Out of Helen's kitchen - Feeding the threshing crew

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Published on Saturday, May 13, 2017

Helen Drysdale

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This year, Canada is celebrating 150 years since Confederation (the Sesquicentennial). I thought I would spend the next several months showcasing some historic recipes in Canada’s honour. 

Threshing in the past was a big deal. It was a long hard process to get the grain to market. The grain was grown, cut and stooked (put in piles of 9 to 12 sheaves). When it was dry enough, it was stacked to wait for the threshers to come. About 25 men came, along with the steam engine, which included an engineer to run the engine, and a threshing machine. The belt that attached the two machines together was 60 feet long. The stooks had to be hauled with horses and racks to the thresher. The bands that held the stooks together had to be cut before feeding into the thresher. The grain was bagged and hoisted onto wagons to be hauled away. The straw had to be taken away from the back of the thresher. It was all a dirty and dusty job. When all the stooks were threshed, the outfit packed up and went on to the next place. 

 The housewife’s job was busy enough, but during threshing time, it became worse. With no microwave oven, refrigerator or frozen foods to ease the work, the women cooked and baked for several days in a row, fixing huge meals for the threshing crews. Large platters of roast meat, pots of potatoes and gravy, vegetables and deserts and gallons of tea and coffee were consumed. If all went well, good weather and no breakdowns, the men were around for about a week. There was often friendly rivalry between the ladies about who fed the men better.  Everyone would pitch in, including the kids, who would run water to the ladies in the kitchen, wood for the stove and lunch to the field. These two pie recipes are from an old cookbook from the early 1900s. 

Custard pie

1 unbaked 8 “pie shell

2 1/2 cup of milk

3 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

Sprinkle of nutmeg

In a double boiler, add the milk and bring it to a scalding point (a very high temperature, just below boiling point). While milk is heating, beat the eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla together. Add the milk slowly to the egg mixture. Pour into the pie crust and sprinkle nutmeg on top. Place in a 425° oven for 15 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 325° and bake until custard is set.

Date nut pie

1 unbaked 8” pie shell

1 pkg. dates

1/2 cup walnuts

1 tbsp. flour

3 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

Chop the dates and nuts; mix with the flour, yolks of the eggs and vanilla. Beat the egg whites and fold into the date mixture. Bake at 350° until set in the middle. Serve with whipped cream on top.