Workshop Sept 24th ~ Sauerkraut, kimchi & more: learn the traditional art of lacto-fermentation

Sourdough bread, anchovies, chocolate, cheese, Kosher dill pickles and yogurt… what do these all have in common? They are all products of lacto-fermentation.
Lacto-fermentation is a complicated word for a simple process: a way to preserve food by allowing it to ferment.
You can learn the art of lacto-fermentation on Sunday, September 24th from 1:30 to 4:30pm at the Albert County Museum in Hopewell Cape.

To preserve certain foods, such as sourdough or yogurt, a culture is added to the fresh food. The culture (i.e., a bit of yogurt or bread dough) contains microorganisms that transform the raw ingredient into a more stable and nutritious food.
Preserving vegetables is even more simple. Basically, you can preserve vegetables by adding water and salt.  No boiling water baths, no pressure cookers…. Just a few simple steps. The result is placed in a cool place and allowed to ferment.
The preserves are more digestible than the original vegetables and the food contains probiotics.
Every culture has a tradition of lacto-fermentation. For example, cabbage is preserved as sauerkraut in Germany and preserved (along with hot peppers and other vegetables) as Kimchi in Korea.
You can learn the art of lacto-fermentation on Sunday, September 24th from 1:30 to 4:30pm at the Albert County Museum in Hopewell Cape.
Ruth Merrett will show participants how to make their own ferments. At the end of the workshop, you will take home not only the skills to preserve food but also at least three jars of preserved vegetables.
Participants will bring vegetables and jars, and return home with new skills and three bottles of preserves. Cost: $15.
Advance registration is required. Contact the museum by dropping by, by calling 734-2003, or email Janet Wallace at garden@albertcountymuseum.com.
This project has been made possible in part by the Government of Canada. Ce projet a été rendu possible en partie par le gouvernement du Canada.


Once you learn the basics, try these recipes
 
Apple Spice Sauerkraut
 
Cabbage
Salt
3 apples, grated,  per medium sized cabbage
1 tablespoon of grated ginger per cabbage
1 teaspoon cinnamon per cabbage
¼ or less teaspoon ground clove per cabbage
 
Chop cabbage, massage and add salt.
Add all the other ingredients.
Pack tightly in a jar and cover with a filter or cloth. Taste daily. Refrigerate when you are happy with the taste.

Basic Salsa from Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon
 
4 medium tomatoes, diced
2 small onions, finely chopped
3⁄4 cup chile peppers, hot or mild
6-8 cloves garlic
1 bunch cilantro
1 teaspoon dried oregano
juice of 2 lemons or limes
1 tablespoon of sea salt
1⁄4 cup clean, unchlorinated drinking water (may not be necessary) 
 
Mix, press into jars. Let ferment 1 to 2 days in a warm kitchen and then put in the fridge. Use a glass weight to keep the mass under liquid or pour olive oil on top.
 

A tisket, a tasket, learn to weave a wicker basket: August 26

Watch this type of basket being made

Basket weavers will be busy on Saturday, August 26th, and the Albert County Museum. Drop by and watch them at work and learn how to weave a wicker basket.

We will use willow branches to make a functional basket - the type that could be used to gather food from the field or the forest.

An Acadian basket weaver and three other weavers (with varying levels of experience) will demonstrate how to make a basket from willow branches. This free demonstration will begin at 10am and finish at 4pm. Feel free to drop in at any point, or several times, to see the process, take pictures and ask questions.

Feel free to visit the museum garden as well and ask the Museum Gardener, Janet Wallace, questions about organic gardening.

Apprenez comment faire un panier en tiges de saule. Venez observer des vanniers. Posez des questions et prenez des photos.

Cette démonstration de Vannerie en Osier est offerte en français et en anglais; this demonstration is offered in French and English.

For more information about the demonstration, museum garden or storytelling project, please contact Janet Wallace at garden@albertcountymuseum.com.

“Growing Together: Seeds from the past; seeds for the future” is funded in part by the Government of Canada. Ce projet est financé en partie par le gouvernement du Canada.

From Branches to Baskets: A basket weaving demonstration, Saturday, August 26th

Basket from willow branches

For thousands of years, wicker baskets have been used to collect food. Foragers have used baskets when gathering berries, seeds and nuts. Farmers have used baskets to carry crops in from the field, as sieves to clean grain, and to move compost and other soil amendments. Fishermen used baskets to hold fish but also to trap fish. Beyond being useful, wicker baskets are also beautiful.

Baskets can be made from many materials. Mi’kmaq often used pounded ash and roots to make baskets. Wicker baskets, however, are made from branches.

Next Saturday, on August 26th, you can learn how to weave a wicker basket. At the Albert County Museum, an Acadian basket weaver and three other weavers (with varying levels of experience) will demonstrate how to make a basket from willow branches. The demonstration will begin at 10am and finish at 4pm. Feel free to drop in at any point, or several times, to see the process, take pictures and ask questions.

Apprenez comment faire un panier en tiges de saule. Venez observer des vanniers. Posez des questions et prenez des photos.

Cette démonstration de Vannerie en Osier est offerte en français et en anglais; this demonstration is offered in French and English.

For more information about the demonstration, museum garden or storytelling project, please contact Janet Wallace at garden@albertcountymuseum.com.

“Growing Together: Seeds from the past; seeds for the future” is funded in part by the Government of Canada. Ce projet est financé en partie par le gouvernement du Canada.

Make a joyful noise, enjoy National Acadian Day!

Acadian flag

Today, August 15th, is National Acadian Day. One of the ways to celebrate is by Tintamarre -- walk in the streets with the Acadian flag and make a loud noise. Use instruments or bang pots and pans, have fun and celebrate Acadian culture. August 15th was chose as National Acadian Day because it is the Feast Day of Our Lady of the Assumption, the patron saint of the Acadians.

In Albert County, NB, Acadians created the groundwork (literally) for our communities. Acadian settlers converted wetlands and forest into productive farmland – land that was later used by immigrants from Germany, the British Isles and the United States.

In 1698, Pierre Thibodeau and his seven sons, along with Pierre Gaudet, settled in Shepody or Chipoudie (between Hopewell Cape and Riverside-Albert). The men and their descendants cleared land. After cutting down trees, limbs and logs that weren’t used were burned. The ashes were spread on the land and helped to “sweeten” the soil (reduce acidity in the same way that an application of lime does).

In the marshlands, they dug canals, built dykes and made “aboiteaux.” This ingenious system involves a wooden box in the dyke between land and saltwater. The wooden flag moves only one way – it allows fresh water to drain from the crop land but doesn’t allow seawater to contaminate fields.

We don’t know exactly what crops were grown in Shepody, but in 1689 Acadian settlers near Aulac and Beaubassin raised cattle, sheep and hogs and grew rye, flax, barley, hemp, corn and tobacco. Water wheels were used to grind grain into flour. It is likely the farmers in Shepody grew the same or similar crops.

The Acadians were forced off their land by the British in the expulsion of 1755. Signs of their time on the land can be seen across Albert County – in the dykes and drained fields, some still used for farming.

On National Acadian Day, we can take time to honour our past and celebrate Acadian culture. Honk your horn, wave a flag and enjoy a great meal.

This is part of Growing Together – a project which celebrates Canada's 150th year through food, seeds and stories! This has been made possible in part by the Government of Canada. 

Summer savory - the herb of Acadie

Summer savory

Summer savory plays a significant role in the food culture of Atlantic Canada. The herb is associated with holiday food and traditional meals. For example, turkey stuffing is often made with summer savory rather than sage (which is common in the rest of Canada).

Summer savory (“sarriette” in French) plays a special role in Acadian food culture. The herb is the main seasoning in fricot (rabbit or chicken stew) in Acadian communities in New Brunswick. It is also a component of the Herbes de Provence mix.

L’Ancienne d’Acadie is a Canadian variety of summer savory with a multicultural history – reflecting the various people who have lived in the region. It may have originally been brought to what is now New Brunswick by French or British settlers. Compared to modern varieties of summer savory, l’Ancienne d’Acadie is a short, stocky plant with a strong flavour.

The variety has been passed down from generation to generation. Jean Prudent Robichaud (1867-1958) received the seed from a woman from the Esgenoôpetitj First Nation at Burnt Church, NB, while he was working on Mi’kmaq farms using his draft horse. Burnt Church was a French settlement and Mi’kmaq community named for the incident in 1758 when the British burned the community’s church as part of the Acadian expulsion. Jean-Prudent’s descendants maintained the variety, which has been incorporated in the Slow Food Canada Ark of Taste.

You can learn how to grow summer savory and enjoy a delicious meal of fricot at the Albert County Museum on Saturday, July 29, 2017. All of this, including a garden tour and a lively discussion of the origins of fricot, costs just $8 with admission to the museum or a membership to the Albert County Historical Society (or $10 for others).

Please reserve tickets at the museum or by calling 734-2003 before July 26. The event starts at 11am and continues to at least 2pm. Cette démonstration est offerte en français et en anglais; this demonstration is offered in French and English.

This is part of Growing Together – a project which celebrates Canada's 150th year through food, seeds and stories! This has been made possible in part by the Government of Canada. 

For more information about the lunch, museum garden or storytelling project, please contact Janet Wallace at garden@albertcountymuseum.com or Melody Land at 734-2003.

Lunch & Learn at the Museum: Fricot & Summer Savory, Saturday July 29th

Summer savory is a key ingredient in fricot.

On Saturday, July 29, 2017, learn how to grow summer savory, make fricot (Acadian chicken stew) and enjoy a great lunch.

The cost for the lunch (including dessert, tea or coffee), a garden tour and a lively discussion of the origins of fricot, costs just $8 with admission to the museum or a membership to the Albert County Historical Society (or $10 for others).  

If you’re interested in enjoying a tasty meal from local ingredients and learning about Acadian culture, please reserve tickets at the museum or by calling 734-2003 before July 26. The event starts at 11am and continues to at least 2pm. Cette démonstration est offerte en français et en anglais; this demonstration is offered in French and English.

This is part of Growing Together – a project which celebrates Canada's 150th year through food, seeds and stories! This has been made possible in part by the Government of Canada. 

For more information about the demonstration, museum garden or storytelling project, please contact Janet Wallace at garden@albertcountymuseum.com or 734-2003.

Samedi le 29 juillet

Albert County Museum

11h00-14h+ Hopewell Cape, N.-B

Fricot Lunch & Learn

Venez découvrir comment préparer un fricot acadien et essayez-vous à récolterla sarriette d’été qui pousse dans le jardin héritage du musée. Ceci sera suivi d’un délicieux lunch tout en discutant de fricot et du rôle de la sarriette d’été dans la culture acadienne.

Cette démonstration est offerte en français et en anglais; this demonstration is offered in French and English.

Coût du lunch (avec du dessert et du the ou du café), tour de jardin & discussion: 8$ avec le coût d’entrée au musée ou un membership, 10$ autres. Svp demandez vos billets au musée ou  réservez en téléphonant 734-2003 avant jeudi le 26 juillet.

Pour plus d’information svp communiquer avec Janet Wallace at garden@albertcountymuseum.com ou 734-2003

Ce projet a été rendu possible en partie par le gouvernement du Canada.

The History of the Hot Dog

Photo by bhofack2/iStock / Getty Images

On Canada Day, visitors to the Albert County Museum will be offered free grilled hot dogs, so we decided to explore the history of the hot dog with “all the fixings.”

The hot dog can be traced back to Europe. Germany and Austria both lay claim to the meat –  Frankfurters come from Frankfurt, Germany, but wienerwurst (i.e., wieners) come from Vienna, Austria (in the German language, Vienna is called “Wien”).

The term “hot dog” is American and there are reports of frankfurters being sold on the streets of New York as early as the 1860s. The exact origins are unknown but it seems like immigrants in New York created the hot dog stand fad – possibly a Jewish immigrant from Poland named Nathan Handwerker or an African-American immigrant called Thomas Francis Xavier Morris. The key point being that the hot dog, like so many other foods, is the product of a blend of cultures.

What about the condiments?

Ketchup comes from the Far East, likely China, and was commonly consumed on long sea voyages. The first ketchup, called “ge-thcup” or “koe-cheup,” didn’t have tomatoes but was made from fermented fish entrails, miscellaneous meat byproducts and soybeans. Being fermented, the sauce stored well and spiced up the plain food of long trips at sea. The ketchup became popular along the trade routes in Indonesia and the Philippines. In the early 1700s, British explorers brought the condiment back to England.   

Ketchup soon referred to a fermented sauce of any number of ingredients, including fish, nuts, peaches, oysters, elderberries, anchovies, and (you guessed it) tomatoes.

Mustard is made by crushing the seeds of the mustard plant (which is related to broccoli and cabbage) and adding wine or “must,” very young wine. The difference between grainy and smooth mustard is simply the state of the seeds – coarsely ground seeds or a combination of whole and ground seeds are used in grainy mustard; smooth mustard has finely ground grains.

The Romans used mustard as a flavouring. They planted mustard when they conquered new areas – including Gaul (now called France). The condiment was a hit –with mustard growing well in the vineyards and Dijon and other mustards were developed.

Sauerkraut was developed as a way to store cabbage during the winter. The cabbage was shredded, salt was added, and the concoction was left in a covered crock to ferment. At the Albert County Museum, we’re growing Tancook cabbage, a variety named after the Nova Scotia Island where it was commonly grown. Tancook sauerkraut was a huge export for the small island – barrels of sauerkraut were often on sailing ships. Sauerkraut contains vitamin C, and regular consumption could prevent scurvy, a hazardous dietary condition common among sailors. Read more here.

So when you bite into your hot dog, keep in mind that, as with all foods, you’re consuming history. An all-dressed hot dog is the result of long sea voyages, the tendency of people to explore new lands and conquer other nations, the need to preserve food, and the desire for street food.

Learn more about the history of food at the Albert County museum’s website. Check often as we will keep adding new stories. Better yet, visit the Albert County Museum and garden in Hopewell Cape, New Brunswick. 

For more information about the museum garden and storytelling project, please contact Janet Wallace (email garden@albertcountymuseum.com). “Growing Together: Seeds from the past; seeds for the future” is funded in part by the Government of Canada. Ce projet est financé en partie par le gouvernement du Canada.

Written by Janet Wallace

References:

http://www.history.com/news/hungry-history/ketchup-a-saucy-history

http://www.history.com/news/hungry-history/break-out-the-buns-the-history-of-the-hot-dog

http://www.npr.org/2011/07/04/137530290/searching-history-for-the-hot-dogs-origin

http://www.history.com/news/hungry-history/ketchup-a-saucy-history

https://www.thespruce.com/history-of-mustard-as-food-1807631

Welcome to the Shiretown Garden!

Sunday, June 18: 1:30-3:30pm Rain or shine.

Albert County Museum, Hopewell Cape

Celebrate Canada’s 150th year by participating in the museum garden project “Growing Together: Seeds from the past; seeds for the future.”

Our nation has been created by many cultures – the First Nations and immigrants from around the world. Each culture has traditions rooted in shared meals based on locally grown food. We will celebrate the contributions of the many cultures by growing traditional varieties of herbs, vegetables and grains in the museum garden. We will offer meals created or inspired by these plants, along with workshops on gardening and traditional skills.

Although the main garden has just been planted, we invite people to join us on Sunday, June 18 from 1:30-3:30pm. If you have seeds or plants to contribute to the garden, please bring them. If you would like to share your memories of past gardening, farming and cooking practices, please come and tell your stories.

Join us for a casual discussion about gardening past, present and future. Feel free to ask questions about organic gardening or offer your skills and expertise.

Meet us at the garden behind the courthouse or in the community hall. We encourage you to RSVP by emailing garden@albertcountymuseum.com or calling 734-2003. You can learn more about the project at www.albertcountymuseum.com/seed-stories-1.

If you would like to donate heritage seeds or plants to the museum (either Sunday or another day), please note that we are looking for perennials and annuals with traditional uses, such as culinary herbs, medicinal plants or vegetables. We also invite you to volunteer in planting and maintaining the garden.

For more information, please contact Janet Wallace (email garden@albertcountymuseum.com).

This project is funded in part by the Government of Canada. Ce projet est financé en partie par le gouvernement du Canada.

Roots of history: seeking plants

At the Albert County Museum, we are reviving the perennial gardens. If you are dividing your plants this spring, we might be able to provide a home for your surplus.

In particular, we are looking for perennials with traditional uses, such as the following:

• Culinary herbs (e.g., sage, oregano)

• Food plants (e.g., grapes, gooseberries)

• Herbs for teas and tisanes (e.g., lemon balm, peppermint, bergamot)

• Medicinal herbs (e.g., Echinacea, hops)

• Plants used as dyes (e.g., madder, woad)

• Plants with other uses (e.g., soapwort, sweetgrass)

  We are also looking for seeds, rootstock and cuttings of fruits and vegetables with a history of being grown in Albert County.

  If you would like to donate any plants, please contact Janet Wallace (email garden@albertcountymuseum.com) to see if we can use the plants.  Please provide labels with the plants. If you have a story behind the plants, please let us know. For example, we would love to know the history of your plant (when and where it was originally planted or found) and also how you have used it.

  If you would like to volunteer to help in the garden – perhaps you want to choose a spot and plant the perennials yourself, or you might like to help out in the vegetable garden, we welcome your help.

Do you have plants to share? 

Connecting the past with the future through seeds and stories

Seeds are a connection between the past and the future. When you save seed from one crop, you anticipate planting, growing and harvesting more food in the future. But seed can be more -- it can connect us to our heritage.

The Albert County Museum is embarking on an exciting project to bring the past to life through food, seeds and stories. We will celebrate the history of Atlantic Canada while strengthening cultural bonds for the future.

Culinary traditions are an essential part of cultural heritage. Recipes and seeds have been passed down from generation to generation. We will rejuvenate and celebrate this practice while also honouring our multicultural past and future. We will plant heirloom varieties of traditional food crops at public gardens in Albert County at Riverside Consolidated School, Albert County Museum and perhaps Forest Dale Home. By linking people's stories with the plants, we will bring the heritage alive. Also, we will save the seeds from the plants and share these with gardeners in the following years. In particular, we hope to create a more vibrant garden and seed collection to celebrate Canada's 150th year in 2017.

Do you have seeds or stories to share? If so, let us know.  Contact Janet Wallace by email at janetwallace @ xplornet.com or at  www.JanetWallace.ca 

Learn more about the project by visiting here.