Little Egypt Heritage Articles Stories of Southern Illinois (c) Bill Oliver 31 August 2003 Vol 2 Issue: #31 ISBN: pending Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen of Little Egypt, Regular readers of these articles know that I thoroughly believe in reading, and then more reading. The remarkable thing about reading is that our "eye" tends to catch things that are foremost in our minds or thoughts. It seems that this week everything I read tends to remind me of experiences with a dear, dear friend. There was the editorial in the newspaper about herbals; reporting that guggulipid,made from the resin of the mukul myrrh tree has no cholesterol lowering properties. And, reading an article on ecology and conservation, I dug out the book "A Sand County Almanac" by Aldo Leopold. In Midland, Michigan there is a ecology/conservation park where my firend volunteered her time. It has an observation room built out over a stream, Frank Lloyd Wright style. Tonight's article is dedicated to Barbara C Smith, "Grandma Bobbi" to our family. She was laid to rest yesterday afternoon after living more than ninety years. We saw Bobbi in the spring, spry and sharp as ever, just a bit weak and a bit hard of hearing. But, shucks that wasn't really something new. It was only a year ago that she gave up driving ... but, she kept the car outside at the her "retirement home", just in case. <grin> Her daughter and husband have been close friends for more than thirty five years and they report that Bobbi passed peacefully in her sleep early Thursday morning. She was full of life right up through a stroke she suffered Monday evening last, planning with family upcoming activities. One of the outstanding events we shared was a week's camping trip to Watkins Glen beginning the weekend of the original Woodstock in Seneca County, New York. We pulled in and set up our tent trailers just after the close of the "concert". For a mile or two before reaching the campgrounds we noticed the debris left behind by the mass of campers attending that event ... tents, sleeping bags, coolers, cooking utensils and sundry articles. I can feel to this day Bobbi's disapproval of the waste. As I think of Bobbi, I remember her spinning yarns and instructing our children in the finer natural foods which abound in nature. We drank sun-tea, had green salads from dandelions, and many humorous skits. Our son, Jim, polished one about Yule Gibbons. We chuckled for many a week and year as Jim perfected it. As part of the eulogy I felt compelled to write to Bobbi's family, I said: "I'm sure by now that Bobbi has met up with Yule and they will be discussing the infamous dandelion. I can hear Bobbi saying that if dandelions only grew in the highest reaches of the Himalayas, reachable only by yak-back with a team of Sherpa guides, they'd be one of the most prized of all botanical species. From Bobbi I learned that every part of the plant is edible during every part of the growth cycle. Some parts are absolutely delicious and other parts are, well, a bit bitter, not worth eating. The blossom is especially delicious. The leaves are pretty good salad ingredients when they're picked young. The roots, dried and grated, make a passably interesting coffee substitute, which was used by southern women during and following the Civil War. "I still hear her say: ‘Sure, dig 'em out if you must, but don't waste 'em. Eat 'em!" And, I can see Yule, knodding [sic] his head ... <hugesmile> " As last week's article said, war causes shortages, so that there might be food on the tables, but minus the "extras". Folks in cities suffer greater than those in the rural areas since food and other supplies are imported there, while rural folk either have their needs or can trade with neighbors. Even with scarcities, social life went on. Parties took on the air of what was available. If one had extra flour they might throw a "biscuit" party. In extreme cases one might throw a "starvation" party and offer "pine-floats" and fellowship. You know ... "pine-floats" .... tooth picks and a glass of water. Substitutes were experimented with and if successful, passed around. Nature furnishes many different items. As mentioned above, the root of the mighty dandelion could be used as a coffee substitute. Browned Okra seeds were also used. However, in the South during the WBTS, okra seeds were not readily available. One could always take yams or sweet potatoes, peel them, slice them thin, cut them into squares, dry them parched brown, then grind ... well, it's an acquired taste, after all. Carrots, prepared the same way could be used. The mighty oak which sheds it acorns could also be used after they were washed in the shell, parched, then with the shell removed, roasted with bacon grease and ground. Research reveals that one just has to use what might be available close at hand. Parched ground peanuts, parched ground sugar cane seeds, rye seeds, chicory, parched, roasted English peas or beans, parched beets, browned cornmeal, browned bran meal, and even burned corn. There was mention of browned wheat berries as a coffee substitute but I don't know what those are. Grandma Bobbi thought tea substitutes were easier to find. After all herbal teas are very popular. Leaves of many plants, such as sassafras leaves. Oh, and many roots, again such as sassafras. Leaves of the spiceberry bush produces a wintergreen flavor. Raspberry, blackberry, huckleberry, dittany, and holly leaves are commonly available. Yapon shrub twigs brew up aromatically. If you wanted mile/cream for your beverage, the well beaten white of eggs with a bit of butter added could be used. However, pour in the coffee slowly to avoid curdling. Omit the butter if you use it for tea. Sorghum has been known for ages as a sugar substitute. So has molasses. Figs when dried and ground can be used for a sugar substitute. Then there is the old stand by, honey. Grandma Oliver used to say that cooked down watermelon. If cooked "down" enough it would produce a fine white sugar. Though there was no effervescence to it, a champagne substitute was made from water, corn and molasses fermented in old molasses barrels. My reading could only come up with one butter substitute and that was sunflower seed oil. There was no recipe available though. Most of us are familiar with some flour substitutes. There is rice flour, cornmeal and rye flour. My great aunts used these at various times. I wonder if anyone tried ground oats as a flour substitute. Well, in closing, Grandma Bobbi once said that cider boiled down and cooled became jelly-like fit for the "king". I think some toast might go well with my soup tonight. e-la-di-e-das-di ha-wi nv-wa-do-hi-ya nv-wa-to-hi-ya-da. (May you walk in peace and harmony) Wado, Bill -=- Other sites worth visiting: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/SOIL http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/ILMASSAC http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ne/state/BillsArticles/LittleEgypt/intro.html