Recipes and Food from the Civil War by Jim Long

In October of 2010, I went on a trip with a group to Branson, Missouri. Between shows, we visited several gift shops. One of the items I purchased was a book called Recipes and Food from the Civil War by Jim Long. A few examples in the book are the instructions for Red Eye Gravy, Jerky, Dried Apples, Corn Pone, Fried Squirrel, and Rebel Stew.

Do you know what Leather Britches are? I was concerned that soldiers were forced to eat pieces of leather until I read the directions. Leather Britches are dried whole green beans.

There is a section called "Treatments for Horses" that would be key to anyone who relied on horses for transportation.

If you are interested in this book or several others such as Herbal Medicines of the Civil War, contact Jim Long at his website, www.LongCreekHerbs.com. or at Long Creek Herbs, P.O. Box 127, Blue Eye, Missouri 65611. He also has a gardening blog at jimlongsgarden.blogspot.com.

For now, I'm going to read Mary Ball Washington's recipe for Lafayette's Gingerbread, which was a popular during the Civil War period. I might even give it a try. I'm going to skip trying Pemmican though.