How Much Animals we Ate

Each one of us consumed nine pounds of meat per day, when available, and the designated hunters of the Corps were kept busy throughout our journey. Raymond Darwin Burroughs tallied the quantity of game killed and consumed during the course the expedition:

Deer (all species combined) 1,001

Elk 375

Bison 227

Antelope 62

Bighorned sheep 35

Bears, grizzly 43

Bears, black 23

Beaver (shot or trapped) 113

Otter 16

Geese and Brant 104

Grouse (all species) 46

Turkeys 9

Plovers 48

Wolves (only one eaten) 18

Indian dogs (purchased and consumed) 190

Horses 12

This list does not include the countless smaller or more exotic animals that were captured and eaten by us, such as hawk, coyote, fox, crow, eagle, gopher, muskrat, seal, whale blubber, turtle, mussels, crab, salmon, and trout. Nor does it enumerate the unfamiliar varieties of fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, seeds, and nuts that were found to be edible.

Hazelnut-Cornmeal Pancakes

We all had to carry cornmeal with us from the Mandan-Hidatsa Villages in the spring of 1805. By the time we reached this village on the Columbia, our stores of prairie foods were gone and we relied on such foods as camas roots, berries and hazelnuts. We had this for breakfast sometimes they were so good they almost melted in your mouth.

/2 cup chopped hazelnuts
1 1/2 cups stone-ground cornmeal (see Note)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or other fat
Vegetable oil, for frying
Berry syrup, butter, honey, or sugar, for serving

Place the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and place it about 4 inches from preheated oven broiler. Turn off the heat. Leave the nuts in the oven for 2 minutes, or until they’ve turned golden brown. Remove at once. Set aside.

Combine the cornmeal, baking soda, and salt. Stir in 1 cup of water and 2 tablespoons of oil all at once just until batter is moistened. Let stand at room temperature for about 10 minutes. Stir in the nuts.

Heat a heavy griddle over medium-high heat. Brush with 1 teaspoon oil. Reduce the heat to medium. Pour the batter by the tablespoon onto the hot griddle, cooking 4 to 6 pancakes at a time. Cook until bubbly and drying around the edges, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Turn and cook another 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove to a warm platter and repeat with remaining batter. Serve immediately with berry syrup, butter, honey, or sugar as desired.

Makes 2 to 2 1/2 dozen 3- to 4-inch pancakes.

Note: For a more tender pancake, replace 1/2 cup of the cornmeal with 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, add 1 egg, and reduce the oil to 1 tablespoon.

William Clark's Birthday Fruit Salad

Celebrations and rewards punctuated the grueling physical effort of the Expedition. In 1804, I wrote about both captains birthdays in the Journals. I was thirty-four and Lewis, thirty. The next year, I don't mention my birthday on the 1st of August 1805 entry. I wrote one of the longest introspective commentaries found in the journals on my 18th of August 1805 birthday. I remember it was because that night for my birthday we had this fruit salad thats was delightful it was sweet and sour at the same time and they mixed very well together

2 cups fresh grapes (red, green, black or a combination), halved
1 cup pitted cherries, fresh or frozen
1 cup raspberries, fresh or frozen
1 cup fresh plums, quartered and pitted
1/2 cup fresh currants or blueberries
1/3 cup whisky or brandy
Ice cream, pound cake, or shortcake, for serving

Mix together the grapes, cherries, raspberries, plums, and currants. Toss lightly with the whisky. Chill in the refrigerator for about 1 hour. Serve alone or over ice cream, pound cake, or shortcake.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Note: Any combination of summer fruits works in this recipe. Use approximately 5 1/2 cups fruit.

Buffalo, Turnip, and Berry Ragout

I mentioned ragouts and truffles morella and reminded us that thoughts of home and familiar surroundings and food did cross the all of the travelers' minds. The buffalo so moist the turnip and berries so juicy that our mouths watered every time someone talked about or whenever we saw it.

Prairie turnips are not available commercially. This recipe substitutes the common turnip.

1 pound buffalo stew meat, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
1/3 cup stone-ground cornmeal
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil or other fat

3 to 4 turnips, peeled and cut into eighths
1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
1/2 cup dried blueberries

Toss the buffalo cubes in a mixture of cornmeal, salt, and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a heavy 3-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the buffalo and brown well on all sides, stirring often, for 5 to 7 minutes, adding additional oil if needed. Reduce the heat to medium if browning too fast. Stir in 2 cups of water, the turnips, onions, and blueberries. Bring to a boil. Cover and turn the heat to low. Simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, stirring and basting regularly. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 to 5 servings.

Plum Tart

Myself and the travelers had been picking wild fruit since late May, but this is the first we have made pastries. We compared the buffalo berry to plums he knew from the East. One said "it is the best thing I have had since we left." and that "the sweetness and the bitterness complimented each other very well."

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup lard or vegetable shortening
4 tablespoons butter
2 to 3 tablespoons cold water

Filling:

1 1/2 to 2 pounds ripe fresh plums, pitted and sliced (see Note)
1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar

To make the pastry, combine the flours and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Cut in the lard and 3 tablespoons of butter with 2 knives or with a pastry blender until the mixture is the size of shelled peas. Add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and stir until the pastry holds together. Chill about 20 minutes. Roll out the pastry to a 10-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Carefully transfer the pastry circle to an ungreased baking sheet.

To make the filling, toss the plums gently with the flour and sugar in a large bowl. Arrange the plums over the pastry, leaving 1/2 inch pastry around the edge. Fold the pastry in 1/2 inch. Dot the plums with 1 tablespoon of butter.

Bake in a 375°F oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the plums are tender. Cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Note: Very ripe plums will be sweeter and juicier and will make the texture of the tart softer.

Buffalo, Turnip, and Berry Ragout

While eating Buffalo, Turnip, and Berry Ragout it reminded me of being home so much i didn't want to just give up on our journey.

Prairie turnips are not available commercially. This recipe substitutes the common turnip.

1 pound buffalo stew meat, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
1/3 cup stone-ground cornmeal
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil or other fat

3 to 4 turnips, peeled and cut into eighths
1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
1/2 cup dried blueberries

Toss the buffalo cubes in a mixture of cornmeal, salt, and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a heavy 3-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the buffalo and brown well on all sides, stirring often, for 5 to 7 minutes, adding additional oil if needed. Reduce the heat to medium if browning too fast. Stir in 2 cups of water, the turnips, onions, and blueberries. Bring to a boil. Cover and turn the heat to low. Simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, stirring and basting regularly. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 to 5 servings.

Roasted Jerusalem Artichokes

A sunflower family member, Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus), still grows easily in the Great Plains. In supermarkets, the root is featured as a specialty vegetable, sometimes called sunchoke. But on the Discovery it was called heaven especially after a ong day of pushing and pulling the huge boat because of it's warm silky butter, sued or lard.

8 to 10 Jerusalem artichokes (about 1 pound)
1 tablespoon suet, lard, or butter
1/3 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
Salt (optional)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Scrub the Jerusalem artichokes and thinly peel. Slice in half and arrange on a 12-inch square of aluminum foil. Dot with suet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bring opposite sites of the foil together and seal the seam. Fold in the ends. Grill over medium coals or bake in 400ºF oven for about 50 minutes, or until tender.

Makes 3 to 4 servings.

Note: If using unsalted seeds, add salt to taste.

Everyday Hominy with Bacon

Canned, cooked hominy is a modern convenience in this version of the Expedition rations of "lyed corn and greece.” I remember the warm warm hominy with the delicious pig we had shot earlier in the day during our journey.

1 can (14 1/2 ounces) yellow hominy
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) white hominy
1/4 pound bacon, chopped
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Drain the hominy and rinse well under cool water. Set aside. Cook the bacon over medium heat until almost crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. If desired, remove all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat. Stir in the onion and cook over medium heat for about 4 minutes, or until the onion is softened. Stir in the hominy, 1/4 cup of water, and the pepper. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until the hominy is cooked through and the flavors are blended. Serve immediately.

Makes about 8 servings.

Monticello Muffins

A version of this labor-intensive recipe exists in Jefferson’s hand. Also known as English muffins, these muffins have an uneven honeycomb texture best retained by splitting with the tines of a fork instead of with a knife.

2 1/2 cups bread flour
4 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cups warm milk or water (120ºF)
2 tablespoons melted butter or oil
1 cup whole wheat flour
Brown rice flour

Combine 1 1/2 cups of the bread flour, the yeast, salt, and sugar in a mixer bowl. Stir in the milk and butter and beat at low speed for about 1 minute. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes.

Add the remaining bread flour and the whole wheat flour to make a dough. Beat well for 3 to 5 minutes. If too stiff for the mixer, beat by hand with a wooden spoon, 5 to 7 minutes. Mix until smooth. The mixture will be too sticky to knead. Place in an oiled bowl and let rise until doubled, about 50 minutes.

Dust a greased baking sheet with brown rice flour. Shape the dough into 12 rounds, about 4 inches across and 3/4 inch thick. Cover with a clean dishtowel and let rise for 35 to 40 minutes, or until doubled in height. Muffins will lose their shape if they rise too long.

Bake the muffins in a heavy skillet or on a griddle over medium heat, 8 to 10 minutes on each side. Turn more than once if muffins appear to brown too fast.

Makes about 12 muffins.

Honey-Black Walnut Bread

At Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia), we looked forward to freshly baked bread. We had directed an unnamed corporal to trade flour with a woman who would bake ninety pounds of bread for us. The corporal and the baker had a disagreement at delivery. The corporal returned to the boats without the bread—and to us very displeased. After a reprimand, we gave him a dollar and told him to go back and get the bread and “pay the woman for her trouble.”

2 cups boiling water
1/2 cup cracked wheat

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
4 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup warm water (120°F)
1/4 cup honey
3 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup chopped black or English walnuts

Pour boiling water over the cracked wheat in a small bowl. Let stand for 20 minutes.

Combine 2 cups of the all-purpose flour, the whole wheat flour, yeast, and salt in a large mixer bowl. Stir in the softened cracked wheat with the soaking water, 1/2 cup warm water, honey, and melted butter. Mix on low speed for 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium and mix for 2 to 3 minutes. Using the mixer or stirring by hand, add 1 cup all-purpose flour and walnuts, mixing until smooth.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board. Add as much remaining all-purpose flour, 1/4 to 1/2 cup, as needed to leave the dough not sticky. Knead for about 5 minutes, or until the dough is smooth to the touch.

Cover with a clean towel and set in a warm place (75° to 80°F) and let the dough rise 50 to 60 minutes, or until doubled in size. Turn the dough out and shape into 2 loaves.

Place in well-greased 8 x 4- or 9 x 5-inch bread pans. Let rise another 45 to 50 minutes, or until doubled. Bake in a 375°F oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the loaves are lightly browned and sound hollow when thumped.

Makes 2 loaves.

July 3rd Dinner

On July 3 in Atchison, Kansas, the diners’ finale for the gala "Taste of the Trail" dinner was Summer Berry Cobbler.

6 cups fresh or frozen blueberries, raspberries, and/or blackberries
1 cup sugar
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup butter
½ cup whole wheat flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 egg, beaten
2 to 3 tablespoons milk or water
2 tablespoons pearl or coarse turbinado sugar

Butter a 8x8-inch glass baking dish. In baking dish, toss together berries, ¾ cup sugar and ½ cup all-purpose flour. Set aside.

In large bowl, combine ½ cup butter, remaining 1 cup all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, remaining ¼ cup sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Mix with pastry blender or two knives until mixture is the size of peas. Lightly stir in egg and 2 tablespoons milk, mixing just until combined. If mixture seems dry, gently add remaining tablespoon milk. Over-stirring makes the cobbler tough.

Spoon batter over berries. Sprinkle with pearl sugar. Place in 400° oven and bake 35-40 minutes or until fruit is hot and bubbly and cobbler is golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in center of batter comes clean.

Serve with vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream, if desired.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

A Spring and Summer Treat

The Quakers receive credit for inventing lemon custard in the late 1700s. Philadelphian Elizabeth Coane Goodfellow, a pastry chef, businesswoman, and cooking school founder, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1806, took lemon custard to another level when she invented lemon meringue pie. Perhaps I Lewis had sampled my first slice of pie during my return visit in the spring and summer of 1807.

Crust:
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup lard or vegetable shortening
2 to 3 tablespoons cold water

Filling:
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 cup water
1/4 cup cornstarch
3 eggs, separated
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon butter
1/8 teaspoon salt

To make the crust, place the flours and salt in a medium bowl. Cut in the lard with a pastry blender or with 2 knives until the mixture is the size of peas. Sprinkle with water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough holds together. Form into a ball, cover, and chill in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 10- to 11-inch circle. Fold in half and in half again. Gently place in 9-inch baking dish. Unfold and press into dish. Trim and flute edge. Prick the sides and bottom of the crust generously with the tines of a fork to allow air to escape during baking. Bake at 450ºF for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the crust is lightly browned.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Combine 1 cup of the sugar and 1/2 cup of the water in a medium saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until the sugar is dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes. Combine the cornstarch and remaining 1/2 cup water in a small bowl. Stir all at once into the hot sugar mixture. Bring to a boil and stir 2 to 3 minutes, or until the mixture is clear and bubbly.

Stir about 1/4 cup hot mixture into the egg yolks and add to saucepan. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes more, or until the mixture is glossy and the eggs are cooked. Remove from the heat. Stir in the lemon juice, butter, and salt. Stir until the butter is melted. Pour the hot filling into the cooled crust.

Place the egg whites in a medium mixer bowl. Beat until foamy. While beating, add 1/3 cup of sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, and beat until stiff peaks hold. Cover the filling with meringue, sealing the meringue to the edge of the crust over the filling. Place in 350ºF oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until the meringue is golden brown. Cool for about 1 hour before serving.

Makes 8 servings.

Camp Wood, Near St. Louis May 14th 1804

When we set out for our expedition we had to bring many things from socks and underwear to big coats and lots of equipment and supplies for along the way. Some of things we brought for our journey was lots of stuff bags for food, sheets of oiled linen for tents, a small pharmacy of medicines, clothing for each member, flour, biscuits, salt pork, coffee, sugar, salt, dried apples, condensed soup, a supply of tobacco, whisky, lead canisters to keep gun powder dry, mosquito netting, rifle flints, soap, fishing tackle, and tools of every kind. We had promised Mr. Jefferson we would write in journals so we had to bring writing paper, ink, and inkwells. In order to find our way around we needed a compass, a chronometer, a pocket telescope, a quadrant, a magnet, pole chains for surveying, a sextant, and many thermometers. We also needed beads, pewter mirrors, twists of tobacco, ribbons, handkerchiefs, tomahawks, ruffled shirts, scissors, vermilion, moccasin awls, many different kinds of fish hooks, and lots of different sized sewing needles.

The Boys from the Crew

Brian-can sing and play the guitar for us when we need some entertainment and is pretty much guaranteed to be the first one down the hill.

Quinn-is a very talented navigator and can tell us lots of old stories at campfires

Jake-has got a sense of direction which will be very useful if we get lost along the way

Ryan-is very creative and has his on perspective about things

Andrew-is an expert negotiator. He can easily convince Natives to trade us their goods along the trip.

Gabe-one word poetry!

Austin-sailor, outdoors man, knows plants and and roots.

Clay- can read a map and u use a compass but best of all can tell amazing stories