When I was a kid, and the History channel was still mainly about history, this is exactly the type of thing I would watch. The quality of this show is phenomenal and is definitely good enough to be on the late-90s History channel. Fantastic!
It's humbling finding out that people in the 18th century had the same struggles to feed themselves like I am right now, and the solutions haven't changed much either. I'm eating a meal made by my local church folk right now and I am thankful to be supplied with tons of warm stews and soups for the winter.
Good you have that. We all need to eat, however humbly, and soups are easy to stretch for another plate at the table. For years I fed an elderly neighbor who came every day for his bowl of soup or stew and home-baked bread or biscuits. And kids came to eat now and again. I don't have neighbors that need fed here.
@@bonniesilva5162 thanks! Here I pick up groceries for an elderly neighbor, but I don't feed her. The main thing is checking in on the elderly. As I turned 68, I am getting elderly on my own account but I still work my garden and acreage. My dad always visited elderly neighbors, he took books and magazines. My boss and I ran a Meals on Wheels route until he retired. It is a neighborly thing.
@@RebeccaTreeseed I'm 64...no family left, live alone. Used to visit with & help out long-time neighbor across the street who lived to 104! The neighbors here are good- when I had surgery last winter, they helped me out with rides & meals (I don't drive, but I've always done all my grocery shopping by bicycle!) 🚲
@Shadow Angel you must be hiding some shameful thing about yourself sitting here attacking people on the internet. You do not know the struggles of another, and your absolute lack of humanity doesn't make you look smart or edgy. There's physical health and there's mental health and you're exhibiting the most shameful of mental processes: putting others down to build yourself up. The deeds of the hollow, worthless, and basement-dwelling incel.
@@Whocareslol usually in blog posts about cooking, the writer will tell their life story before showing you the actual recipe. "When I was a kid, this recipe has been a favourite of mine, and in this article I will show you how to cook my family's delicious [insert dish here]." or "'[brief introduction], [history lesson], [personal experience], [actual recipe]" type of stuff
@@kommstein5692 counter point you're on a blog, if you don't want there to be a human behind the recipe, you should have just searched it on a recipe website just for the instructions and that's it.
I remember my grandfather and his stories about growing up during the Great Depression and how much history seems to by cyclical. When he was 15 he left home and crossed the US from NY to out west looking for work like so many others, hopping trains to get there. He was probably the most frugal, practical person I knew except my maybe my wife's 96 year old aunt who also grew up during the Depression. I recall watching my grandfather, who would grow a large garden every year, hunt during the fall and fish during the summer. He took a lot of fish home, and he would add to that the pig he raised every year, and had a goat for milk. He would get eggs from the neighbor's chickens and he would give them some pork and other food during the year. He had a few apple trees and one time I remember him taking an apple that was on the ground, it was ripe but it had a large bad spot on one side, he simply took out his knife, cut the apple in half and the half that was good, he ate. I asked him about that and he said that you don't throw away good food and you learn how to do without sometimes before you appreciate that. When my parents split up, we were very poor, my mother had nothing, me and my two sisters to take care of and she couldn't get public assistance so we got by on her paycheck, which wasn't much. One summer I fished almost every day at my grandfather's pond for bullhead, pretty much the only thing in there except suckers. That winter, we pretty much lived on bullhead and potatoes we were given. Now when I go fishing with my son, we bring home fish that we can keep, put it in the freezer, I hunt without caring about the antler size of the deer & we have a garden. I won't ever take for granted again what it's like to have food in the house and with the times we have now, neither should anyone else.
AdirondackBuzzard My dad grew up during that great depression. He told stories of ow they mad toilet paper out of crumpled up newspaper, so it must have been pretty rough in those days.
Welfare really is a trap. Your mother was lucky not to get caught in it. I've been extremely poor, myself, so I understand that you need the bad times to appreciate the good. Watching how wasteful most people are because they don't have that appreciation really bothers me. But what can do?
@@tims001 It really is, beyond the story itself. What it makes it so exceptional that even his videos from 7 years ago were amazing, waaaay beyond what most RUclipsrs could do.
11:17 “i think the special thing is the oatmeal that comes in at the end” I heard “opium” instead of “oatmeal” and had to rewind. That would be a very special soup indeed
Poverty cooking hasn't changed much. Dried peas and beans, lentils, home grown root vegs and greens, herbs, organ meats, wild fish and game; all made into stews, casseroles, and dumpovers. Thanks, Mom.😊
Poverty cooking has changed a bit, growing your own veggies is a bit of a luxury now a days. Unfortunately the space required is slimming these days. However, fresh veggies are actually very cheap and can go very far, if done correctly, like in stews or casseroles, as you've pointed out.
@@CamAteUrKFC Urban vs rural poverty. Plenty of land out in the boonies to farm and hunt. Of course, even the city has vacant lots where you could probably convince an Alderman (or similar) to let you -plant a Victory garden in exchange for cleaning up the trash...
As a man who works outside(in all weathers). I do love coming home to the smell of a stews coming from my slow cooker. Think cuts of buttered bread with it. Nothing better on a cold, wet day.
I love the smell of stews from my slow cooker also on a cold day. And buying tough cuts of meat that just become beautifully tender after being slow cooked all day. Buttered toast on the side is a must for those stews.
@@danielbeaney4407 Buttered bread does indeed work also! Outside of stews, I've slow cook peeled and diced apples with some brown sugar and cinnamon to make a semi-sweet apple puree, using an electric hand-held processor or masher afterwards to mash the softened apple to your desired consistency. During winter and after dinner, having a warm bowl of that apple puree with some warmed custard or thickened cream mixed in is... well, your mouth and stomach will thank you mightily!
"if money spent on tea were spent on homebrewed beer, the wife would be better fed, the husband better pleased, and both would be healthier" -Hannah More's 'The Cottage Cook' Wait till my brew group hears this!
@@carolinanava3300 Not especially. Tea was expensive, being shipped in primarily from China, and provided no nutrition. Barley, used for the beer, was much cheaper and provided needed calories. The homebrewed beer mentioned here is probably a small beer, with little alcohol but plenty of carbohydrates, useful for when people are going hungry.
@@stormelemental13 I fully agree but many folks these days would do well to replace their consumption of beer or alcohol in general with tea so i suppose it's a bit ironic in that sense.
@@stormelemental13 "Shipped from China". I thought the British had already set up tea plantations in India and most tea was grown there by Hannah More's time. Have I been laboring under a misconception all this time? After some googling, it appears I was. The first plantation the British setup in India wasn't until the 1820s and the full mass scale production of tea in India not for a few decades after that.
Golly! When the chef started to serve the bowls of soup, something struck in my heart! I'm going to start donating money to my cities food bank. I still have a job during this pandemic where some don't. Our communities need help! If you can help, let's all help! Thank you for this wonderful video!
You're a good person. For anyone else considering helping your local food banks, also consider donating money rather than canned goods. Many food banks work directly with suppliers and get produce and canned goods at a wholesale price (when we shop at the supermarket, there's a mark up). The suppliers get to write off the food as a charitable donation and get lower tax rates which is why suppliers work actively with food banks. However food banks also need people to help distribute the food to their patrons so if you're low on money but have free time, you can also volunteer!
My wife and I are long haul truckers, and we collect our returnable bottles and cans and donate them to the local food bank. We have personally donated over $500 worth of recycling to the food bank since the start of the pandemic.
I made this for supper. I used a bit of corned beef cut small, a parsnip, a couple of turnips, some carrots and a small head of cabbage. I thickened it with a handful of oatmeal. The seasonings were just salt and pepper. Everyone in the family liked it -- which is a good thing, because I've got a lot left over.
Going to try this because we eat homemade soups all the time. Try this: dehydrated bean flakes (or dehydrated refried bean flakes) -- very flavorful and nutritious soup thickener.
My god the talent and care that goes into the details of this are mindblowing whether you're a history buff, a chef, or a video/content maker. Amazing work.
And to think that this is just an offshoot of their catalog business! If you want to own the clothing, cooking impliments, and tools you see in the videos... check out their online catalog!
If we truly love each other we're going to try and make sure everybody has something to eat and make a way for them to feed themselves and others.A hand up not a hand out.Self sufficiency is dignity.Dignity builds a civilization .Love sustains a society.🤔
This video reminds of what we did in the past. Several decades ago, living in central Virginia, we used to have an annual rural fall harvest celebration, with one neighbor putting his cast iron cauldron (had to be something like 100 gallons or larger) over a fire, and everyone was encouraged to bring what they had to throw in. Corn, plenty of veggies, usually a ham, some chickens, and yes, the occasional squirrel or other small game (cleaned, of course). We would generally think of it as a traditional Virginia Brunswick Stew. After cooking for a few hours, everyone would grab a bowl. Never disappointing, and always good!
True, it's a very efficient way to feed large numbers of people. Almost nothing gets wasted, it doesn't require much cooking skills and it can be left almost unsupervised, while it cooks. A stew also makes it easy, to give everyone a fair share of the food - go ahead and try that with a spit roasted piece of meat, when dealing with a bunch of hungry men.
Also soup broth keeps the vitamins, which folks at that time did not know much about, but they were smart enough to know that boiled stews were more healthy!!!
@@raraavis7782 "go ahead and try that with a spit roasted piece of meat, when dealing with a bunch of hungry men." That's why the one carving the meat has a big knife and fork ;)
Made me think of my mother's chili with a layer of melted fat on the surface from the fatty hamburger meat she used. I would soak it up with bread and eat it before the chili.
I watched a video yesterday about 1816, the "year without the summer." I knew a lot about it already, but still learned a good bit. One of the things they talked about was a German priest (he might have been Protestant, I don't know) and his cousin who were experimenting with other things like the beans you mentioned to make bread. They invented potato bread. The German king wanted to help the people so much with this bread that he had the recipe copied and distributed to everyone in the kingdom. I teared up hearing about that.
There was another German king who publicized his own consumption of potatoes and forced his nobles to eat them because there was a stigma that potatoes were for the destitute, and he wanted more people eating them because you can grow more calories/acre with them than with wheat.
@@shutout951 he also set guards with orders to "guard" a royal potato garden but really they were to take bribes and allow pesants to steal potatoes so they felt special
@@MrPanzerCatYT and this wasn't in germany but in France, and was actually a plan by Parmentier, there is still a dish called hachis parmentier named in his honor
@@Nopointasking Great 🤓So the same idea was done in several countries, as human nature is essentially the same anywhere. In Prussia in 1756 it was King Friedrich II, called "der alte Fritz", who tricked farmers into getting interested in planting potatoes, by having them planted and guarded by soldiers. What is guarded must be precious! The guards were told to be sleeping a lot on guard... 😉
Our economy is hurting. People are displaced financially, due largely due to the pandemic. The Townsends make a new video called "Doing much with very little." And it is not the first time that such similarities have occurred, connecting today's tribulations with those of our ancestors. How encouraging it is, to see percevierance and resilience, in similar hardships. Thank you, for this glimmer of hope. Sometimes the lessons we can learn from history, can be that of hope and strength. Your lessons are not unnoticed, nor are they unappreciated. Thank you for fifteen minutes of free therapy.
they faced the industrial revolution. we are likely to face the "automation revolution" which will basically do the same thing. the lower end jobs will vanish as machines take over, leaving untold numbers destitute and devastated.
When Jon put the nutmeg on his soup at the end I just suddenly cracked up. Can't decide if he's officially addicted, or if it was a nod to the running joke about him putting it in everything.
Townsend sitting next to Ryan while they taste the soup is like some fairytale where a traveler learns to cook from a friendly giant, towering over him like that.
Your quote is from a time of starvation and where the beer made up for carbohydrates and little alcohol. It's not a time to be alive. You could drink beer endlessly, but it was BARLEY alcoholic! Sorry bad pun I'll leave now.
@@aurelian2668 slowly they became heavier drinks and they drank more and more so obviously it was an issue even to the point the US attempted to ban alcohol and we all know how poorly that went.
Lol, we make "stone soup" when we're broke. It's basically whatever we can scrounge from the freezer, fridge, pantry and garden, boiled in a pot. Soup is the great equalizer of foodstuffs; if it's food it can go in.
I've read that in many cities they planted appletrees so the poor would have them to eat. many old schoolyards in new england have appletrees for the same reason.
That is so smart!!!! I never understood why more perennial things weren't planted! I understand not wanting to be hit with dropping apples or picking up after rotten fruit if animals don't get it but... We used to have a perennial garden planted at church for the food pantry people but no one wanted to take to it so now it's a mulch bed.
In Finland, there is bread made from pine bark called pettuleipä (literally "pinewood-bark bread") was eaten in Finland as an emergency food when there has been a shortage of grain. In Korea, in times of scarcity they would use acorn flour as a substitute for wheat in times of scarcity, too.
I could sure make acorn bread if I can beat the squirrels to them. But, it takes a lot of work to get the bitter out of it before it is useful - or so I have read and have enough right now, so have not actually tried to do it.
I tried acorns. they are horrid. after a tiny bite of raw,I tried drying them.boiling,I will definitely be doing research on how to use the acorns properly. maybe they won't taste like poison then.Its important because in the worst situations you can acquire acorns to survive.
The Finnish pettuleipä was rarely all pettu; "puolet petäjäistä" ("half of the pine-kind") etc. Its not _horrible_ tasting, definitely rather eat pettu than starve.. but even at 25/75 pettu to rye the bread also tastes completely like pine tar. Definitely an acquired taste. Also its not actually pinewood's bark, its the layer between the bark and the wood. I know in Finnish its called "nila" which dictionary translates to "phloem" which is definitely a word I've never heard in my life.. Real problem with the ingredient is that it has to be harvested in correct time of the year (if I recall correctly that was early spring) and by either felling the trees or removing the bark and cutting the thin layer out of a living wood - which means the wood won't be living for long afterwards. Ofcourse the wood was used for construction or heating so it was more of recovering every tiny bit of edible material available.. /someone who's mom looks after 3 museums, one of which periodically demonstrates old harvesting methods..
History might be repeating itself so far as economic challenges and some food shortages. Your channel is invaluable living history we can apply today thanks
With the inevitable societal collapse, knowing how to do stuff like gardening, cooking, sewing, laundry, foraging, and repair work are really important.
I've actually done the bread/cheese soup from another video, and it's honestly fabulous. Takes a lot of cheese, but also takes to seasoning (chili powers and hot sauce are good) like a champ. Warm, filling, and I can go into the next day ready to work.
Not repeating, this never stopped. People have been destitute for centuries, and the only thing the current economic system is good at is hiding that fact under the rug.
Many people take modernity, and all of what we have in the developed world, for granted: it’s important to remember the work, time, and money that goes into it all, and where we all collectively struggled and came from. Love your channel; never change!
Does anyone remember when Jo was helping Beth drink some 'broth' in "Little Women"? I have been doing research on what folks' diet looked like 200-300 years ago (many thanks to Townsends for all the info!! I LOVE your channel!!!) ... 'broth' wasn't just water. When we boil the meat in a pot (including fat and bones!!) we get all the goodness in an easily digested state and it's perfect to help the sick get well and keep the healthy, healthy. Soup is wonderful--and the broth is gold!
I'd like to do some research into what your diet looks like now, because it must be a fascinating collection of chemicals if you don't even know what BROTH is.
Good recipe! I’ve always thickened my soups with leftover mashed potatoes or flakes. Lol! I want to talk to my butcher and see if they have leftover discards that they don’t sell that we could try a soup base with! This gives me so many ideas!
In Poland they use buckwheat or rye to thicken soups. There are some studies showing buckwheat is especially good at preventing viruses. In Sweden they sell hulled oats to use like barley. I like it because it is a nice texture and doesn't cause toots like barley.
Foodies killed getting soup bones on the cheap. Our cheapest source of beef bones for stock are $3 per pound from a local Menomite butcher shop. "Bone broth" is all the rage so what used to be poverty soup is now expensive.
@@D-B-Cooper Much like the part of those episode when John talks about people refusing to eat anything but bread made from wheat. That caused the price of wheat to skyrocket yet........they could thicken cheap soup with oatmeal. The same happens with the bone prices. If you want to eat well but on a budget, avoid anything popular. Personally I could eat this soup they make almost every day!
@@MrBottlecapBill we don’t have butchers anymore so bones are a specialty from the packaging plants. I don’t buy ground meat anymore because you can buy a big piece of meat and grind your own for less and you know what is in it. I’ve stocked up for at least a year, bought 60 lb more oatmeal the other day, just in case. Having salmon I caught tonight.
That apple core! My father grew up in Germany, during and after WWII, and knew food shortages as a child. No one who knew food shortages would leave that much fruit on an apple core - he'd eat it down to the seeds, even decades after the shortages had ended.
You can eat the seed too. I do it regularly. If it's not more than one or two a day there is/ should be no problem. On the contrary they can be beneficial for your health.
That bulk soup recipe was really interesting! You're right: it's funny to see "a pinch of pepper" or "a dash of salt" get scaled up to cups, but it totally makes sense because there's no way I'd be able to season 160 gallons to taste...
i bet when/if they used salt beef during these harder times, they didnt bother soaking it like they normally would meats preserved in salt, that way they wouldnt have to worry about seasoning the soup so it wouldnt be bland or springing for additional salt separately
@@OlEgSaS32 Also salt remained expensive even during those days, just not as much as in ancient history, but certainly wasn’t something you’d want to waste if you could help it. I’ve no doubt that while the rich simply dumped the brine as waste, the poor will save them for other purposes.
Ged Huffadine : Harry Champion amongst others sang it. "Boiled beef and carrots, Boiled beef and carrots, That's the stuff for your 'darby - kel' (belly),Makes you fit and it keeps you well.........
I grew up in a very poor family and I learned to make so much from next to nothing. My mother grew up in a family with many children and the family had less than our family, so she learned to stretch food in every possible way... and she is a fantastic cook- I am grateful to have learned to cook at an early age from my mother. I love making soups and stews... they are my favorite things to eat and cook.
Great topic, Jon. Sounds like the recipes during the '30s. My mom talked about their weekly "treat" of a single slice of bread soaked in coffee and sprinkled with sugar after a full week of eating stewed tomatoes.
My grandparents talked about the same thing in the 1930s. In fact my grandfather still would have that as a treat even into the 1970s and 80s. I am sure that their parents and grandparents may have done similar.
My grandma used to give my mom a piece of bread with butter and sugar for her snack while was getting dinner ready. She folded it over and called it a butter sandwich.
My dad talked about bread and sugar too. He was born in 1929 and talked about absolutely nothing going to waste. Parts of the pig, if they were lucky enough to get some, that you wouldn't imagine now. I try to be grateful every day for what we have.
I love that you not only give inexpensive recipes that are So needed again right now, you also show people How to cook! Great job Jon and Townsend team!👍💜
I REALLY like the format of this video-- QUITE ENJOYABLE..... I like seeing Ryan in the background while you're talking and the occasional cut to the food that's being cut, cooked, or prepared.... I hope to see more videos like this-- you two always work well together but there was something about the editing on this video that makes it stand out... among the hundreds I've watched
@@Lucidius134 That's more likely the stodgy vibe she was going for, given that tea was a luxury good, but for the purposes of my comment I was imagining her a party animal :P
Another good episode. So good to see Ryan. Never forget the treat of meeting John at Townsend's and having Ryan escort us thru it all and get to meet so many nice people.
Just wanted to say, the kid across the street from me (we're British, which you might not guess from my cat wearing her finest American regalia in my profile picture lol I was in Austin for the 4th July that year and couldn't resist XD) is absolutely in love with your videos since he started studying the 18th century in history class. I've never seen him so passionate and excited about a topic as long as I've known him. You really inspire him and bring history to life for him. Thank you so much for that :) He's had a lot of challenges in life, both medical and otherwise, so seeing him light up and tell me about your latest video is just such a joy.
I feel "poor" food stems the most creativity. This one may not be great but the restriction of ingredients or the abundance of one or two things have sparked staples and techniques we still use today in modern industrial kitchens
I absolutely love all the care you take to give us all so much historic information!! I have tried so many of the recipes you feature. A true gem here; Thank you!!
My great great grandpa had a story passed down to us, he used to be a whip maker, for wagons and such, he also did repais on wagons and had a small stable, but his main source of income was working with whips
When I first watched these videos I thought they were a pbs or similar operation and not just a humble bunch of guys from Indiana doing this on their own!
I find this video so heartwarming, to think that even hundreds of years ago people still wanted to take care of their community, it sheds light on the inherent kindness and compassion every human holds in their heart no matter the time and no matter the social climate.
I grew up poor: this is basically the sort of thing that I grew up with. Thankfully we had decent grocery stores and could grow our own food a little. Not a luxury many poor people have today, as then, unfortunately. Times are not as different now as then, the mass mechanisation of mining and resource extraction that is happening as we speak is creating a similar situation as we speak. Which is one of the unspoken reasons for some of our current unrest (policians directing and lying to desperate people is another situation with strong period parallels)
Another great episode John! You & Ryan know how to cook up some tasty dishes! Thank you both for sharing your expertise, experience, passion & talents!
This is basically German eintopf (“one pot”). My family were German farmers before they moved to the US in the 1950s. Not only did we eat eintopf every week, it was one of my favorite dishes. It’s very tasty, and yes, both filling and good for you.
This is so well made. It's got such a calming atmosphere. I've been binging a lot of the early videos and you can tell how much more comfortable you are on camera. I want to let you know how much I appreciate all your work.
have been watching this channel for the past year or so. I am in my early 20s and not even a big fan of history. there is something about the content and the way it is portrayed that is so captivating!
My very old uncle (84) has always boiled his meat. Never fries or roasts it. Just boils. The juices he keeps and freezes for later use. He refers to the meat juices and associated fat (obviously including the water because he boils the meat) as the gravy. Very old-timey.
I don't follow this channel closely, but I also admire and respect the amount of detail, quality, and thought put into these. Thank you for doing this!
Honestly these simple, wholesome meals are some of my favorites to both cook and to eat. I will have try adding oatmeal to my soup as a thickener. It sounds very interesting.
This channel has been my go to destination to chill and learn or just binge watch for years, the quality of content and editing is simply getting better and better every upload.
Jon: :gives a history of the plight of the poor, the bread shortage, and soup shops in the 18th century: Ryan: Ignore everything. Must. Keep. Chopping.
This kinda of content comforts me. The aesthetic of the videos gives me the feeling of a few people just living life the best they can. Love the content man
A very long time ago I was a "chef" among many (60) at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island Michigan. Ryan's knife and especially his handling of the knife, as previously mentioned by W. Serba, would have gotten an embarrassing lecture from The Head Chef, who was feared by all. The third lecture by the fearsome Head Chef would include instructions regarding the hotel exit and when the next boat departed for the mainland. Butcher knives are for butchering not cutting vegetables. If that is the only knife available it will work but that is no reason for an improper and very dangerous knife grip, which is why the Head Chef fired people who refused to use any equipment safely. These are really great teaching videos but PLEASE teach safe cutting, preparation, and cooking techniques!!
I wouldn't turn my nose up at it, looked really good to me, but I'm one of the poors. LOL. Really like your cooking an building vids, an not to mention the historical side of everything you do. Thx for the vid.
Most if the less expensive foods taste best anyway. I like my beef but I am also a beans and taters person too. Cornbread in buttermilk for supper and fried okra and fried squash for a bit of variety. .
@@s.leemccauley7302 ,Oh I hear you loud an clear, my other half will never understand how I can make a meal of greens an cornbread, that's the way I grew up. Or in other words we didn't grow up on surf an turf like others did.
I posted this earlier so please forgive the redundancy. A very long time ago I was a "chef" among many chefs (60) at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island Michigan. Ryan's knife and especially his handling of the knife, as previously mentioned by W. Serba, would have gotten an embarrassing lecture from The Head Chef, who was feared by all. The third lecture by the fearsome Head Chef would include instructions regarding the hotel exit and when the next boat departed for the mainland. Butcher knives are for butchering not cutting vegetables. If that is the only knife available it will work but that is no reason for an improper and very dangerous knife grip, which is why the Head Chef fired people who refused to use any equipment safely. These are really great teaching videos but PLEASE teach safe cutting, preparation, and cooking techniques!!
Having stumbled across this channel a couple of years ago I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for providing such wonderful videos. After trying many of the 18th century recipes you have given my diet (and health!) have significantly improved :-)
Henry, I think it is called 'real' food :-) And, so many of these recipes were cooked in my home as a child as both of my parents because adults in the beginning of the depression.
If anyone is interested in measurements of the time period, the imperial measurements used in the north american colonies and great britain were the same, as these are pre 1824 imperial measurements and are pretty much the same as the US Customary System. As Canada was part of the British Empire they use the 1824 imperial system and not the current US Customary System.
Except that "imperial" is the wrong term here since the system wasn't defined for the British Empire but was more or less standard for England. As it happens, the main difference between the US Customary System and the Imperial system is in units of volume. The US standardized on the wine gallon of 231 cubic inches, divided into 8 pints of 16 ounces each for liquid measures, and the corn gallon of roughly 269 cu. in. for dry measures. The Imperial system, established in 1820, standardized on a single gallon for all purposes, the volume of 10 lbs of water which works out to 277.42 cu. in., divided into 8 pts of 20 oz each. So the Imperial gallon is slightly larger than the US, and the ounce slightly smaller.
The US gallon is smaller to increase the taxation on the same volume as it was taxed on a unit. Also the Tomato was classified as a vegetable (spoiler, it’s a fruit) so that fruit could be exported duty free.
I grew up very old-fashioned Mennonite. We had soup almost every evening for supper: Creamy potato & onion soup (green onion tops make it amazing!)... Chicken, corn & rice soup (pressure-cook an old layer hen, debone it, cook rice and home-frozen corn in the stock, add back the chopped chicken)... Creamy Tomato soup with chopped hot dogs (It's good!)... Chicken vegetable noodle soup... Vegetable beef soup... Navy bean soup (fried chopped bacon, add milk & a can of navy beans, heat through and add cubed toasted homemade bread. yum.)... Cold fruit soup (cubed homemade bread in bowl, top with fresh or canned fruit, milk & sugar.)... Salmon soup (Just heat milk & add a can of salmon, bones crushed tiny. Serve with Saltines.)... Creamy fish chowder (cook cubed potatoes, onions, carrots and celery. when done, add cubed fish fillets. Bring to a boil, add milk, thicken with a roux.)... All of course, served with Mama's amazing homemade bread. No wonder we all were overweight!
👀…. Do you not make or make soup today? I mean it’s nice to see that some things really don’t change. Most soups are the same today. Veggies thrown in a pot with whatever meat you have around with some seasonings. Maybe gourmet soups are complicated but that’s not good country cooking.
I honestly can't believe I've never thought to thicken soup with oatmeal before! It's way better than my usually method of either blending half of it or adding a cornstarch slurry
When I was about 13 (around 1970) my mom had to have surgery, so my dad did the cooking for a week. It was quite an adventure. We joked that he learned to cook from a chuck wagon, since he had been a cowboy at one time. Anyway, one of the things he did that we thought was hilarious was that he put malto-meal in some homemade beef-vegetable soup to thicken it up. It was actually quite good. I suppose adding a milled grain to soup or stew goes way back! Great video!
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When I was a kid, and the History channel was still mainly about history, this is exactly the type of thing I would watch. The quality of this show is phenomenal and is definitely good enough to be on the late-90s History channel. Fantastic!
I miss old History channel too! It’s just aliens and bigfoot now.
Gods, the History Channel of the '90s. My childhood. I miss it.
@@rp338 Yep it's just trash TV now, which is why so many people including myself have cut/shaved the cord.
History channel? More like your average crappy reality show only channel, all alien and crap, even something unrelated like pawn shop...
Tales of the Gun, Mail Call, Modern Marvels. The good old days.
"Oats: A grain, which in England is generally given to horses, but in Scotland supports the people."
- Samuel Johnson.
Such an underrated grain, the oat. I just had a plate of fried mackeral coated in oatmeal. Traditional Scottish meal. Good with a beetroot salad.
Which is why England has such fine horses, and Scotland has such fine people.
@@shadowfirekarp Aw, you missed a good joke there. "Which is why England has such fine horses, and Scotland too." :P
Oatmeal a staple
Oats to the Scottish are Black Eyed Peas to the American South 👍
It's humbling finding out that people in the 18th century had the same struggles to feed themselves like I am right now, and the solutions haven't changed much either. I'm eating a meal made by my local church folk right now and I am thankful to be supplied with tons of warm stews and soups for the winter.
Good you have that. We all need to eat, however humbly, and soups are easy to stretch for another plate at the table.
For years I fed an elderly neighbor who came every day for his bowl of soup or stew and home-baked bread or biscuits. And kids came to eat now and again.
I don't have neighbors that need fed here.
@@RebeccaTreeseed Very kind of you. 🍲
@@bonniesilva5162 thanks! Here I pick up groceries for an elderly neighbor, but I don't feed her. The main thing is checking in on the elderly. As I turned 68, I am getting elderly on my own account but I still work my garden and acreage.
My dad always visited elderly neighbors, he took books and magazines. My boss and I ran a Meals on Wheels route until he retired.
It is a neighborly thing.
@@RebeccaTreeseed I'm 64...no family left, live alone. Used to visit with & help out long-time neighbor across the street who lived to 104! The neighbors here are good- when I had surgery last winter, they helped me out with rides & meals (I don't drive, but I've always done all my grocery shopping by bicycle!) 🚲
@@bonniesilva5162 nice! With all the news, it is nice to hear regular folks being... regular.
Seeing Ryan cooking while Townsends talk about history is so satisfying. Food and history is a good combination.
I was so happy to see Ryan! He needs to be in more videos. He’s an amazing cook! ❤️😃
@@MusicRainfield Yes indeed.
I don't know why that makes the episode, but it does.
Well said
@Shadow Angel you must be hiding some shameful thing about yourself sitting here attacking people on the internet. You do not know the struggles of another, and your absolute lack of humanity doesn't make you look smart or edgy. There's physical health and there's mental health and you're exhibiting the most shameful of mental processes: putting others down to build yourself up. The deeds of the hollow, worthless, and basement-dwelling incel.
I love how once he was alone, John started grating nutmeg into his soup. The man is addicted. Someone get this man some help.
It's like Christmas everyday!
Nah, he doesn't need help. He looks like he's doing just fine grating the nutmeg :)
I can imagine him grating a whole nutmeg on the counter, dividing it up into thin powdery lines and then snorting them all up one after another.
I put nutmeg in my coffee every morning
I came here looking for this comment. I wasn't disappointed! 😝
Moral of this story: bloggers have been putting their life story before the recipe for centuries
underrated comment
Truest thing I've read
wtf does this comment even mean
@@Whocareslol usually in blog posts about cooking, the writer will tell their life story before showing you the actual recipe.
"When I was a kid, this recipe has been a favourite of mine, and in this article I will show you how to cook my family's delicious [insert dish here]."
or
"'[brief introduction], [history lesson], [personal experience], [actual recipe]" type of stuff
@@kommstein5692
counter point
you're on a blog, if you don't want there to be a human behind the recipe, you should have just searched it on a recipe website just for the instructions and that's it.
I remember my grandfather and his stories about growing up during the Great Depression and how much history seems to by cyclical. When he was 15 he left home and crossed the US from NY to out west looking for work like so many others, hopping trains to get there. He was probably the most frugal, practical person I knew except my maybe my wife's 96 year old aunt who also grew up during the Depression. I recall watching my grandfather, who would grow a large garden every year, hunt during the fall and fish during the summer. He took a lot of fish home, and he would add to that the pig he raised every year, and had a goat for milk. He would get eggs from the neighbor's chickens and he would give them some pork and other food during the year. He had a few apple trees and one time I remember him taking an apple that was on the ground, it was ripe but it had a large bad spot on one side, he simply took out his knife, cut the apple in half and the half that was good, he ate. I asked him about that and he said that you don't throw away good food and you learn how to do without sometimes before you appreciate that. When my parents split up, we were very poor, my mother had nothing, me and my two sisters to take care of and she couldn't get public assistance so we got by on her paycheck, which wasn't much. One summer I fished almost every day at my grandfather's pond for bullhead, pretty much the only thing in there except suckers. That winter, we pretty much lived on bullhead and potatoes we were given. Now when I go fishing with my son, we bring home fish that we can keep, put it in the freezer, I hunt without caring about the antler size of the deer & we have a garden. I won't ever take for granted again what it's like to have food in the house and with the times we have now, neither should anyone else.
AdirondackBuzzard My dad grew up during that great depression. He told stories of ow they mad toilet paper out of crumpled up newspaper, so it must have been pretty rough in those days.
wow; you describe in memory color; thank you
Sir, respect, really, respect from England.
Nowadays no one will go look for work. They just sit on the couch and collect welfare
Welfare really is a trap. Your mother was lucky not to get caught in it. I've been extremely poor, myself, so I understand that you need the bad times to appreciate the good. Watching how wasteful most people are because they don't have that appreciation really bothers me. But what can do?
Every episode is more like a feature film. Well done!
Such a great channel, this is what makes RUclips what it is.
Indeed
@@tims001 It really is, beyond the story itself. What it makes it so exceptional that even his videos from 7 years ago were amazing, waaaay beyond what most RUclipsrs could do.
Well said 👏
Another good one Townsends 👍
11:17 “i think the special thing is the oatmeal that comes in at the end”
I heard “opium” instead of “oatmeal” and had to rewind. That would be a very special soup indeed
Can’t unhear it now..
You need to put the tooter down and pick up a spoon. A wooden one.
Definitely heard that first as well
Just reading your comment as Jon said opium. Thanks for the smile.
😂😂😂😂
Poverty cooking hasn't changed much. Dried peas and beans, lentils, home grown root vegs and greens, herbs, organ meats, wild fish and game; all made into stews, casseroles, and dumpovers.
Thanks, Mom.😊
Poverty cooking has changed a bit, growing your own veggies is a bit of a luxury now a days. Unfortunately the space required is slimming these days. However, fresh veggies are actually very cheap and can go very far, if done correctly, like in stews or casseroles, as you've pointed out.
I pretty much live off meat and veg's in one way or another.
@@CamAteUrKFC
Urban vs rural poverty. Plenty of land out in the boonies to farm and hunt. Of course, even the city has vacant lots where you could probably convince an Alderman (or similar) to let you -plant a Victory garden in exchange for cleaning up the trash...
All of that is quite healthy though.
Lol I can barely afford to feed myself
As a man who works outside(in all weathers). I do love coming home to the smell of a stews coming from my slow cooker. Think cuts of buttered bread with it. Nothing better on a cold, wet day.
I love the smell of stews from my slow cooker also on a cold day. And buying tough cuts of meat that just become beautifully tender after being slow cooked all day. Buttered toast on the side is a must for those stews.
@@beeman2075 I've never had it with toast but buttered bread is a must!
@@danielbeaney4407 Buttered bread does indeed work also! Outside of stews, I've slow cook peeled and diced apples with some brown sugar and cinnamon to make a semi-sweet apple puree, using an electric hand-held processor or masher afterwards to mash the softened apple to your desired consistency. During winter and after dinner, having a warm bowl of that apple puree with some warmed custard or thickened cream mixed in is... well, your mouth and stomach will thank you mightily!
@@beeman2075 🤤 ooo i've never made a dessert in a slow cooker so i'll have give this a try! Thank you 👍
@@danielbeaney4407 No worries, and welcome. Enjoy :)
"if money spent on tea were spent on homebrewed beer, the wife would be better fed, the husband better pleased, and both would be healthier" -Hannah More's 'The Cottage Cook'
Wait till my brew group hears this!
That is ironic
@@carolinanava3300 Not especially. Tea was expensive, being shipped in primarily from China, and provided no nutrition. Barley, used for the beer, was much cheaper and provided needed calories. The homebrewed beer mentioned here is probably a small beer, with little alcohol but plenty of carbohydrates, useful for when people are going hungry.
@@stormelemental13 Not to mention the gut bacteria benefits you get from beer
@@stormelemental13 I fully agree but many folks these days would do well to replace their consumption of beer or alcohol in general with tea so i suppose it's a bit ironic in that sense.
@@stormelemental13 "Shipped from China". I thought the British had already set up tea plantations in India and most tea was grown there by Hannah More's time. Have I been laboring under a misconception all this time?
After some googling, it appears I was. The first plantation the British setup in India wasn't until the 1820s and the full mass scale production of tea in India not for a few decades after that.
Hello to everyone from a small country of Latvia. Health and safety to you and your loved ones!
cryohellinc and to yours, too! Be well, Latvian friend
Hello from Colorado in USA. My husbands co worker is from Latvia. . 😀
Sveiks from the US!
USA born, but a dual American/Latvian citizen 😄
And also to you and your family
I was there years ago in Latvia recording an elder lady for she was speaking an endangered language of Livonian.
The artistry of this channel never fails to deliver, and the history is always so well researched. 👏 👏 👏
I really enjoyed having homie in the back preparing while you're reading. The whole energetic ambiance is awesome.
Yeah it was almost asmr
me too - the ocd in me just wished he'd scrubbed the potatoes!
@@SludgeManCometh thank God you're here to make sure everyone is speaking proper English on an internet forum
@@champo976 he's a true american hero
@@champo976 Thank goodness someone is here to praise him for his civil actions.
Golly! When the chef started to serve the bowls of soup, something struck in my heart! I'm going to start donating money to my cities food bank. I still have a job during this pandemic where some don't. Our communities need help! If you can help, let's all help! Thank you for this wonderful video!
You're a good person. For anyone else considering helping your local food banks, also consider donating money rather than canned goods. Many food banks work directly with suppliers and get produce and canned goods at a wholesale price (when we shop at the supermarket, there's a mark up). The suppliers get to write off the food as a charitable donation and get lower tax rates which is why suppliers work actively with food banks. However food banks also need people to help distribute the food to their patrons so if you're low on money but have free time, you can also volunteer!
My wife and I are long haul truckers, and we collect our returnable bottles and cans and donate them to the local food bank. We have personally donated over $500 worth of recycling to the food bank since the start of the pandemic.
@@MrRokashan bless you and your family
I made this for supper. I used a bit of corned beef cut small, a parsnip, a couple of turnips, some carrots and a small head of cabbage. I thickened it with a handful of oatmeal. The seasonings were just salt and pepper. Everyone in the family liked it -- which is a good thing, because I've got a lot left over.
You can thicken soups with oatmeal? What kind?
@@izzyrandom590 Steel cut oats. I normally use flour in beurre manee or a corn starch slurry to thicken soup or stew.
Going to try this because we eat homemade soups all the time.
Try this: dehydrated bean flakes (or dehydrated refried bean flakes) -- very flavorful and nutritious soup thickener.
@@homesteadgal4143 You could use red lentils as well, they turn to mush when they are cooked a bit longer.
@@nessi777 Yes, they do, as do split peas. Red lentils are expensive, though, when compared to pintos or split peas.
My god the talent and care that goes into the details of this are mindblowing whether you're a history buff, a chef, or a video/content maker. Amazing work.
And to think that this is just an offshoot of their catalog business!
If you want to own the clothing, cooking impliments, and tools you see in the videos... check out their online catalog!
If we truly love each other we're going to try and make sure everybody has something to eat and make a way for them to feed themselves and others.A hand up not a hand out.Self sufficiency is dignity.Dignity builds a civilization .Love sustains a society.🤔
@@deloreswilson1798 👌🏼
@@deloreswilson1798 Socialism or barbarism my friend, exactly.
It's all extremely fascinating to me as someone who enjoys cooking and some history, especially things like the 18th century
This video reminds of what we did in the past. Several decades ago, living in central Virginia, we used to have an annual rural fall harvest celebration, with one neighbor putting his cast iron cauldron (had to be something like 100 gallons or larger) over a fire, and everyone was encouraged to bring what they had to throw in. Corn, plenty of veggies, usually a ham, some chickens, and yes, the occasional squirrel or other small game (cleaned, of course). We would generally think of it as a traditional Virginia Brunswick Stew. After cooking for a few hours, everyone would grab a bowl. Never disappointing, and always good!
That sounds so fun!
Sounds like a burgoo. Although it could be called a Mulligan or really what's you got stew.
Brusnwick Stew is still a tradition in central Virginia!
wonderful memory.
Stardew Valley has this as one game event, pleased to know that its actually a real thing.
Food cooks faster when chopped smaller, and meat boiled in soup keeps *all* the fat in the pot instead of dripping into the fire.
True, it's a very efficient way to feed large numbers of people. Almost nothing gets wasted, it doesn't require much cooking skills and it can be left almost unsupervised, while it cooks.
A stew also makes it easy, to give everyone a fair share of the food - go ahead and try that with a spit roasted piece of meat, when dealing with a bunch of hungry men.
Also soup broth keeps the vitamins, which folks at that time did not know much about, but they were smart enough to know that boiled stews were more healthy!!!
@@raraavis7782 "go ahead and try that with a spit roasted piece of meat, when dealing with a bunch of hungry men."
That's why the one carving the meat has a big knife and fork ;)
True. Then again, if you live in cold environments- If the fire dies out, you will freeze and be miserable or die. ;)
Made me think of my mother's chili with a layer of melted fat on the surface from the fatty hamburger meat she used. I would soak it up with bread and eat it before the chili.
I watched a video yesterday about 1816, the "year without the summer." I knew a lot about it already, but still learned a good bit. One of the things they talked about was a German priest (he might have been Protestant, I don't know) and his cousin who were experimenting with other things like the beans you mentioned to make bread. They invented potato bread. The German king wanted to help the people so much with this bread that he had the recipe copied and distributed to everyone in the kingdom. I teared up hearing about that.
There was another German king who publicized his own consumption of potatoes and forced his nobles to eat them because there was a stigma that potatoes were for the destitute, and he wanted more people eating them because you can grow more calories/acre with them than with wheat.
@@shutout951 he also set guards with orders to "guard" a royal potato garden but really they were to take bribes and allow pesants to steal potatoes so they felt special
@@MrPanzerCatYT the idea was to get them to plant the potatoes
@@MrPanzerCatYT and this wasn't in germany but in France, and was actually a plan by Parmentier, there is still a dish called hachis parmentier named in his honor
@@Nopointasking Great 🤓So the same idea was done in several countries, as human nature is essentially the same anywhere. In Prussia in 1756 it was King Friedrich II, called "der alte Fritz", who tricked farmers into getting interested in planting potatoes, by having them planted and guarded by soldiers. What is guarded must be precious! The guards were told to be sleeping a lot on guard... 😉
Our economy is hurting. People are displaced financially, due largely due to the pandemic.
The Townsends make a new video called "Doing much with very little."
And it is not the first time that such similarities have occurred, connecting today's tribulations with those of our ancestors. How encouraging it is, to see percevierance and resilience, in similar hardships. Thank you, for this glimmer of hope. Sometimes the lessons we can learn from history, can be that of hope and strength. Your lessons are not unnoticed, nor are they unappreciated. Thank you for fifteen minutes of free therapy.
Mostly due to Democrat Governors and Mayors purposely tanking their economies via shutdowns.
The Great Reset is well underway
they faced the industrial revolution. we are likely to face the "automation revolution" which will basically do the same thing. the lower end jobs will vanish as machines take over, leaving untold numbers destitute and devastated.
@Hannibal Barca you're gonna pray to God soon
One Due to politicians
@Hannibal Barca @Atheist Conservative
Left wing Right wing, part of the same bird. Both are to blame.
My MA dissertation was on Hannah More. So very exciting to hear you mention her.
I (or rather my wife) would love to read that - is it available?
@@malcolmmaciver7000 It is in a private library at this time. It is not available online. Sorry to have to send this reply to your interest.
Cheers to your dissertation, that's marvelous!
That's really cool! What was the context in which you covered her?
That's awesome
“They survived on bread and small beer”
This makes up a majority of my diet 🤣
Lmao
Even medieval kings lived daily on pottage, bread and ale they didn't eat luxurious meals everyday
@@cinderwave9562 even their pottage was better than what most had access to. Royals had consistent access to meats and vegetables.
When Jon put the nutmeg on his soup at the end I just suddenly cracked up.
Can't decide if he's officially addicted, or if it was a nod to the running joke about him putting it in everything.
Most likely a joke. The one who worries me is Ragusea and his white wine.
@@pointerish I genuinely thought adam was trolling when he put white wine even in his diet recipes.
@@pointerish * Chef John laughing in the distance, cayenne pepper in hand *
I don't know about nutmeg but I put cinnamon in my beef stew
Townsend sitting next to Ryan while they taste the soup is like some fairytale where a traveler learns to cook from a friendly giant, towering over him like that.
Weird to see him NOT smoking his pipe honestly
I feel bad for thinking it but it's always funny for me to imagine that Ryan is Jon's like stereotypical hollywood henchman lol
@@FirstOfTheMagi a modern day igor if you will
Considering he always reminds me of Martin Freeman, Ryan towering over him feels natural lol
@@ThatWildcardI.. I thought I was the only one.
“If you took the money you spent on tea and spent it on beer, the family would be much healthier.”
What a time period to be born in.
Your quote is from a time of starvation and where the beer made up for carbohydrates and little alcohol.
It's not a time to be alive. You could drink beer endlessly, but it was BARLEY alcoholic!
Sorry bad pun I'll leave now.
@@BillionairesArentYourFriends Thats good isnt it? Not a lot drunks around.
@@aurelian2668 That's what moonshine is for
@@aurelian2668 slowly they became heavier drinks and they drank more and more so obviously it was an issue even to the point the US attempted to ban alcohol and we all know how poorly that went.
For some reason this reminds me of a story I was told as a child called “stone soup”.
I remember that story!😃
@@Listenclearly1979 One of my favourites...
Lol, we make "stone soup" when we're broke. It's basically whatever we can scrounge from the freezer, fridge, pantry and garden, boiled in a pot. Soup is the great equalizer of foodstuffs; if it's food it can go in.
Thank you. I needed that
Is that story similar to hatchet soup? Lol
That nutmeg at the end.. he’s gotta be trolling us now
Such a gentle and lovely channel. A shining beacon of wholesomeness in a mire of anger.
I've read that in many cities they planted appletrees so the poor would have them to eat. many old schoolyards in new england have appletrees for the same reason.
I know the upper northeast dont get much visitors from the southwest. But why are those upperstates called collectively New England?
@@redditaccount8936 That was what the area was named when it was a British colony, and the name stuck afterwards.
The apple trees they planted were not eating apples, they were used for cider.
@ali pie Google "guerilla grafting". People have been budding fruiting scions onto the "decorative" plum and pear trees in the Bay Area.
That is so smart!!!! I never understood why more perennial things weren't planted! I understand not wanting to be hit with dropping apples or picking up after rotten fruit if animals don't get it but... We used to have a perennial garden planted at church for the food pantry people but no one wanted to take to it so now it's a mulch bed.
In Finland, there is bread made from pine bark called pettuleipä (literally "pinewood-bark bread") was eaten in Finland as an emergency food when there has been a shortage of grain. In Korea, in times of scarcity they would use acorn flour as a substitute for wheat in times of scarcity, too.
I could sure make acorn bread if I can beat the squirrels to them. But, it takes a lot of work to get the bitter out of it before it is useful - or so I have read and have enough right now, so have not actually tried to do it.
I read of Swedish 'pine bread' being a starvation food. It sounded horrid.
I tried acorns. they are horrid. after a tiny bite of raw,I tried drying them.boiling,I will definitely be doing research on how to use the acorns properly. maybe they won't taste like poison then.Its important because in the worst situations you can acquire acorns to survive.
Also, pine bark was one of the few sources of vitamin C in that kind of climate.
The Finnish pettuleipä was rarely all pettu; "puolet petäjäistä" ("half of the pine-kind") etc. Its not _horrible_ tasting, definitely rather eat pettu than starve.. but even at 25/75 pettu to rye the bread also tastes completely like pine tar. Definitely an acquired taste. Also its not actually pinewood's bark, its the layer between the bark and the wood. I know in Finnish its called "nila" which dictionary translates to "phloem" which is definitely a word I've never heard in my life.. Real problem with the ingredient is that it has to be harvested in correct time of the year (if I recall correctly that was early spring) and by either felling the trees or removing the bark and cutting the thin layer out of a living wood - which means the wood won't be living for long afterwards. Ofcourse the wood was used for construction or heating so it was more of recovering every tiny bit of edible material available..
/someone who's mom looks after 3 museums, one of which periodically demonstrates old harvesting methods..
History might be repeating itself so far as economic challenges and some food shortages. Your channel is invaluable living history we can apply today thanks
With the inevitable societal collapse, knowing how to do stuff like gardening, cooking, sewing, laundry, foraging, and repair work are really important.
I've actually done the bread/cheese soup from another video, and it's honestly fabulous. Takes a lot of cheese, but also takes to seasoning (chili powers and hot sauce are good) like a champ. Warm, filling, and I can go into the next day ready to work.
And yes, patching up clothes is important in maintaining protection from the elements.
Not to mention we are going into WWIII... during WWII, people were expected to grow their own "Victory Garden".
Not repeating, this never stopped. People have been destitute for centuries, and the only thing the current economic system is good at is hiding that fact under the rug.
Many people take modernity, and all of what we have in the developed world, for granted: it’s important to remember the work, time, and money that goes into it all, and where we all collectively struggled and came from. Love your channel; never change!
They don't just take it for granted, they despise it. They welcome de -industrialisation veganism, eating bugs and human depopulation.
@@anitamaguire7640 I think you misread and misunderstood my post there bud
@@se7enthedge382 I might have, different country etc. Cheers
Soups are my ultimate go to. Some herbs grown and dried added can make even the most bland dish amazing!
Authentic, historic food is one of the few ways to truly experience history.
Does anyone remember when Jo was helping Beth drink some 'broth' in "Little Women"? I have been doing research on what folks' diet looked like 200-300 years ago (many thanks to Townsends for all the info!! I LOVE your channel!!!) ... 'broth' wasn't just water. When we boil the meat in a pot (including fat and bones!!) we get all the goodness in an easily digested state and it's perfect to help the sick get well and keep the healthy, healthy. Soup is wonderful--and the broth is gold!
I'd like to do some research into what your diet looks like now, because it must be a fascinating collection of chemicals if you don't even know what BROTH is.
No truer words .. "Much good can be done with a little money; the heart, the head, and the hands are of use as well as the purse"
I love at the end when the two of them sit down to enjoy the food together, it looks so cozy 🙂
Good recipe! I’ve always thickened my soups with leftover mashed potatoes or flakes. Lol! I want to talk to my butcher and see if they have leftover discards that they don’t sell that we could try a soup base with! This gives me so many ideas!
In Poland they use buckwheat or rye to thicken soups. There are some studies showing buckwheat is especially good at preventing viruses. In Sweden they sell hulled oats to use like barley. I like it because it is a nice texture and doesn't cause toots like barley.
Foodies killed getting soup bones on the cheap. Our cheapest source of beef bones for stock are $3 per pound from a local Menomite butcher shop. "Bone broth" is all the rage so what used to be poverty soup is now expensive.
Bones cost more than meat here.
@@D-B-Cooper Much like the part of those episode when John talks about people refusing to eat anything but bread made from wheat. That caused the price of wheat to skyrocket yet........they could thicken cheap soup with oatmeal. The same happens with the bone prices. If you want to eat well but on a budget, avoid anything popular. Personally I could eat this soup they make almost every day!
@@MrBottlecapBill we don’t have butchers anymore so bones are a specialty from the packaging plants. I don’t buy ground meat anymore because you can buy a big piece of meat and grind your own for less and you know what is in it. I’ve stocked up for at least a year, bought 60 lb more oatmeal the other day, just in case. Having salmon I caught tonight.
BEST channel on RUclips right here. Thanks John and everyone who helps with these videos.
Couldn't agree more.
That apple core!
My father grew up in Germany, during and after WWII, and knew food shortages as a child. No one who knew food shortages would leave that much fruit on an apple core - he'd eat it down to the seeds, even decades after the shortages had ended.
Yeah bothered me too😂
Last time I was on a diet I started eating the hole apple I was so hungry lol
I've been eating apples down to the seeds ever since I found out you could do that. Seeds take up less space than cores in the trash too!
@@WaterPuppyThrow the seeds on the ground! You might just accidentally create the next best new apple variety!
You can eat the seed too. I do it regularly. If it's not more than one or two a day there is/ should be no problem. On the contrary they can be beneficial for your health.
That bulk soup recipe was really interesting! You're right: it's funny to see "a pinch of pepper" or "a dash of salt" get scaled up to cups, but it totally makes sense because there's no way I'd be able to season 160 gallons to taste...
i bet when/if they used salt beef during these harder times, they didnt bother soaking it like they normally would meats preserved in salt, that way they wouldnt have to worry about seasoning the soup so it wouldnt be bland or springing for additional salt separately
@@OlEgSaS32 Also salt remained expensive even during those days, just not as much as in ancient history, but certainly wasn’t something you’d want to waste if you could help it. I’ve no doubt that while the rich simply dumped the brine as waste, the poor will save them for other purposes.
@@matasa7463 if not too much salt, the pigs, chickens, even the dogs would love the waste broth
Boiled beef and carrots Boiled beef and carrots. Old song in England
Ged Huffadine : Harry Champion amongst others sang it. "Boiled beef and carrots, Boiled beef and carrots, That's the stuff for your 'darby - kel' (belly),Makes you fit and it keeps you well.........
I grew up in a very poor family and I learned to make so much from next to nothing.
My mother grew up in a family with many children and the family had less than our family, so she learned to stretch food in every possible way... and she is a fantastic cook- I am grateful to have learned to cook at an early age from my mother.
I love making soups and stews... they are my favorite things to eat and cook.
Great topic, Jon. Sounds like the recipes during the '30s. My mom talked about their weekly "treat" of a single slice of bread soaked in coffee and sprinkled with sugar after a full week of eating stewed tomatoes.
My grandparents talked about the same thing in the 1930s. In fact my grandfather still would have that as a treat even into the 1970s and 80s. I am sure that their parents and grandparents may have done similar.
My grandma used to give my mom a piece of bread with butter and sugar for her snack while was getting dinner ready. She folded it over and called it a butter sandwich.
My grandmother's treat for me was breaded stewed tomatoes.
My dad talked about bread and sugar too. He was born in 1929 and talked about absolutely nothing going to waste. Parts of the pig, if they were lucky enough to get some, that you wouldn't imagine now. I try to be grateful every day for what we have.
My grandma soaked a bread just in water and was adding sugar to eat. She survived a hunger once she was a kid
I love that you not only give inexpensive recipes that are So needed again right now, you also show people How to cook!
Great job Jon and Townsend team!👍💜
Did I see our cook, fanning the coals by blowing through a tube of some sort? That alone is worth everything!
Mr. Townsend, you’re channel has gotten me through many hard times. Please never stop doing your thing!
I REALLY like the format of this video-- QUITE ENJOYABLE..... I like seeing Ryan in the background while you're talking and the occasional cut to the food that's being cut, cooked, or prepared.... I hope to see more videos like this--
you two always work well together but there was something about the editing on this video that makes it stand out... among the hundreds I've watched
"Jon can you help chop the stuff over here"
"Nahh making a video"
"JON save the candles there's plenty of natural light"
"It's FOR the vIDEO"
Video is over [silhouette of Jon grating nutmeg over soup] *crowd goes wild*
@@ValeriePallaoro 13:33 *whistles Innocently*
Historic Roommates. Could be a show
14:16 "If money spent on tea were spent on home brewed beer..."
I like this Hannah More, she's got some good ideas lol
I get the same energy as "millenials could afford a mortgage of they stopped eating avacado toast," vibes
@@Lucidius134 That's more likely the stodgy vibe she was going for, given that tea was a luxury good, but for the purposes of my comment I was imagining her a party animal :P
Another good episode. So good to see Ryan. Never forget the treat of meeting John at Townsend's and having Ryan escort us thru it all and get to meet so many nice people.
The folk music, your lovely cook Ryan cooking you good soup, the storytelling, how more wholesome can this video be.
Awesome work Townsends!
Just wanted to say, the kid across the street from me (we're British, which you might not guess from my cat wearing her finest American regalia in my profile picture lol I was in Austin for the 4th July that year and couldn't resist XD) is absolutely in love with your videos since he started studying the 18th century in history class. I've never seen him so passionate and excited about a topic as long as I've known him. You really inspire him and bring history to life for him. Thank you so much for that :) He's had a lot of challenges in life, both medical and otherwise, so seeing him light up and tell me about your latest video is just such a joy.
The guy in the background is like the most iconic stereotypical looking chef😂
Lol an is the perfect flare for the ambiance
Never trust a skinny cook
@@VisonsofFalseTruths true
@@VisonsofFalseTruths
A thin cook is better than a soon to be dead one though. : /
the guy with an eye patch and 3 missing fingers, sells the best fireworks
I feel "poor" food stems the most creativity. This one may not be great but the restriction of ingredients or the abundance of one or two things have sparked staples and techniques we still use today in modern industrial kitchens
I absolutely love all the care you take to give us all so much historic information!! I have tried so many of the recipes you feature. A true gem here; Thank you!!
You have just the right way of bringing the past and the present together,and in a comforting manner
Always good advice. What family wouldn't appreciate such a hearty soup.
My great great grandpa had a story passed down to us, he used to be a whip maker, for wagons and such, he also did repais on wagons and had a small stable, but his main source of income was working with whips
The cinematography and message are amazing. Great work as always John!
When I first watched these videos I thought they were a pbs or similar operation and not just a humble bunch of guys from Indiana doing this on their own!
I have whipped up many of these 'poor man's recipes' and anybody who's had a taste has loved it. Great to see more videos on the subject.
I find this video so heartwarming, to think that even hundreds of years ago people still wanted to take care of their community, it sheds light on the inherent kindness and compassion every human holds in their heart no matter the time and no matter the social climate.
I grew up poor: this is basically the sort of thing that I grew up with. Thankfully we had decent grocery stores and could grow our own food a little. Not a luxury many poor people have today, as then, unfortunately.
Times are not as different now as then, the mass mechanisation of mining and resource extraction that is happening as we speak is creating a similar situation as we speak. Which is one of the unspoken reasons for some of our current unrest (policians directing and lying to desperate people is another situation with strong period parallels)
Another great episode John! You & Ryan know how to cook up some tasty dishes! Thank you both for sharing your expertise, experience, passion & talents!
This is basically German eintopf (“one pot”). My family were German farmers before they moved to the US in the 1950s. Not only did we eat eintopf every week, it was one of my favorite dishes. It’s very tasty, and yes, both filling and good for you.
This is so well made. It's got such a calming atmosphere. I've been binging a lot of the early videos and you can tell how much more comfortable you are on camera. I want to let you know how much I appreciate all your work.
have been watching this channel for the past year or so. I am in my early 20s and not even a big fan of history. there is something about the content and the way it is portrayed that is so captivating!
certainly not the boring history classes I sat through.
I live about 1 hour from Genessee country village. Your videos always make me want to get involved in reenactment and living history.
My very old uncle (84) has always boiled his meat. Never fries or roasts it. Just boils. The juices he keeps and freezes for later use. He refers to the meat juices and associated fat (obviously including the water because he boils the meat) as the gravy. Very old-timey.
The best tasting cooking are from the ol heads
Oh my I am 'very old' and call it gravy too. not quite that old, but hmmmmmmm! Why not cook good and not waste
You have the best content for this time period. Every episode is a joy to watch.
Looks delicious!
Yes it sure does
Honestly the only subscription I take comfort in no matter what my situation.
The quote at the end was a real cherry on top. I love yall. Thank you.
I don't follow this channel closely, but I also admire and respect the amount of detail, quality, and thought put into these. Thank you for doing this!
Honestly these simple, wholesome meals are some of my favorites to both cook and to eat. I will have try adding oatmeal to my soup as a thickener. It sounds very interesting.
This channel has been my go to destination to chill and learn or just binge watch for years, the quality of content and editing is simply getting better and better every upload.
Love this so much. I'm in a tough spot and you fed my soul
Hope things get better for you 💗
This is a series I’d like to see explored further. Food of the downtrodden!
check out the modern version. it's called, cooking for poor people by the late comedian john witherspoon. you can find it on youtube.
try Emmy made in Japan; she does a whole series on it - with out the moralising too
@@ValeriePallaoro what’s wrong with morals? People help others out of love and compassion.
Jon: :gives a history of the plight of the poor, the bread shortage, and soup shops in the 18th century:
Ryan: Ignore everything. Must. Keep. Chopping.
Total focus from a man who is passionate about his grub, heartening to see.
Gotta get the soup on the fire! The prep is the most pain in the butt part of cooking imo.
This kinda of content comforts me. The aesthetic of the videos gives me the feeling of a few people just living life the best they can. Love the content man
Watching Ryan struggle with a dull knife while we get the history lesson lol
You noticed also, eh?
A very long time ago I was a "chef" among many (60) at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island Michigan. Ryan's knife and especially his handling of the knife, as previously mentioned by W. Serba, would have gotten an embarrassing lecture from The Head Chef, who was feared by all. The third lecture by the fearsome Head Chef would include instructions regarding the hotel exit and when the next boat departed for the mainland. Butcher knives are for butchering not cutting vegetables. If that is the only knife available it will work but that is no reason for an improper and very dangerous knife grip, which is why the Head Chef fired people who refused to use any equipment safely. These are really great teaching videos but PLEASE teach safe cutting, preparation, and cooking techniques!!
It was too small.
@@ronmeyer5907 whole lotta yapping
Did Jon just munch a raw potato?
Fun fact, we used to do that when we were little, because there was a myth (or not) that you will get fever from it and we hoped to skip school :D
I used to do it when I was little. I found it's taste to better than a boiled one.
@@adolfeichmann2897 I personally don't like it much :D
My husband eats raw potato slices. I think he's weird.
0:25 you can see an eaten apple core in the snow has Townsend walks off. So my money is on apple.
Wow! This channel incredible. I find each episode absolutely engrossing. I look forward to watching new episodes. Thank you.
I wouldn't turn my nose up at it, looked really good to me, but I'm one of the poors. LOL. Really like your cooking an building vids, an not to mention the historical side of everything you do. Thx for the vid.
Most if the less expensive foods taste best anyway.
I like my beef but I am also a beans and taters person too.
Cornbread in buttermilk for supper and fried okra and fried squash for a bit of variety. .
@@s.leemccauley7302 ,Oh I hear you loud an clear, my other half will never understand how I can make a meal of greens an cornbread, that's the way I grew up. Or in other words we didn't grow up on surf an turf like others did.
You guys rock man! Always a little time hop on your Channel!
This actually looks really good and easy to make
All eyes on Jon and this story, but no one is mentioning Ryan’s knife skills back there on those carrots. Iron Chef speed.
I posted this earlier so please forgive the redundancy. A very long time ago I was a "chef" among many chefs (60) at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island Michigan. Ryan's knife and especially his handling of the knife, as previously mentioned by W. Serba, would have gotten an embarrassing lecture from The Head Chef, who was feared by all. The third lecture by the fearsome Head Chef would include instructions regarding the hotel exit and when the next boat departed for the mainland. Butcher knives are for butchering not cutting vegetables. If that is the only knife available it will work but that is no reason for an improper and very dangerous knife grip, which is why the Head Chef fired people who refused to use any equipment safely. These are really great teaching videos but PLEASE teach safe cutting, preparation, and cooking techniques!!
@@ronmeyer5907 Those teachings didn't exist back then lol. People would peel fruit and slice potatoes against their palms.
Having stumbled across this channel a couple of years ago I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for providing such wonderful videos. After trying many of the 18th century recipes you have given my diet (and health!) have significantly improved :-)
Henry, I think it is called 'real' food :-) And, so many of these recipes were cooked in my home as a child as both of my parents because adults in the beginning of the depression.
How lucky we are to have someone so delightful. I love your videos.
If anyone is interested in measurements of the time period, the imperial measurements used in the north american colonies and great britain were the same, as these are pre 1824 imperial measurements and are pretty much the same as the US Customary System. As Canada was part of the British Empire they use the 1824 imperial system and not the current US Customary System.
Except that "imperial" is the wrong term here since the system wasn't defined for the British Empire but was more or less standard for England. As it happens, the main difference between the US Customary System and the Imperial system is in units of volume. The US standardized on the wine gallon of 231 cubic inches, divided into 8 pints of 16 ounces each for liquid measures, and the corn gallon of roughly 269 cu. in. for dry measures. The Imperial system, established in 1820, standardized on a single gallon for all purposes, the volume of 10 lbs of water which works out to 277.42 cu. in., divided into 8 pts of 20 oz each. So the Imperial gallon is slightly larger than the US, and the ounce slightly smaller.
The US gallon is smaller to increase the taxation on the same volume as it was taxed on a unit.
Also the Tomato was classified as a vegetable (spoiler, it’s a fruit) so that fruit could be exported duty free.
Most were similar, a UK 'Imperial' gallon is 4.45 Ltr, US gallon 3.78 Ltr
I absolutely love Ryan. Every episode you talk with him is a treat to my day.
I grew up very old-fashioned Mennonite. We had soup almost every evening for supper:
Creamy potato & onion soup (green onion tops make it amazing!)...
Chicken, corn & rice soup (pressure-cook an old layer hen, debone it, cook rice and home-frozen corn in the stock, add back the chopped chicken)...
Creamy Tomato soup with chopped hot dogs (It's good!)...
Chicken vegetable noodle soup...
Vegetable beef soup...
Navy bean soup (fried chopped bacon, add milk & a can of navy beans, heat through and add cubed toasted homemade bread. yum.)...
Cold fruit soup (cubed homemade bread in bowl, top with fresh or canned fruit, milk & sugar.)...
Salmon soup (Just heat milk & add a can of salmon, bones crushed tiny. Serve with Saltines.)...
Creamy fish chowder (cook cubed potatoes, onions, carrots and celery. when done, add cubed fish fillets. Bring to a boil, add milk, thicken with a roux.)...
All of course, served with Mama's amazing homemade bread. No wonder we all were overweight!
Historic food just feels so wholesome. I love the idea of plain veggies and a piece of meat with simple seasoning in a pot.
👀…. Do you not make or make soup today? I mean it’s nice to see that some things really don’t change. Most soups are the same today. Veggies thrown in a pot with whatever meat you have around with some seasonings. Maybe gourmet soups are complicated but that’s not good country cooking.
Basic but homemade soups are better than mass produced and manufactured canned soups.
Things every kitchen should have:
Oats, rice, beans, coffee.
Why coffee
@@Ghostbeardoesxtc you know why
And a "Ryan" I would add! He sets about his work and whether it's baking loaves or making soups he always seems to create wonderful things!
@@Ghostbeardoesxtc
'Merica
You forgot the nutmeg.
Oatmeal is my favorite way to thicken soups. And if you use big oats it's a little like having tiny pasta in the soup. Delicious 😋
I honestly can't believe I've never thought to thicken soup with oatmeal before! It's way better than my usually method of either blending half of it or adding a cornstarch slurry
@@evan8463 😊
Some high production quality right there, love it.
Oh my new video. Excitement! Top notch quality!!!
Also, greetings from Bulgaria!
A good man, teaching history, generosity, and neighbourly assistance. God bless.
When I was about 13 (around 1970) my mom had to have surgery, so my dad did the cooking for a week. It was quite an adventure. We joked that he learned to cook from a chuck wagon, since he had been a cowboy at one time. Anyway, one of the things he did that we thought was hilarious was that he put malto-meal in some homemade beef-vegetable soup to thicken it up. It was actually quite good. I suppose adding a milled grain to soup or stew goes way back! Great video!
Yes, the starch in grains helps act as a thickener. Works well with corn chips / corn meal too when you're making a chili and it gets too thin.