How amazing it is to digitally record life as it may have happened 300 years ago, and to share with young minds the ingenuity of their ancestors.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
The Time Traveler's Life
In case you're new to Curious Acorn, this is what I do. I dress as an 18th century indentured servant and teach young people what life was like in the 1700's. Sometimes I make candles, but mostly I cook. It's called living history. Standing before a blazing hearth when it is a hundred degrees outside isn't the pleasantest of pasttimes. But having a job where I'm learning just as much as my students is a blast. For instance, we learned that no matter what the recipe says, meringue cooked in a dutch oven is disgusting. Also, some weeds are edible. And--an old copper bucket, ice, and a can are all that is needed to make delicious ice cream 18th century style. We stirred, sifted, burnt, and pickled our way through the week. The highlight for me was teaching teenage girls that garlic was for eating, not for keeping vampires away. Seriously. That's what they believed. What a world. Welcome to mine.
How amazing it is to digitally record life as it may have happened 300 years ago, and to share with young minds the ingenuity of their ancestors.
How amazing it is to digitally record life as it may have happened 300 years ago, and to share with young minds the ingenuity of their ancestors.
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30 comments:
i love that you do this! i had no idea!
Emily, curiouser and curiouser, eh?
Lovely photos Jodi what part of the States are you based?
Long ago I used to work here
http://shugborough.cmhosts.net/FARMMAINRuss-130
and this is a favourite place to visit when I get the chance
http://www.actonscott.com/historic.php
Val, PA on the East Coast. I'll have to check out your links. Thanks :)
I love meringue but can't begin to think how to make it in a dutch oven. Sounds like it would be too hot for it.
And using garlic to keep away "vampires" is a waste of good garlic! I actually like to eat bits of it raw, but then it keeps away the real people!
sounds like a super fun job! this reminds me of a place sort of close to where i live called Connor Prairie...
So the ice cream worked? How cool.
What fun and what great pictures the bread and butter look delicious! The hearth and table inviting. :-)
Steph, it did, it did!!!!
Rachel, thank you ox
Absolutely fascinating. You are a wonder. Loved the post title, by the way ; )
Did you do this for only a week? Or is this a year-round occupation?
Leslie, year round :)
bet you that garlic and vampires conversation with the high school girls eventually led to mention of Edward ... and swooning.
school has started, and though i'm a work-at-home mama now, i do miss the teenagers in my classes more than i thought i would.
your job looks really fun...
I don't care who ya are, that's just cool.
Wish you were local, I'd totally bring th children down. What a neat field trip that'd be! :)
I love it when you post about your job. So many questions, but I'll wait until you write your cook book.
I love the window shot. It looks just like our windows. Even the depth of the windowsill. I had a builder working on our place once, who kept muttering that the walls were built like a cathedral's.
I'll bet you get through to those teenage girls in a way those vampire novels never will. I love the way you live your life. Thanks for posting these pics so we can see more of what you do. BTW--so glad you met my friend Lauri @ Living To Die Well. I like to think of her as my protege, but the truth is, she's really the kind of young lady I'd like to be if I ever decide to grow up. Knew she would love your site. Blessings.
Gosh, thank you everyone!
Cheryl, ask any question you like now, because waiting for my cookbook is going to be a long wait...
snort. I bet there's a huge market for 17th century cookbooks. ahhaha. I would read anything you write though :) Soooo maybe there is.
You crack me up. I love how those beans are strung up, like string beans.
I see the tall ones must have had aching backs after a day of bending over pots and fires! But it is all fascinating. Ice cream in the 18th century...wow. (Well, I guess the Romans enjoyed ice cream too, or so I've heard.) Finding ice in the middle of summer on the hot and humid East Coast must have been a problem though...
curiouser and curiouser indeed! and what a NEAT thing!
i love history and especially of the family life/domestic life kind of way, like how people LIVED, not just how their country went down (or not, lol).
Sara, from what I understand, ice was collected from the river in winter and kept in the springhouse. We have a springhouse on the farm where I work. They are incredibly cool even on the hottest summer day.
JoAnn, ahahahaha. Jealous....
this is fascinating jodi! my sis lives in minn. one year we visited and went to a village much like where you work....it was so interesting!
thank you for your encouragement jodi, i so appreciate your words...
xo
yes there can be pictures! AHHH!
Oh, I've always dreamed of working in a living history museum! It sounds fascinating. And those cookies look delicious.... I love the heart-shaped one in the middle. What kind are they?
Thanks for the book recommendation! I think I'll check out "The Wolf Pit" from the library... Civil War historical fiction is my favorite. Have you ever read "Rifles for Watie?"
Emily, it's gingerbread. And no, I haven't read Rifles for Watie, but I will check it out. Thanks.
wow. i was just sent here by cheryl and i think its love at first site...beans drying? such thick walls. bonnets. silk ribbons. love it.xxxx
Angelina, thank you. They're all my loves, too, especially ribbons.
This was a surprise to me too! What a fun job! We just took our students to Sturbridge Village up here in MA and they LOVED it! One boy exclaimed "It's history come to life! Cool!" :)
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