USA > New York > Kings County > Flatbush > The social history of Flatbush : and manners and customs of the Dutch settlers in Kings county > Part 7
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In the autumn came the busy season called "kill- ing time," which brought with it an amount of labor such as would almost startle the inexperienced house-
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PREPARATION OF WINTER STORES.
wife of to-day, whose sole duty now is to purchase the articles which at this earlier period were prepared in the family.
In the month of November arrangements were made by the farmer for killing the swine and oxen which he had fattened for the winter's stock of provision.
Sometimes a dozen or more were, by previous weeks of fattening with corn, prepared as one farmer's pro- portion of the great hecatomb of the season ; but usu- ally some six or eight swine were considered sufficient for the use of a family of ordinary size, with the farm laborers, who might be required as extra help during the harvest season. The day appointed for this pur- pose by the farmer was a busy one for his wife.
These Dutch people were always carly risers, but at this time the dawn of day saw all the family prepared for the work which was before them, as it was necessary that the slaughtered animals should be cold and hard, for they were cut up and salted on the afternoon of the day on which they were killed. The colored servants took a most prominent part in the bustle of the oc- casion, and, as all the old families employed a large number of these, there was more or less of that hilarity which characterizes that race when engaged in conge- nial labor.
Before the close of the day the "pickle pork " was salted in huge casks in the cellar ; the hams and shoul- ders were also laid in salt. After five or six days water was added ; remaining for seven or eight weeks in this brine, they were then hung up in the smoke-house, of which every farmhouse had one, either partitioned off in the garret and connected with the kitchen chim- ney, or built apart from the house.
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THE SOCIAL HISTORY OF FLATBUSH.
The hams, prepared with the greatest care on the part of the farmer as to the feeding of the animals and the subsequent treatment of the meat, were superior to those which we now purchase in the public market.
Sausage-making followed. The Dutch farmer and his wife could never have been induced to purchase sau- sage from the butcher, even had it been offered for sale (as it was not), for they were particular as to the manner of making it. In the primitive days they did not have the mechanical appliances to relieve them in the chop- ping and stuffing of the meat which in after-days was afforded them.
Some of the products of their labor were given away by those who were first engaged in it to friends and neigh- bors who had not yet undertaken it, and they, in turn, gave back of theirs when freshly made. By this inter- change the tables were supplied with fresh sausage, spare ribs, head-cheese, and tenderloin of pork, until all the neighbors had prepared each their share of the winter's provision.
It was also the custom, when a calf, sheep, or lamb had been killed, to send what was not needed for im- mediate use to the neighbors, who, in their turn, felt obliged to return an equal portion upon a like occa- sion. By this means their diet was varied, and salt pro- visions were not the monotonous fare they might other- wise have been.
At a period when the coming of the butcher was not, as now, a weekly occurrence, the convenience of this mu- tual interchange of provisions was an assistance such as we, who do not need relief of this kind, can scarcely estimate. The poor found this a season of plenty, for they were large sharers in the general abundance.
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PREPARATION OF WINTER STORES.
Immediately after the sausage-making was com- pleted, the fatted cows were killed for the winter's sup- ply of beef. The proper pieces for smoked beef were selected to be hung up in the smokehouse, with the hams and shoulders. Some of the best pieces were reserved to be eaten while fresh, and the remainder were kept in brine, to be used through the year as corned beef for the table.
" Head-cheese " and " rolliches " were articles of food so exclusively Dutch that it is doubtful if they were ever seen except in Dutch families, and they have al- ready almost passed out of the knowledge of the present generation.
" Rolliches" were made of fat and lean beef cut in pieces somewhat larger than dice, highly seasoned, sewed in tripe, and boiled for several hours. These were then placed under a press and were eaten cold. When cut in thin slices, and the dish ornamented with sprigs of parsley, its marbled appearance made it not only an attractive-looking dish, but it was justly esteemed by the epicure as being a great delicacy.
" Head-cheese " was somewhat similar, except that it was made of the fat and lean of pork chopped as fine as for sausage-meat. It was then highly seasoned, tied up in a piece of linen and boiled. This also was put under a press, and eaten when cold.
Doughnuts hold such a prominent place on the New England table that they have ceased to be thought a Dutch cake. Under the name of "olekoek," they were, however, to be found on all Dutch tea-tables, and we insist that the art of making them was learned by the Puritan housewives while they were in Holland previous to the embarkation of the Pilgrims. We may imagine those
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THE SOCIAL HISTORY OF FLATBUSH.
English dames seated at the Dutch tea-table, and asking for the most approved receipts for making the articles which they found so nice, and that our great-great- grandmothers most cheerfully copied off the contents of their cook-books for their visitors. Thus these receipts came over in the Mayflower with the many other things which are supposed to have been brought hither in that good ship.
There is this difference in the Dutch and the New England use of doughnuts : our New England sisters make them in every season of the year, and use them, at least the farmers' families do, at every meal. Not so with the Dutch ; they only made them from November until January, because at that period the lard in which they were cooked was still fresh. After January they were rarely, if ever, found in a genuine Dutch family, and they were never used except on the tea-table, or be- tween meals by the children.
It has been said that " suppawn," or Indian-meal por- ridge, made very thick, was a favorite dish among the settlers. As corn was raised on the Long Island farms in great abundance, this may have been, probably was, an article of diet much used. But it was not, of course, a Dutch dish, for, on coming to this country, they were not accustomed to the use of corn meal. They must have acquired the knowledge of its use from the Indians.
We incline to believe that even its name was Indian, unless we derive it from the word sop, broth, or soppen, to dip in. We do not pretend to a knowledge either of its derivation or its spelling, and only offer this as a suggestion.
"Suppawn" was also made from pumpkins boiled, to which was added wheat flour, making it of the con-
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PREPARATION OF WINTER STORES.
sistency of Indian suppawn ; this, like the other, was eaten with cream or milk, and was often used for a late supper.
A bit of doggerel in reference to this dish, partly in Dutch and partly in English, still clings in memory as many a useless tattered remnant will do, held by its strongest thread-that of being repeated by an aged negro in the chimney-corner introductory to stories of " old times ":
" With their round-scooped ladles they eat their suppawn,
Calling, 'hoe vaarje Hansem, waar komt ye von daag ? ' "
We should not like to be held responsible for the spelling of the above, but we venture to give the lines as showing that suppawn was a dish used by the Dutch settlers at a very early period.
There was a Dutch dish of apples and pork, but how it was made we are unable to say.
Poultry of all kinds was raised on the farms in great abundance for winter use.
The turkey was not so great a favorite with the Long Island farmer as were ducks and geese. Ducks roasted before the fire in the Dutch oven, and brought to the table on a large platter, encircled by raised dumplings, as light as a sponge, were a dish greatly in favor.
Roast goose was the chosen dinner for the winter holidays, Christmas and New Year's day.
Paasch, or Easter, was the season in which the chil- dren collected the fresh eggs from the barn-yard and had them colored, to be used freely in the family, both by master and mistress, the children and the slaves.
Easter (Paasch) and Whitsuntide (Pingster) were al- ways kept in old Dutch families.
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THE SOCIAL HISTORY OF FLATBUSH.
Large quantities of shad and mackerel were caught in the bays by the farmers in the adjoining towns, who had this right; these were purchased from the boats coming to shore, and were salted to add to the variety of winter provision. As great pains were taken with the preparation of these fish, they were far more rich, juicy, and palatable than the dry, briny material which is purchased now under the name of salt shad and mackerel.
Game was also abundant in former years on Long Island. Wild ducks and wild geese were frequently brought down by the farmer's gun in his visits to his salt meadows, most of the farms in Flatbush having a piece of salt meadow, which was considered as much a part of the farm as if it lay contiguous to it.
If we go back to a distant period, it is probable that game was very abundant on Long Island. A law was passed " for the more effectual preservation of deer and other game, and the destruction of wolves, wild cats, and other vermin" in the year 1708, or in the " sev- enth year of Queen Anne," as the old law book dates it, which shows what game was to be had in Kings County at that time. It was enacted that no "Christian or Indian, freeman or slave," within the given time for the protection of game, should, under penalty named, kill "any buck, doe, or fawn ; any wild turkies, heath hens, partridges or quails, in the counties of Suffolk, Queens and Kings."
There was a law passed in 1695 forbidding the prof- anation of the Lord's Day by " shooting, fishing, sport- ing," etc.
A law was passed in 1717 "to encourage the de- stroying of wild cats and their catlings, and foxes and
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PREPARATION OF WINTER STORES.
their puppies, in the County of Suffolk, Qucens County, and Kings County." This was also for the better pres- ervation of game.
Within ten years quail have been shot in Flatbush ; wild rabbits, squirrels, quail and partridges were quite numerous some twenty-five years ago.
At the present time there is no game in Flatbush, unless we except the robins and the migratory birds that in their flight from north to south come within range of the sportsman's gun. The farmers of Flatbush rely upon the markets of the adjacent cities to vary their larder, rather than upon anything they may chance to find in the circumscribed limits of their present farm- ing lands.
BREAD.
When circumstances were such that the housewife herself did not make the bread for the family use, there was usually some well-trained colored cook to take her place in doing this duty. Bread making was no easy task when a dozen or more loaves were to be made at one time, particularly as one of those loaves was fully equal to two of modern size.
Bread was always raised with a leaven of the dough made at a preceding occasion. It was kneaded in great wooden kneading-troughs. There were loaves of wheat flour occasionally made, but for daily use it is probable that rye bread was the supply of the family until the slaves were all freed, and the size of the family in the kitchen was diminished. Large bins of wheat and rye flour and Indian meal, each capable of holding a quantity equal to the contents of two or three barrels, were kept well filled for family use. The farmers never purchased flour, but sent the grain raised upon the
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THE SOCIAL HISTORY OF FLATBUSH.
farm to the mill, the miller retaining a certain propor- tion for his payment.
The bread was light and nice. The loaves were large, and the slices were cut alternately from the upper and the lower half of the loaf. In the kitchen, the ser- vants, who were at that time slaves, used lard instead of butter on their bread ; it was also used in families in which poverty made the most rigid economy neces- sary, for even the poor were unwilling to be dependent upon public charity, and learned to have their wants conform to their circumstances.
It will thus be seen that, from necessity, the comfort of the family depended upon the skill of the house- keeper. For this reason, the Dutch matron gave vigi- lant oversight, and oftener still took an active part in the preparation of the meals in her household. She knew that those whom she loved so well must look to her for many things which now even moderate means can purchase. So identified did she become with these household duties that the language betrayed the fact, and the word "huysvrouw " was a synonym for our word wife. Is there not great significance in this fact as to the domestic habits of the women, that in these old homesteads the wife and mother stood the central figure in the home life ? She was the "huysvrouw."
CHAPTER XII.
COOKING UTENSILS.
THE cooking utensils in the old Dutch kitchens dif- fered as much from those in present use as the great open fireplace differs from the modern range, to which, with its various appurtenances, it has given place. The roasting of meats and poultry was done before the open fire, in what was called a Dutch oven. This was cylindrical in form, but stood on four feet, and the joint to be cooked was held in place by a long spit which projected at each end, so that the meat could be turned without opening the door of the cylinder. It was of course open to the front of the fire, and there was a door at the back for convenience in basting. When more than this was needed, then the great brick oven was heated.
For the baking of hot biscuit for tea, or a single loaf of bread or cake, a flat iron pot was used, which was called a "bake-pan " or a " spider." This was placed in the corner of the fireplace upon hot coals, and a layer of hot coals covered with ashes was placed upon the tight-fitting iron lid. A larger "bake-pan " than this, but similarly formed and used, was sometimes called a pie-pan. For boiling meats and vegetables cast-iron pots were used.
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THE SOCIAL HISTORY OF FLATBUSH.
A large-sized iron pot at one side of the fire was al- ways kept filled with hot water, as the pipes at the back of the chimney, which now supply that need, were then unknown. From a long iron crane, which was fastened in the brickwork of the chimney, there were links of heavy iron chain, known as trammel and pot-hooks, on which the vessels for cooking were hung over the fire. These vessels were of iron, copper, or brass ; usually they were of iron. The tin or the porcelain-lined ket- tles, such as are now used on the modern range, were not known. The great brick ovens of those days were quite different from the small stove and range ovens in present use. They filled the corner of the kitchen next to the fireplace, and when the fireplace took up more space than usual, instead of contracting the size of the oven, it was placed in a shed adjoining the kitchen. The Dutch housewife expected to have at least a dozen loaves of bread baked at one time, with, perhaps, as many pies, before these brick ovens cooled after being heated. The loaves of bread were not baked in pans, but on the stone floor of the oven. There was this large baking of bread, cakes, and pies every time the oven was heated, because the families, including the slaves, were large, and there was no bakery to supply a deficiency, should there be such.
In order to heat these ovens, the farm hands brought in a quantity of light wood which had been thoroughly dried for oven wood. This was lighted in the oven, and when it was entirely consumed the ashes were swept out, and the floor was cleansed with a wet towel fastened on the end of a pole, forming a sort of mop which was kept for that purpose, or with a brush called a " boen- der"; for the Dutch women were neat to an extreme.
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COOKING UTENSILS.
Every family owned a waffle-iron ; these were larger and deeper than those now made, and had two long handles for the purpose of holding them with more ease over the beds of hickory coals on which the waffles were baked.
We find in an old newspaper of March 16, 1772, an advertisement, as follows :
Hard and soft waffle-irons for sale by Peter Goelet, at the Golden Key, Hanover Square, New York.
There was another tea cake which we must consider exclusively Dutch, as we have never seen the irons for cooking them anywhere except in families who are de- scendants of the Dutch settlers. These cakes were so thin as sometimes to be called wafers ; they were also known as split cakes, because, thin as they were, they were split open and buttered before being sent up to the table. The name by which they were correctly known was "Izer cookies" ; this might have refer- ence to the iron in which they were baked-Yzer, or it may be a corruption of "Eitzaal," a dining-room. On going to housekeeping, it was customary to have one of these wafer-irons made with the united initials, and the date upon it, so that the impression of the letters and figures was made on the cakes when baked. The letters P. L. and F. L., with the date 1790, are to be seen in an iron which is still in use among the great- grandchildren of P. L. and F. L.
From what we have said, it will be inferred that the Dutch enjoyed the good things of this life, and that their household arrangements were such as to provide the table with abundant and wholesome food. This is strictly true, with only the limitation of that proper moderation
8
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THE SOCIAL HISTORY OF FLATBUSH.
which is characteristic of the Dutch under all circum- stances.
A letter quoted in Stiles's "History of Brooklyn " gives such a false representation of the Dutch manner of living that simple justice should have impelled the historian who published the letter to follow it with an explanation, instead of offering it as a " portrait of most of the Dutch families of that day." It seems that an officer who was billeted in Flatbush during the War of the Revolution wrote a letter complaining of his very poor fare and the extreme poverty of the table appoint- ments. The letter is called by Stiles "a humorous sketch," and he leaves his readers to infer that the mode of living and the food offered at that period in Flatbush were hardly those of civilized life. As the historian quoted the letter, he should have followed it with the explanation that Flatbush at that period had been rav- aged by the lawless hordes that follow an army ; that their crops had been burned, and their cattle driven away, while they were left with scarcely subsistence for their own families ; and that these soldiers were billeted upon them not only against their wishes, but in spite of their representations as to their poverty. The board promised for the support of each soldier was two dollars per week, or a little more than nine cents for each meal, and the payment of even that was doubtful. We are glad that the writer of the letter is obliged to notice the "extreme neatness of the house and beds," and that there was grace said over their food, although this ad- mission is accompanied with a sneer. But it is obvi- ously gross injustice to take a period in which all their resources were exhausted as the typical one of the Dutch manner of living.
CHAPTER XIII.
SILVER AND CHINA.
EVERY Dutch family in Flatbush owns some piece of silver which has been handed down as an heirloom ; to one, the family tankard has come through many gener- ations, passing to the oldest son or the only daughter ; to another, it may be only some quaint old spoon, a cream-jug, or a sugar-bowl.
Upon the marriage of a daughter it was quite cus- tomary to purchase, in connection with her wedding outfit, and as a wedding present for her, a tea service, consisting of a teapot, cream-pitcher, sugar-bowl, and slop-bowl. These were usually of heavy, solid silver, and varied in price according to the means of the family.
The old farmers have had the reputation of being very close in their expenditure, except for the mere ne- cessaries of life. This is unjust, and the charge has been made by those who do not understand the character of the Dutch people nor appreciate their economy, pru- dence, and wise provision for an unforeseen exigency in the future. They were generous to their children and relatives, helpful and kind to their neighbors ; because they were not wasteful, they had the more to give, and when they gave it was not grudgingly.
They were fully capable of appreciating that which was beautiful and ornamental, but their preference lay
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THE SOCIAL HISTORY OF FLATBUSH.
in the direction of that which was solid and substan- tial, and their selection in the way of gifts was always in favor of that which was supposed to be durable. This was characteristic, for they abhorred shams and cheap imitations, and, when an article was purchased in ac- cordance with their taste, it was the best of its kind, and that which would last. We can easily see, there- fore, why they gave plate the preference, and why al- most every family has some silver heirloom in posses- sion.
There are still bills to be found among old papers, which we give to show the cost of such articles at time of date. There are silver pieces of an earlier period than these, the value or age of which we do not know. As money was more scarce then than now, the sums paid indicate a larger amount compared to their general ex- penditure than the same outlay would at the present day.
PHEBE LEFFERTS
NEW YORK, 25th July, 1792. Bo't of JOHN VERNON,
1 silver teapot, engraved in cypher .£16 53. 8d.
Received the above in full, JNO. VERNON.
NEW YORK, Oct. 8, 1787.
JUDGE LEFFERTS, Esq.
Bo't of THOS. DAFT,
42 s. d.
1 silver teapot
12 0 0
Sugar basin and engraving
9
13 0
Milk-pot. 4 12 0
Received at the same time the full contents, 26 5 0
THOS. DAFT.
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SILVER AND CHINA.
NEW YORK, Sept. 4, 1802.
JOHN LOTT, Esq., Bo't of JOHN VERNON, £
s. d.
1 teapot, sugar-dish, and milk-pot. 45 0 0
1 dozen table spoons, engraved in cypher 16 5 4
¿ dozen tea
יו 66
2 12 8
1 sugar-tongs. 1 60
65 4 0
Received payment. JNO. VERNON.
In an inventory of estate, dated 1776, we find nine silver spoons valued at nine pounds ; six small tea- spoons at eighteen shillings.
We find, from a record which has been preserved, that at a private sale of the household effects of Rev. M. Schoonmaker, June 9, 1824, the following prices were paid for a silver tea service :
1 silver teapot, sugar-dish, and milk-pot, weighing
412 oz., at 9s. per oz. $46.69
6 silver teaspoons, 2} oz., at 8s. per oz. 2.25
A silver tankard was at one time in possession of al- most every family in Flatbush. These were sometimes not only heavy but were of curious workmanship, and it is probable that they were brought from Holland. It is much to be regretted that some of these valuable pieces have been exchanged for modern silver. Others have been stolen or lost through the many vicissitudes which time brings to every family.
The following advertisement, taken from the "New York Gazette" of October 8, 1733, shows that such property was not safe from the predatory tramp even at that early period :
1
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THE SOCIAL HISTORY OF FLATBUSH.
Stole at Flatbush, on Long Island : One Silver Tankerd, a piece of money in the Led [lid] of King Charles II, and the led all engraved. A coat of arms before (in it a man on a waggon with two horses), marked on the handle L. P. A.
One silver Tankerd, plain, with a piece of money in the led, marked on the handle A. P., or A. L.
One cup, with two twisted ears, chased with 'scutchens, marked L. P. A.
One tumbler marked L. P. A.
One Dutch Beker, weighs about 28 ounces, engraved all round.
(This word " Beker " is a Dutch term, signifying a cup, a chalice, the same as the English word " beaker.")
All the above was made by Mr. Jacob Boele, stamped J. B. (trade mark).
One large cup with two cast ears, with heads upon them, and a coat of arms engraved thercon.
One cup with two ears ; a small hole in the bottom.
Two pairs shoe-clasps, new cleaned.
For the above a large reward is offered and no questions asked.
By reference to the sales for division of property, already given, it will be seen that, in 1792, silver tan- kards, sugar-cups, milk-pots, tablespoons, etc., were among the articles in household use. The price of the tankard upon the bill is given as £15. The price of a tankard on the inventory of an estate, bearing date March 11, 1776, is given as £22.
There was formerly a great deal of blue china in Flatbush. There are still single pieces which are duly authenticated, and known to be a hundred years old, and are probably older. There are also pieces of Spode bearing the name of the maker.
Some articles of old china have outlasted the tradi- tion of their purchase or their age.
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