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Arts, Crafts, and Activities

 

Make your own Civil War food:

 

-Hardtack Ingredients

  • 2 cups flour

  • 1/2-3/4 cup water

  • Salt (5-6 pinches)

  • Mixing bowl

  • Rolling pin

  • Cookie Sheet

  • Fork

 

Steps for making Hardtack:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

  2. Add all dry ingredients into the mixing bowl, and then add wet ingredients. Mix all ingredients together. Use extra flour if necessary to make sure the dough is no longer sticky. However, be careful not to make the dough too dry. If you add too much flour, add slightly more water. 

  3. Knead dough.

  4. Spread dough onto ungreased cookie sheet.

  5. Use rolling pin to roll dough into rectangle shape about a 1/2 inch thick.

  6. Bake for 30 minutes.

  7. Take dough out of the oven and cut into 3in x 3 in squares.

  8. Flip squares and put back into oven for 30 more minutes.

  9. Take out and allow to cool.

 

 

-Johnny Cake Ingredients:

  • 2 cups cornmeal

  • 2/3 cup milk

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

  • 2 teaspoons baking soda

  • ½ teaspoon salt 

  • Mixing bowl

  • Cookie Sheet  

 

Steps for making Johnny Cake:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

  2. Lightly grease a cookie sheet with butter or vegetable oil.

  3. Mix all dry ingredients together in mixing bowl

  4. Add all wet ingredients to dry ones.

  5. Mix together until very stiff.

  6. Use spoon to drop the batter onto the cookie sheet.  They should only be the size of 1 spoonful of batter.

  7. Cook for 20 minutes.

  8. Take out and let cool.

 

 

 

 

Make your own berry ink:

 

Supplies:

  • Strainer

  • Bowl

  • 1 cup of ripe berries (blackberries, blueberries, raspberries or strawberries)

  • Wooden spoon or heavy plastic spoon

  • Salt

  • Vinegar

  • Jar with a tight lid

  • Feather

  • Pocket knife or sharp pair of scissors

  • Several pieces of parchment paper

 

Steps:

  1. Measure out 1 cup of ripe berries into the strainer.

  2. Place the strainer over the bowl.

  3. Use the wooden or heavy plastic spoon to crush the berry while capturing the juice in the bowl.  Crush berries until all the juice has been extracted.

  4. If the juice in the bowl is to think add a small amount of water.  Be careful not to add to much water because it will dilute the color of the ink.

  5. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the ink.

  6. Add 1/2 teaspoon of vinegar to the ink.

  7. Put ink into a jar with a tight lid and let sit overnight.

  8. Sharpen the end of a feather so it comes to a point.  Now split the same end of the feather so it can hold the ink.

  9. dip sharpened end of feather into ink and then write on a piece of paper.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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