individuals make their own plans or review closely what we propose as a menu and ask questions at the event. We'll do our best when we get there to choose ingredients wisely, but the likelihood is we wont know specific brand ingredients until we get to the local grocery and see what is available.

I'm not indifferent to the issue, my GF has very specific requirements which she will need to deal with separately. But we dont pretend to be a restaurant, cooking meals is an auxiliary thing and thats asking a lot for ad-hoc cooking volunteers who also want to participate in the event.

We need a basic menu first, for people to decide if they will participate. Balancing a meal with sides like greens, veggies, bread etc is the magical part that helps accomodate, but needs planning. i.e. Greens/bread with every meal, possibly a meat free stew, with optional chicken or beef on the side that can be added to portions.

We do welcome suggestions, If there is something we can cook that satisfies the majority of the crew, we'll do that. I have some period ideas like the above stew, as well as possibly a macaroni and cheese pie in a crust  (not dessert)  and possibly onion pie (potatoes, eggs, onions, apples, cheese) along with some sides including a meat dish. Iron Jon made a braised cabbage dish one year that was excellent.

So please make suggestions that can accommodate most or all of the group.

31 minutes ago, Stynky Tudor said:

So how many folks are we/me cooking breakfast for?

William says there are 17 Mercury members signed up for the event. It's not likely that they will all buy in for every meal, or even buy-in at all, and we haven't asked for a count yet. Probably cant get a confirmed count until we get the menu a bit more nailed down.

Having said that, if you know you want to participate in at least one meal, let me know and I'll add you to the list so we can get a rough head count. For now I think we limit this to Mercury members so it doesnt get out of hand.

We're looking for at least two cooks/helpers at each meal so you wont be alone at breakfast, and not likely you will have to cook for all 17.

I think we will set out the dishwashing tubs and pyrates can clean their own dishes.

hmmm.. I bet I could make those square trenchers with a router bit. Just what I need, another project...

On 7/12/2023 at 4:01 AM, Mission said:

While I haven't found any period images that show eating from the GAoP itself, I do have some later period images. My impression is that the trencher (the square thing with the plate milled into the middle of it up there from the Victoria and Albert Museum) would be the most appropriate. These later images suggest bowls, however. (Note - the big bowl is a punch bowl, not a serving bowl. In fact, the smaller bowl near it may well be an individual punch bowl. Most images of sailors at table show them drinking punch rather than eating.)

 

Four Marines eating Pease on board the Pallas, By Gabriel Bray, National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, Nov 1774

From The British Sailor's Loyal Toast, The British Tar in Fact and Fiction, 1738, p. 136

The trenchers you find in thrift stores rarely look like the one in the original post, but they are flat and take very little room in luggage, unlike the bowls.

I believe this is the office entrance inside the fort...

and the parking lot near the entrance...

Thank You Chris!

More pics: from the Ramparts looking left to right...

More pics... This is left to right Looking at the entrance to the fort from the parking lot.

Half Pint does nice work!

This is a deal compared to commercial sources which are more expensive and machine sewn

I'm building a spreadsheet to include:

1) Menus/schedule

    Breakfast:  Fri/Sat/Sun

    Lunch: Thu/Fri/Sat/Sun

    Dinner: Thu/Fri/Sat

2) cooking tools and who is providing

    Utensils: Stynky

    Cooking pots/coffee pot: Chris

    camp grill: Chris

    Dutch Oven: ?

    dishwashing basins:  William and/or Stynky

3) Volunteer list

   Breakfast:    Stynky

   Lunch:

   Dinner:    Pete,   Tudor Smith

4) Shopping List

   TBD

18 hours ago, Stynky Tudor said:

I volunteer to cook scramble eggs, bacon, rice, quesadillas...I'm kinda lazy on camp trips. Oh, an I will bring the waffle iron.

Since I'll likely have my teardrop there, I should have a basic (modern) spatula, knife serving spoon - not period appropriate.

I can bring a couple plastic tubs for washing.

Awesome Stynky!  LIke I said, trying to keep breakfast/lunch simple, but if you want to offer the deluxe breakfast, knock yourself out!

Stynky's Cafe - Open 24 hours

I'm not real concerned about completely period utensils... beggars can t be choosers. And since I cant bring the stuff on my flight I'm a total beggar LOL. Let's see if William comes up with the copper tubs, we may not need the plastic ones.

13 hours ago, William Brand said:

I'm chasing some large, period, copper tubs for the dishes and I have lots of period cooking utensils, so I'll go through stuff and make a comprehensive list.

Perfect!

14 hours ago, TudorSmith said:

I can definitely volunteer for a few shifts. It's been quite a few years since I've cooked on a fire but I'm pretty decent at cooking otherwise 

I do have one I'm willing to offer up for use but 2 caveats....one, it would require a volunteer to take it with them since I'm flying (along with the extra wood bowls etc that I found that I'm willing to share) and 2, it's enameled cast iron so about 100 year minimum out of period. So...not the best option maybe, but available if needed

I also have some bread skills....never in wood fired ovens but I certainly wouldn't mind trying my hand at it if we do get access to them

Those breakfasts sound delicious and easy. And while I'm not a full time vegi-saurus, having some options would be great and I might have some good veg/vegan recipes floating around that would lens itself well to camp cooking 

Excellent, we can use the help! Trying to keep breakfast and lunch as simple as possible. Dinners will be the main effort.

Waiting to hear from William regarding the baking ovens, I'm told we can use them, but I know they do demonstrations too so we dont want to disrupt them