Many families packed fishing gear in their wagons so they could catch fish during the journey. While pioneers enjoyed freshly caught fish, they also traded Native Americans for fish and supplies. Salmon was a favorite among Oregon Trail travelers, and we can’t blame them. It’s one of our favorite dishes to make, too.
How much food was needed on the Oregon Trail?
While people could hunt game along the way and stock up at trading posts, they had to pack enough food to last the five to six months of their 2,170-mile journey. The typical wagon could hold 2000 pounds, and 1800 pounds of that was food. Here’s what the people ate while traveling along the Oregon Trail.
What did the pioneers do to get food?
They brought seeds for planting gardens and crops, kept chickens for eggs and meat, pigs for bacon, and cows for milk and, sometimes, meat. Water was always a vital resource and had to be accessible. Settlers learned to forage off the land, hunting and gathering berries and native fruit, nuts, edible bulbs.
What supplies did they use on the Oregon Trail?
Two hundred pounds of flour, thirty pounds of pilot bread, seventy-five pounds of bacon, ten pounds of rice, five pounds of coffee, two pounds of tea, twenty-five pounds of sugar, half a bushel of dried beans, one bushel of dried fruit, two pounds of saleratus, ten pounds of salt, half a bushel of corn meal; and it is
Did pioneers have canned food?
Even once they were settled, the pioneers still had to be resilient. A single storm could take out half a year’s of food supplies. There wasn’t any refrigeration, and even canning didn’t become common until later (which, of course, you’d need access to jars to do!).
How did pioneers get sugar?
Provo pioneers recorded washing sweet sap off the leaves of cottonwood trees along the Provo River — “sugar the thickness of a knife edge” — and boiling it down into syrup and sugar. Juice also could be squeezed out of cornstalks and boiled down into syrup.
How did they store meat in the 1800s?
When the meat was no longer damp, it was washed, then shelved or bagged and left to age. Families would hang meat preserved through a smoke cure in rooms or buildings with fire pits. For a month, the meat was constantly exposed to smoke, which dried it out while adding flavor.
How did they make bread on the Oregon Trail?
There was usually fresh baked bread or biscuits. To bake the bread, the dough was placed in a dutch oven. The oven was then set on the fire embers and the lid stacked with hot coals for more even cooking.
What did a typical family carry in their wagon?
These wagons could carry loads of up to 2,500 pounds, but the recommended maximum was 1,600 pounds. Research suggests that a typical family of four carried 800 pounds of flour, 200 pounds of lard, 700 pounds of bacon, 200 pounds of beans, 100 pounds of fruit, 75 pounds of coffee and 25 pounds of salt.
How did pioneers carry water?
Many families had to boil their well water to kill off contaminants. When well-digging failed to reach water, families were forced to collect rainwater in barrels, cisterns, and pans.
What did pioneers take with them on the trail?
The pioneers would take with them as many supplies as possible. They took cornmeal, bacon, eggs, potatoes, rice, beans, yeast, dried fruit, crackers, dried meat, and a large barrel of water that was tied to the side of the wagon. If the pioneers could take a cow, they would.
What time was dinner in the 1800s?
In the early 1800s, upper-class Bostonians were still eating breakfast at nine a.m., dinner at two p.m., and supper at eight, earlier hours than their counterparts in London. Their two o’clock dinner was the time for entertaining guests, and showing off the silverware and fancy foods.
Did cowboys eat rice?
Chuckwagon staples had to travel well and not spoil. The list included flour, sourdough, salt, brown sugar, beans, rice, cornmeal, dried apples and peaches, baking powder, baking soda, coffee and syrup. Fresh and dried meat were essential to the cowboy diet, providing protein and energy for their exhausting work.
How did pioneers bake bread?
So how did the pioneers bake their bread and cakes? A bake kettle! A bake kettle is a deep cast iron pan with three legs and a rimmed, close-fitting lid. Around 1850, it was usually referred to as a bake kettle or bake oven.
How did pioneers keep meat from spoiling?
Brine was saltwater that was traditionally “strong enough to float an egg.” Preserved in this way, homesteaders could keep meats for weeks and months at a time. However, like the other staple of pioneer diet, salt pork, “salted down” meat had to be laboriously rinsed, scrubbed, and soaked before consumption.
How did the pioneers survive winter?
They usually consisted of a wood-framed tin box with a wire handle on it. Heated rocks were also placed inside the foot warmer. It was then placed beside the feet, under a blanket and often left there until the rocks cooled. The most common use for foot warmers was as a heater in the family wagon when going places.
What did the pioneers use instead of glass?
Pioneers rarely had glass for windows, so if they had window openings, they usually used a kind of greased paper. In most cases, the floor was dirt, but over time they might have cut additional logs as floor coverings.
Why can’t I eat my own cooking?
After conceptualizing, planning, collecting ingredients, cooking and plating up your meal, your brain is bound to get “bored” of it, for lack of a better term. The same line of thinking goes for the other side of things.
What was a typical breakfast in 1800?
Before cereal, in the mid 1800s, the American breakfast was not all that different from other meals. Middle- and upper-class Americans ate eggs, pastries, and pancakes, but also oysters, boiled chickens, and beef steaks.
How did they keep food cold in the 1800s?
By the end of the 1800s, many American households stored their perishable food in an insulated “icebox” that was usually made of wood and lined with tin or zinc. A large block of ice was stored inside to keep these early refrigerators chilly.
How did pioneers cook?
The first pioneers in most places ate by campfires. By necessity, foods were cooked by very simple methods. Dutch ovens, frying pans, boiling pots, and roasting spits were typically employed. As settlements grew, so did the range of cuisine.