For centuries people have been mixing potions, initially in a quest for medicinal elixirs, and later to produce exotic drinks. Punch was introduced from India to England in the early seventeenth century. The term, of uncertain etymology, was first recorded in 1632. [Read more…] about Masters of Mixology: American Showmanship & French Finesse
Food
Twelve Tavern Rules, Thirteen Toasts and America’s 1814 Anthem
Many eighteenth century publicans framed a list of pre-conditions for the “perfect” tavern which was displayed in full view in British public houses and drinking dens.
The advice to customers consisted of “Twelve Good Rules” that dated back to the rule of Charles I: [Read more…] about Twelve Tavern Rules, Thirteen Toasts and America’s 1814 Anthem
Poetry: Father’s Breakfast
Father’s Breakfast
He ate a crustacean
every morning
the pure wild ones
He called the lobster
a sacrament and cleaned
his table with a napkin
his grandmother sewed
when she was 14 in Idaho
I watched him eat
and the embers from the stove
cooked into crystalline spheres
I once told him that I loved him
just loud enough
so he would not hear
A Virtual Gingerbread House Decorating Contest
The Staatsburgh State Historic Site has announced an online gingerbread house contest for children, families and adults, with prizes in each category. [Read more…] about A Virtual Gingerbread House Decorating Contest
New Book: The Great Kosher Meat War of 1902
Book purchases made through this link support New York Almanack’s mission to report new publications relevant to New York State.
Scott D. Seligman’s new book The Great Kosher Meat War of 1902: Immigrant Housewives and the Riots That Shook New York City (Potomac Books, 2020) is a full account of the Great Kosher Meat War of 1902, a milestone in the history of Jewish-American women. [Read more…] about New Book: The Great Kosher Meat War of 1902
A Plague of Potato Bugs in 1877 Washington County
The weather at Granville, in Washington County, in June 1877, was ideal for agriculture.
“This is the weather that makes farmers happy,” The Granville Sentinel reported.
Corn and flax crops looked promising, but “vigilance and perseverance is to be the price of potatoes.” [Read more…] about A Plague of Potato Bugs in 1877 Washington County
Hunters Can Help Fight Food Insecurity
Each year, DEC partners with the Venison Donation Coalition and Feeding New York State to help provide food for those in need.
Through a cooperative relationship involving the New York State Department of Health, non-profit organizations like Feeding New York State’s regional food banks and deer processors, hunters contribute nearly 40 tons of venison each year to needy families across the state. [Read more…] about Hunters Can Help Fight Food Insecurity
Take A Cornell Survey on Food Sourcing During COVID-19 in Central NY
Are you interested in local food, gardening, hunting, fishing or foraging?
Has COVID-19 changed how you get food for yourself or your family?
Researchers at Cornell University are conducting a study to understand how COVID-19 is changing how people in Central New York are interacting with their food sources. [Read more…] about Take A Cornell Survey on Food Sourcing During COVID-19 in Central NY
Stewart’s Shops History: Eisenhower’s Ice Cream Cake
On June 22, 1955, President Dwight D. Eisenhower visited the Vermont State Dairy Festival in Rutland. The Festival held a barbecue that day in the President’s honor. When it was over, they presented the President and his Presidential Party with a 150-pound ice cream cake. The cake represented a day’s work for twenty cows.
It was a gift from the Stewart’s Shop on North Main Street in Rutland. “Hap” Haapala was the store manager at the time. Plant Manager Paul “Perky” Robinson made the cake at the Stewart’s Ice Cream Plant in Greenfield, Saratoga County. Melvin Tuttle, the owner of Tuttle’s Bakery on Church Street in Saratoga Springs, was responsible for the decorations. Bob Gailor told me that his father, Wally Gailor, was a baker at Tuttle’s and that he decorated the cake. [Read more…] about Stewart’s Shops History: Eisenhower’s Ice Cream Cake
Forest Fungi: Native Mushrooms and Forest Health
A walk in the woods during fall is likely to reveal an array of forest fungi. Ranging from delicate, tan mini-umbrellas to fleshy, white softballs to foot-long, orange-yellow shelves growing out of rotten logs, they come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. Fungi are critical to the health of the forest, decomposing woody debris and helping trees obtain required nutrients. [Read more…] about Forest Fungi: Native Mushrooms and Forest Health