I was homeless for 6 months after my divorce. At first it was hard but i learned some of the greatest tricks i know because of it. Now, my get home bag is always with me and i know if i had to do it again i could. This gentleman challenges himself to life experiences and shares them with us. That is more valuable than any money... Experience. Trust me, i lived it.
My Dad told me stories riding the rails across Canada, Well I never quite hobo'd, but Ive done lots,trains,buses,hitchHikin, even had a team of horses and a wagon, for a summer, back in 1976..and, LoL, at 67, still back to camping now 2 yrs solid in my truck and camper, happy and content
The hobo kings in heaven above are proud of you Sir , my uncle was a hobo and a hard working man. He never drove a car in life never married no kids . He died rich of adventures and stories he would share with us as kids and man he could cook up some delicious hobo grubs. He was my mom’s little brother. They are both with God above. Please more hobo videos ❤
When I little boy I met a hobo who came our town..him and my grandpa became real good friends..he came more than once..one time stayed in a little shack like that actually belonged to railroad..had a little stove in it.. I remember going there with my grandpa and dad at night and he had it toasty..my grandparents bought a mustard type stuff in a jar and he loved the stuff..that was in the 1950's ..this rail line was/ is first in Indiana
Growing up in the 1970s, here in Scotland, a Mulligan stew was made up of leftovers, and whatever else was left in the pantry. It was a dish eaten when money was running out just before pay day. It was never the same twice. Ours often had locally shot rabbit and squirrel in them. My grandfather used to call it cat stew and told us kids, "You never saw many cats during the war" (WWII). A skinned rabbit and a skinned cat look very similar. Apparently. I know times were hard when he was young, but to this day, I don't know if he was joking. Good video. Thank you.
I live in south America and grandpa told me the same. Sometimes while droving cattle, the farms they would stay for the night didn't offer food, and if they didn't have much on the pack mules, they'd shoot the barn cats to stew
No jokes, here in Italy near Venezia we call the people from Vicenza, a town in the north of Italy, "Visentini magna gati" that mean vicentini (people from Vicenza) eat cat... During the WWII Vicenza have really poor people and cat were free
One of the most valuable things that I ever learned from my father who grew up very poor was how to survive on the bare minimums and how to make good food from very simple ingredients that i still use to this day
@@WayPointSurvivalI fill my Zippo lighter with 190 Proof Everclear alcohol because it burns cleaner than butane and leaves no Zippo lighter fluid aftertaste 🔥
My dad was born in 1913 Washington County, PA and told me stories all my life, until he died, of his adventures when he used to hike or thumb for a ride and even ride the rails as a young man, trying to find work. He never liked to be called a hobo but he admitted that he probably was one, too. He was a great cook and used to make Mulligan stew for us kids frequently. He said meat was hard to come by but if you could catch a squirrel or two or a rabbit, then it made the meal all the better. The other guys in the camp would add beans or an onion or whatever they could find that they gleaned from a farmer's field, so it never did taste the same each time. He used cubed beef or ground round to make our stew though and he kept it pretty simple. The only spices he would use were pepper and salt as well. Thanks for the nostalgia stew; I think I am going to try your way using a can of corned beef, never thought of that before. Thank you also for all of your videos; they are so enjoyable and make me want to go camping again.
My grandfather was born in 1913, dropped out of school in the 6th grade, got a job for the Civilian Conservation Corps. (3Cs). To survive the depression. He defenetly was a "saver", for money, and had a mason jar buried out beside the pump house when he died in 1996 there was nearly 10k in cash in the jar, (money he made from pealing Chitum in his spare time). Plus the 500k in the bank from his life of logging. -- I am frugal, I could raise 10k in cash fast, but, even I don't have that much in the bank.
No need to. My Grandfather was born in 1898, my Father in 1921 and he suffered a lot during the Depression (here in Argentina called "the misery years"), I was born in 1952 so currently 70 y.o. Just do the Math.
Watching these hobo videos has shed a new light on hobos. I now see a romance and adventure to it that could have only been there in that time in history. Cars were newer and not as accessible and trains were perfect for easy long distance travel. I reluctantly realizing that had I lived back then, I would have been a hobo for a period and if not I would have spent time daydreaming about it.
Back in the 1930s there were many more trains running on many more tracks, at least in the Midwest. My father (born 1913) used to take a train from school in the city to his parents' farm every weekend, but those trains are long gone.
Add into your dreams the conundrum "So now what do I use for toilet paper?" Avoid those leaves that sting nether regions, and you're coming closer to the real life, not to mention going without bathing until people can smell you from a mile away. Animals too. Or having to wear wet underwear until the outer garments dry. In fair weather. Hoarding socks because blisters can be debilitating. Duct taping your shoes together (works well). Lining your coat with newspaper but they are rarer now than hen's teeth so not sure what modern hoboes use. The reality is harsh.
the reality of it is too many of them were thieves out of near starvation or lack of clothing . many were chased off at gunpoint or shot . not all that nice now , is it?
Ive been homeless multiple times & im calling BIG 🧢 A properly cooked meal w all the tools/necessities will always be better 99.99999999959999299595726641% of the time
@@Severmore Yea why don't you proceed to tell me about my life... Go on keep making an ass out of yourself. You must think your comment was clever or something.
Lack always makes food more enjoyable... seems when you don't know what'll be in your belly from day to day, you start noticing flavors, texture and aromas to a greater degree.
I've been cooking Mulligan for years. I'm older than most of my friends, and they marvel at how something so simple can be so tasty. My mom was the most frugal person alive, so she taught me how to do things like this. My personal recipe adds some taters and substitutes kidney beans in for the peas, but it's mostly the same, right down to the Libby brand corned beef, though I do use just regular store brand ketchup. Hardtack ain't easy to get sometimes (the one place I can get it locally only has it every so often), but some Matzah bread or Ritz crackers works just fine for that. Add in a big hunk of bread, some strong black coffee and brother, you've got yourself a feast. Thanks for this! Always nice to see someone cooking how actual people eat rather than how celebrity chefs think we eat.
When I was a kid (in the Boy Scouts) we made “hobo dinner”. You take a 1/4 pound of ground beef flattened it out, and add onions peppers and whatever veggies you want on top. Wrap it all up in aluminum foil and throw it on top of the hot coals to cook.
is this just a cooking channel or survival? I ask NICELY cuz you would be chewed on by coyotes or bears or rats by morning eating that stew... without first securing your SHELTER. Then your perimeters... then food.. and use the pea water instead of most of your drinking water. No offense.. i appreciate and note the recipe but if you are a hobo ( which i was in my life.. a street kid in the 80s... you need to understand how to live!) @@WayPointSurvival
my grandfather was a young man in the depression. He was a newspaper boy before school and swept the floors for a shop after school. (he dad abandoned them right around 1929. because he couldn't maintain a family. so just left my great grandma, him and his little brother back at her parents home in utah.)....he would work weekends at a chicken farm, for payment in a dozen eggs a week, wrap any extra hard boiled eggs that weren't used for breakfast, in the spare newspaper sheets he had. He was one of the roughest, toughest, hard working men I ever had the pleasure of knowing. He spent 5 months wages on a sears magazine .22 cal rifle...... just so he could hunt squirrels for his family on the way to school. would hand his small caliber rifle to the principle and the animals (squirrels, rabbits, moles. etc) to the school cook. who would make them into meals for him to bring home for his family. im almost 30 and not NEARLY as manly as he was at 10. he was a very kind man. family oriented and i'm very lucky to have in my life for so long, until i was 19.. I miss you pappy. You were an idol in my life. Meet you again someday. You tough sob. Cant wait.
That reminds me of a story. Only thing is IDR if it was my dad telling me a story about his dad or if it was about this elderly pastor of this church we went to. The story goes that back in those day their breakfast before having to work in the fields of their farm was taken a biscuit and punch a crator hole in the top of it and pour molasses I to it and eat it on the way out to the fields.
It is good that you realize you're not the man he was at 10, a step in the right direction. Hard times are to be appreciated, cherished. Makes one appreciative of good times.
Yes! He always is! Actually, when I was nearly done filming, I knocked the pot over and spilled a bit of it so there wasn't as much left to eat as it looked originally.
Great one again. Im 50, having a hip operation soon. Single, need to do more travelling. Ive spent most of my free time outdoors, climbing, wild camping in the Scottish Highlands. Im retired now. Youve given me inspiration (when im recovered!) To take a few essentials and spend some time as a modern hobo. Ok im not young but ive been healthy and fit all my life. This time next year im giving it a go. 👍🤙
I grew up in Iowa during the 1950s. There was an old man who lived about a block away in a neighbor's shed. He used to ask us if anybody's mother was defrosting the freezer or cleaning out the refrigerator. We all would run home and ask. If we had any leftovers, Mom would pack up the food and she always added a couple slices of fresh, buttered bread which was neatly wrapped in wax paper. The final offering was a jar of cold milk. Mom would say that a person never outgrew the need for milk.
I'm 56 and I love milk rather have ice cold glass milk over soda punch are most anything really the milk just satisfied me always, only thing is I wish I lived on farm r ranch to get milk strait from cow no CHEMICLES are additives
this is interesting. i was born in early 1950s. my mom lived in the very same area as she raised us and she remembered a guy like you describe above who had a shack in the woods (same woods we played in years later) and he did odd jobs and helped out farmers. one of the ladies that was always generous and kind to him was ill and he made her some 'slumgullion' and brought it to her in a bucket. she didnt eat it but she appreciated the gesture from him.
I just bought the corned beef and peas 2 days ago, for my emergency food stores - I alway have onions on hand, and ketchup, or maybe a can of stewed tomatoes in its place. Dried bread cubes or garlic croutons would suffice for hardtack. I've been making various versions of this stew for decades - I call it clean out the fridge and pantry stew.
Check out YT for recipes such as hard tack. There's a guy I follow - can't remember his name - but he cooks recipes from OLD cookbooks from the 1800s all the time. He's got one or there for hard tack and I've seen a couple other people out there with it as well (because I watched it, other videos making it came up)
The channel is called The Townsends and he's a historian and brings on other historians and they cook not only the recipes but they do it in a 1800s kitchen and cooking tools of the time. Great channel!
Years back when i was hopping the trains from San Diego to wherever, i would make this but with wild game and vegies found. Didnt know it had a name. Thanks for reminding me of hard times and good memories
More like these, please! In these strange times we're going through, information about simple, filling and nutritious meals is invaluable. With the price of most ingredients going into the stratosphere these days, it's time to get back to basics when it comes to feeding oneself and one's family.
Rice and beans, or peas, or lentils. Pasta and sauce. Homemade mashed potatos and homemade gravy. Whatever you got soup or stew. Sh*t on a shingle. Or biscuits and gravy. Homemade oatmeal, or grits. Rice pudding. Foraged salads 🥗 ♥ Free bones from the butcher, cooked to make soup.
It definitely wouldn't be this, though, I was curious and added up the cost of the ingredients in this video (except for the hardtack which you can't really buy easily) at the cheapest of my local grocery stores...this small pot of stew would cost $19.79.
Looks delicious and even more so cooked outdoors after a long day of work! --- This video was rather melancholy for me watching you walk along the tracks like that. I lost a very good friend in the late 70's, we had been through 5 years of engineering school and spent one summer as roommates working on our treatises. A few years after graduation, we got word that he'd been hit by a train coming up from behind him. I've often wondered about "the rest of the story." The memory might be a bit melancholic, but it's good to remember our friends whether living or passed ... and to cherish those we still have. Thank you, James and may God bless you deeply!
That is a sad story! Fortunately, the area that I film in doesn't have very many trains coming through it. Plus, there is a crossing not far away and so there would be plenty of warning signs.
@@WayPointSurvival It was definitely sad, but it also reminded me of many good times we shared. Melancholia is not always a negative; sometimes it's reflective and an opportunity to re-evaluate.
The town where I live is a railroad town. It'll be 2024 soon. I've sat down at the railroad station and watched the trains coming and going,band I've never seen a quiet train, let alone a silent one. How did a train come on him unnoticed in the 1970s? They were noisy as hell back then.
@@dirtyscoundrel2013 Why would you want randy-9842 explain to you why his friend did not hear the train? It does not matter if the train was loud or not, he was just reminiscing about his friend who died.
@@dirtyscoundrel2013 yep, noisy AND they shook the ground when they're near. I've often wondered about that. I don't think he drank excessively or was prone to drugs, but we don't always "know." This was before cell-phones, but maybe he was listening to music or a radio or maybe he was near a loud construction zone. As I said, I've often wondered about "the rest of the story." Gruesome and "private" details are often hidden from the public. I very much enjoy James' videos on this subject and there is a TON of stuff to admire in the Hobos (self-reliance, ingenuity, broad skill-sets, etc.) but there were also numerous dangers. There always have been. For example: it used to be "safe" to pickup and help hitchhikers but not so much these days - I'm certain that was true to some extent back in the hobo era. Today its drug and human trafficking, robbery and unprovoked malicious hatred. (We seem to have an abundance of that these days!). Those were present back in the hobo days too, but (I hope) to a lesser extent. Additionally, there were railroad security guards, physical hazards, weather and wild animals; it couldn't have been an easy life. It's easy to glamorize their lifestyle, but I'm sure a heavy percentage of the hobos didn't survive for long. This thread is more of a downer than I intended. As sad as my story is, I still appreciate being reminded of my friend and that's a good thing. There were a lot of good times too.
Love it when I was about 14, me and some friends they’re all gone but 1 spent a weekend hoboing it in the park near where I lived- NYC great experience- told our parents we were at one of my friends house
Cooking with a bit of history is such an entertaining watch. These recipies are perfect for todays world. Thanks for shining a fresh light on them for us. More tools for the toolbox.
To get the canned meat out easier, poke a hole in the bottom. That and a couple of hard shakes and it slides out without having to dig it out a piece at a time.
If you had a hobo in your camp out who knoew how to find the right wild vegetables and mushrooms you got yourself more flavor and nutrition into the stew.
Whatchagot stew. If that can opener is like the one my grandmother had, you use it by sawing upward around the can counterclockwise. On hers, the blade even curved off to the left a little. Corned beef is good in bean soup also.
My folks grew up in the old country, they couldn't keep a lot of soups and stews. This brings back good memories of my family. Thank you for everything you post. I'm 65 soon 66 my father born in the Ukraine in 1914 mother in Canada in 1917. My humble thanks for your wonderful channel.
When i was a kid in the 70s early 80s we would go to my moms cousins farm and once a month we had a mulligan stew cook. It was right next to a track line and the engineers would stop and we would give them styrofoam bowls and homa made bread. They would then go up to a point where the caboose was next to us and we fed them too. It was so cool.
My grandfather was born in 1912 and he had some experiences throughout his life, living on the go, making makeshift campsites, and makeshift meals as he went along as a young man. This video reminds me as well as makes me think of some of his old stories about living on the go. One of my favorite stories was when he was at a campsite and just ate his dinner, he noticed two men not far out in the wooded area watching him. He recognized them from the newspaper as wanted criminals. He left what change he had in his pocket and some food and walked a safe distance. While they couldn't see where my grandfather was he could overhear them discussing if they would look for and kill him after they ate so nobody would know where they were, especially not the law. After a while of laying low in the distance out of sight the criminals left the site and let my grandfather be. I'm sure many hobos from the old times have similar stories and some tasty recipes. Great video thanks for posting this.
@@WayPointSurvival that's what I love about videos like yours. Always brings up some good memories, reminds me of countless stories my grandparents told me when I was a kid of how simple life was back then. I look forward to seeing more videos from you my friend ☺️
My father was born in 1948 he passed away in 2015 I have been talking to my aunt who was his sister and she was telling me that they used to grow up eating mulligan stew. My grandfather was a World War II veteran that got one of his legs blown off in the Battle of Guadalcanal, they were a very modest family my grandparents the type that can make do with anything. I'm going to have to try making some mulligans stew and different variations. I would like to ask my aunt exactly how they made theirs. Thank you for this video and that looks absolutely amazing I could probably eat that whole pot
Great to see how the American Hobo cooked. Basically I cook the same way for my wife and myself this days in the Netherlands or Belgium. That is unusable this days, but who cares? We love it that way and the grandchildren love it to. I guess I will make your stew with my grandson one day in the near future.
Excellent video. It reminds me of my grand uncle telling me stories of his fishing trips to Canada and the Adirondacks in the 1920s and 30s. I believe you are using the can opener incorrectly. Pierce the can and push the lid all the way to the back of the blade, then pull up and continue cutting counterclockwise. As long as you're pushing into the lid and lifting, it makes a clean cut.
So everyone knows! If you're ever in a survival situation or a situation like this where you have nothing or not much left other than some portable cookware. Cattail rhyzome (root) can be dug up year around and is primarily starch as well as other vitamins and minerals. And tastes somewhere between potatoes and yam (not sweet potato). It can be prepared by washing and peeling the root, then putting it in a relatively strong vessel and pounding it down with a little water added. The resulting Elmer's glue looking stuff can be poured out and dried in the sun as a quick broth mix when on the go and need something semi substantial in your stomach. Or dried and pounded into powder for adition to stews to thicken them up. Remember, it is mostly starch. Also, the greens are edible as well as green flower at certain times of year before they get brown and fluffy. Stirfry like asparagus or toss in the pot. and at certain times of year the leaves of cattail can be twisted into descent cordage and used as fishing line for small to medium size fish There are also many greens that grow into late fall. And if you collect greens when they are in season, they can be dehydrated without really trying. Netted bag open air relatively warm, only things you really need. You can cut the leaf parts off bull thistle, and the stems are like celery and make a good pot herb! Also, wild carrot, if you can properly identify it, can be cut up and used in a soup or stew or roasted alone. Unlike cultivated carrots, the greens are edible when the skin is peeled off. and they're good tasting and have been used in dishes by what are called 3rd world countries. Though be careful it has a very poisonous look alike, but it can be overcome with a bit of good research There are multitudes of other options to make a hobo stew if you find yourself with nothing more than a meat or bean ingredient! The still green stalk of plantain can be popped off and boiled as well as the leaves themselves. The e torety of plantain root and all is edible. Also, dandelion, which mkst everyone can identify. The young leaves (preflower stalk) can be boiled, while slightly bitter, they add a nice flavor to soups. And can be eaten by themselves if need be. The bitterness is also a hit of vitamin D more potent than many store bought vitamins... Seriously, if you have a vitamin D deficiency, you're fine. Even the root of dandelion is edible and highly nutritional
Hi James, Another great video like always. I don't know if they told you2 tips: a) if you pierce a small hole at the bottom of the can, the suction will be relieve. 2) the hook of the can opener must face down. It must pierce and cut in a series of movement like a P38 or P51 can opener. You used it wrong. :-)
I was just about to say the same thing, you should only have to do the 'tap pierce' once, and then the blade stays under the lid and you use the other side as a fulcrum and lift up, you'll find the lid is still plenty sharp, but less ragged (this was the only kind of tin opener we had when we went camping with my grandparents as kids).
I love this connection to the history of our ancestors and easy techniques that are cheap and life-sustaining during hard times! Everything is simple, practical, and connected to an appreciation of the environment without waste. Kudos to you sir for passing on simple wisdom in these trying times!
agreed! these also double as survival food i guess 😊 this reminds me of a medieval (and beyond!) recipie called "pottage" which was just bits n bobs of food thrown into a pot, similar
I realy like the hobo series, thank you,when I found hobo jungles as a kid they were in nice locations (why not) and well worn,and very close to the tracks. Love this stuff
Here is a tip I picked up many years ago, I carry in my wallet, all the time, a p38 can opener. There are other variants but the one I have has bailed me out a few times over the years. Try it, you never know what it will help with. By the way, corned beef has not changed it's packaging in at least 50-60 years now. There is nothing like a meal cooked over a campfire! Take care, and thanks for another great vid!
@@WayPointSurvival I used to carry the P-38's my brothers carried in Vietnam, but gave them back. Like you, I carry my own P-38 on my keyring and keep a P-51 in my Cook Kit. Great content! 🚂🙂
My life started in Britt, Iowa. Now, that might not mean much to any of you but that’s ok. The second week of August in my home town we have National Hobo Days and all of the hobos made their way to my little town. It was a big deal, as kids we looked forward to this time of year, we had a carnival, rides, and games. We loved Christmas and then Hobo Days and then our birthday, in that order. People of my town made huge pots of Milligan Stew.The Hobo’s would vote on which man and woman would be King and Queen of Hobo Days for the year. Some of these hobo’s became pretty famous, Steamboat Willy for one. When my grandparents were younger they would feed hobos but they did work for my grandpa and grandma always found old clothes that she would give to the men for working for her. These men were not lazy people, they were just down on their luck like many from that era. People in my town treated these folks as people not anything less. Of course things have changed and people don’t ride the rails nowadays, they don’t walk either. Some of them have motor homes some drive. We had a theater which was called the “Indian”, it had to close for safety reasons so, the townspeople turned into the “Hobo Museum”, very interesting, they also sell tshirts and our “1800’s Museum House” is open for you to see what it was like to live in a beautiful old home. So, if you’re ever in Iowa for any reason try and go to Britt, up north on I-35, you will take the exit for highway 18 west and just follow until you see the sign for Britt, Iowa. Thank you
Weather its your survival videos or your slice of life videos(Hobo or 1800's) you always do your research. the depth of knowledge you give is amazing. keep up the fantastic work.
That is a good and simple method. I wondered whether the fat in the meat would be to much, but it didn't look greasy. I am surprised they didn't brown the meat first. Although on the road fat isn't that bad. Glad you added everything from the can of peas as they say that is where the vitamins are. Another recipe that was available was bouillon cubes, then add a grain or hard tack which is grain.
Corned Beef is already technically cooked in the can, so all that fat you see on the outside is essentially all the fat there is. PLus browning the meat wouldn't bring much to the table other than color and more stuff to clean.
Interesting how tough those old can openers were. I recall the old tin cans, and opening up several for a large family meal. Thank you, James, and God bless.
And hey work pretty well if you use them properly. I.E. Peirce it and work your way round forwards with the 'mouth' cutting it open. My grandad had an old one with a bulls head on it that was cool.
I enjoy your videos please keep it up! But your using the can opener wrong. Try sliding it forward horizontal a little. Then lift up using the top against the rim of the can. Then return to horizontal slide forward a little an lift keep repeating.
I’ve been on many travels around the world. And I currently work at a shelter. I stay outside with them sometimes and show them survival and resourceful tricks. If I ain’t working I’m learning. Thanks!
Ain't nothing better than cooking a fine meal while out in the camp on your fire that you built, a shelter that you erected yourself. Relaxing and taking it all in he outdoors. Thanks James.
Awesome, channel great informative content well presented, especially appreciate the way James always removes his hat and gives Thanks before he eats, Great example , God bless you your Family and your channel 😊
If you unroll the metal band , you can make a handle for your new cup to hold over the fiire , swedge the lid outwards for the cover and save the key , may not have a key next time , they do break off sometimes
My uncle Herman was kinda a lost soul after his return from WWII. I am sure he had PTSD but that was long before anyone coined that phrase, they just called it "shell-shocked" which was not really descriptive of the various forms of post combat psychological issues that our G.I.'s experienced. He spent most of the rest of his life as a hobo, hopping trains and finding work wherever he could. He was a kindly and vastly talented man that kept a pet mouse in his coat pocket named "Rosco". He was just a big gangly farm boy from the break country of northern Texas and grew up in the farming communities between Quanah and Farmers Valley. Killing Germans didn't bother him much as he experienced first hand the horrors of war and the unspeakable atrocities that the some of the soldiers of the Wehrmacht and Wafen-SS committed. The part that never left him was what he and his fellow army buddies witnessed in the concentration and extermination camps as they pushed the Germans towards Berlin at the end of the war. These nightmarish images haunted him and caused him to never really trust anyone again, especially anyone from Germany. I remember his "Hobo Kit" very well and I will say you really have "nailed" (pun intended) the kit and culture and have done much to explain that "Hobo's" weren't bums. . .just traveling "Jack of all trades" that could do much with very little! Thanks James for all you do to keep our American history and experience alive! All the Best - D P.S. You are using that can opener wrong!😁 Once you pop in the blade, you insert it all of the way and rock it back and forth as you turn the can with your left hand and push in with your right. Your can was the worst looking one I have ever seen!🤣🤣🤣
I love your videos takes me back to a simpler time. My parents lived through the depression my mom would never throw anything away if she could find a use for it
Would have sautéed the onion first and browned, add meat and brown. Then added the water or a favor full liquid and bring to a simmer. Then add the rest. Season to taste!
I really enjoy your videos. Especially this series on HoBos. I always thought the HoBo life would be a life well lived. Don't know that I'd want to hop a train or eat corned beef but the freedom of roaming across the country is very appealing. I prefer to travel by bicycle. Thanks for your videos. 🤠
Travelling by bicycle is more efficient, quicker, more relaxing, you can carry more and less dangerous that jumping on and off trains and you can use the old rail trails and you don't even have to see or hear cars most of the time.
@rickute1458 not back in hobo times. If the paper said there's jobs in Sacramento and you were in really any town, (well, Lodi could be a toss up if ya had good lungs and bicycle) that train would get you there a lot faster than a bicycle. It wasn't a lifestyle of relaxation back then. It's sad to me that so many get it wrong. My father rode the rail illegaly before WWII. Went from rags, to a good living. Of course he had to survive WWII, Korea, and Nam before retirement, but he did. The depression and other circumstances that make the hobo lifestyle happen, are nothing you want to experience. That said, pay attention to these videos, teach the kids and grandchildren, never know when those times will come again. If your still here, sorry if I bored ya 😆
I’ve made something like that so my life- I called it “crying children soup” in honor of the response I always got when the kids saw what I was making.
@@grahamlopez3742 - that was my parents mealtime motto - Take it or leave it, but there will not be a special meal made for anyone. Eat what's fixed, or go hungry.
As a modern day hobo/ prepper I carry a small plastic cutting board 8"x8" in my pack for a multi purpose work surface...i also recommend a P-38 style can opener as well as browning your canned goods before adding water to enhance the flavors.
Subcribed, man. i never knew that a hobo was someone who just traveled for work! I love the videopgraphy an the history you share! I kinda want to be a hobo now 🫡💪
Great video! Love this series you’ve done. You may be aware of this book “A Square Meal” by Jane Ziegelman and Andrew Coe. It’s a book about food during the Great Depression and there’s a chapter on Hobos. I’d be surprised if it added anything to your knowledge, as you’ve covered probably everything the book touches on. Anyway, thanks for doing these videos.
Thanks for sharing mate! Very interesting indeed. A variation on this idea of everyone contributing but not at all related to this historical setting is the thing that my motorcycle friends and I used to do probably 40 years ago. We would make “slop”. It was basically bring your own canned food and put it all together in a big pot. Things like baked beans, corn, peas, usually some sort of canned meat stew, maybe even spaghetti in tomato sauce. Awesome stuff, very filling, simple and delicious.
I have that same canteen. I nearly shit a solid gold brick when I found it at a junk store a few years ago. A few years later I found the accompanying skillet/ plate and cutlery at a thrift store in Florida.
This reminds me a lot of a stew that was made in the trenches of The Great War which wouldn't surprise me simply because this was during that era. Thank you for the video.
![Camp Like a Hobo! [ Unveiling the 1930s Railside Wilderness Adventure ]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/I26CBlTBeRk/mqdefault.jpg)
![Camp Like a Hobo! [ Unveiling the 1930s Railside Wilderness Adventure ]](/img/tr.png)
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I was homeless for 6 months after my divorce. At first it was hard but i learned some of the greatest tricks i know because of it. Now, my get home bag is always with me and i know if i had to do it again i could. This gentleman challenges himself to life experiences and shares them with us. That is more valuable than any money... Experience. Trust me, i lived it.
He who has lost much fears nothing
I too have been there, quite informative though dated even for me. But love these vids
@@scruffybackpacker1299 Ahh but info such as this z never truly dated. Someone, somewhere needs this, no matter what the times....😊
Yep 50/50 my ass with women these days it all goes to them while we get screwed over.
Good on you stick it were it fits we are male
A "rule" on Mulligan stew is that all the pieces are cut uniformly small. Cooks faster and nobody gets a bigger piece.
Good point! Thanks for adding this to the comment section!
😂
Do wonder if they ever carried a piece of steel plate to chop material on. The right kind of flat pot lid would work too.
Chopping with a knife blade on anything that's metal will dull it quite quickly. It's better to use something made from wood.
@@proehmI'd just covered the tree stump with the paper bag the onion was in
My Dad told me stories riding the rails across Canada, Well I never quite hobo'd, but Ive done lots,trains,buses,hitchHikin, even had a team of horses and a wagon, for a summer, back in 1976..and, LoL, at 67, still back to camping now 2 yrs solid in my truck and camper, happy and content
The hobo kings in heaven above are proud of you Sir , my uncle was a hobo and a hard working man. He never drove a car in life never married no kids . He died rich of adventures and stories he would share with us as kids and man he could cook up some delicious hobo grubs. He was my mom’s little brother. They are both with God above. Please more hobo videos ❤
Thanks so much! Will do, God willing!
This video brought a tear to my eye. Thank you for sharing your recipe with us. Let me not forget about my uncle who we miss dearly. Thank you.🙏🏽
Sounds VERY familiar to me! My mother’s little brother, uncle Clarey, was also a “hobo” or “loner” only his hobo meals were primarily fish.
On B n O line there was famous Uncle Billy believed to had swallowed a bucket o gents jam
When I little boy I met a hobo who came our town..him and my grandpa became real good friends..he came more than once..one time stayed in a little shack like that actually belonged to railroad..had a little stove in it.. I remember going there with my grandpa and dad at night and he had it toasty..my grandparents bought a mustard type stuff in a jar and he loved the stuff..that was in the 1950's ..this rail line was/ is first in Indiana
Growing up in the 1970s, here in Scotland, a Mulligan stew was made up of leftovers, and whatever else was left in the pantry. It was a dish eaten when money was running out just before pay day. It was never the same twice. Ours often had locally shot rabbit and squirrel in them. My grandfather used to call it cat stew and told us kids, "You never saw many cats during the war" (WWII). A skinned rabbit and a skinned cat look very similar. Apparently. I know times were hard when he was young, but to this day, I don't know if he was joking. Good video. Thank you.
I don't think he was joking my grandpa told me the same
I live in south America and grandpa told me the same. Sometimes while droving cattle, the farms they would stay for the night didn't offer food, and if they didn't have much on the pack mules, they'd shoot the barn cats to stew
No jokes, here in Italy near Venezia we call the people from Vicenza, a town in the north of Italy, "Visentini magna gati" that mean vicentini (people from Vicenza) eat cat... During the WWII Vicenza have really poor people and cat were free
This is why butchers would leave a foot still on the rabbit. The lucky rabbits foot.
Cats stink! And smell totaly differant to rabbit skinned or otherwise.
One of the most valuable things that I ever learned from my father who grew up very poor was how to survive on the bare minimums and how to make good food from very simple ingredients that i still use to this day
Excellen! It sounds like you learned some valuable stuff from your father!
More hobo cooking videos, please.
I'm planning on it!
@@WayPointSurvivalI fill my Zippo lighter with 190 Proof Everclear alcohol because it burns cleaner than butane and leaves no Zippo lighter fluid aftertaste 🔥
Si!
I second that!
@@WayPointSurvivalHow about Hobo Symbols!!!!!!?
My dad was born in 1913 Washington County, PA and told me stories all my life, until he died, of his adventures when he used to hike or thumb for a ride and even ride the rails as a young man, trying to find work. He never liked to be called a hobo but he admitted that he probably was one, too. He was a great cook and used to make Mulligan stew for us kids frequently. He said meat was hard to come by but if you could catch a squirrel or two or a rabbit, then it made the meal all the better. The other guys in the camp would add beans or an onion or whatever they could find that they gleaned from a farmer's field, so it never did taste the same each time. He used cubed beef or ground round to make our stew though and he kept it pretty simple. The only spices he would use were pepper and salt as well. Thanks for the nostalgia stew; I think I am going to try your way using a can of corned beef, never thought of that before. Thank you also for all of your videos; they are so enjoyable and make me want to go camping again.
My grandfather was born in 1913, dropped out of school in the 6th grade, got a job for the Civilian Conservation Corps. (3Cs). To survive the depression. He defenetly was a "saver", for money, and had a mason jar buried out beside the pump house when he died in 1996 there was nearly 10k in cash in the jar, (money he made from pealing Chitum in his spare time). Plus the 500k in the bank from his life of logging. -- I am frugal, I could raise 10k in cash fast, but, even I don't have that much in the bank.
Allegheny County here haven't heard the term thumbing in a long time just today I made my dad's hamburger stew LOL
I’m from Washington county
No need to. My Grandfather was born in 1898, my Father in 1921 and he suffered a lot during the Depression (here in Argentina called "the misery years"), I was born in 1952 so currently 70 y.o. Just do the Math.
@@RodWalker-ix9mqare you having a laugh? My dad was born in 1933... I'm 44.
Watching these hobo videos has shed a new light on hobos. I now see a romance and adventure to it that could have only been there in that time in history. Cars were newer and not as accessible and trains were perfect for easy long distance travel. I reluctantly realizing that had I lived back then, I would have been a hobo for a period and if not I would have spent time daydreaming about it.
Yes. It was definitely a singular lifestyle but certainly had its offerings.
Back in the 1930s there were many more trains running on many more tracks, at least in the Midwest. My father (born 1913) used to take a train from school in the city to his parents' farm every weekend, but those trains are long gone.
The right kind of hobos.
Add into your dreams the conundrum "So now what do I use for toilet paper?" Avoid those leaves that sting nether regions, and you're coming closer to the real life, not to mention going without bathing until people can smell you from a mile away. Animals too. Or having to wear wet underwear until the outer garments dry. In fair weather. Hoarding socks because blisters can be debilitating. Duct taping your shoes together (works well). Lining your coat with newspaper but they are rarer now than hen's teeth so not sure what modern hoboes use. The reality is harsh.
the reality of it is too many of them were thieves out of near starvation or lack of clothing . many were chased off at gunpoint or shot . not all that nice now , is it?
I made some of the best meals I have ever had and shared when I was homeless.
Hell, open a homeless restaurant and share recipes.
Ive been homeless multiple times & im calling BIG 🧢 A properly cooked meal w all the tools/necessities will always be better 99.99999999959999299595726641% of the time
Experiences or meals? Cus if so, I doubt you've had great meals.
@@Severmore Yea why don't you proceed to tell me about my life... Go on keep making an ass out of yourself. You must think your comment was clever or something.
Lack always makes food more enjoyable... seems when you don't know what'll be in your belly from day to day, you start noticing flavors, texture and aromas to a greater degree.
I've been cooking Mulligan for years. I'm older than most of my friends, and they marvel at how something so simple can be so tasty. My mom was the most frugal person alive, so she taught me how to do things like this. My personal recipe adds some taters and substitutes kidney beans in for the peas, but it's mostly the same, right down to the Libby brand corned beef, though I do use just regular store brand ketchup. Hardtack ain't easy to get sometimes (the one place I can get it locally only has it every so often), but some Matzah bread or Ritz crackers works just fine for that. Add in a big hunk of bread, some strong black coffee and brother, you've got yourself a feast. Thanks for this! Always nice to see someone cooking how actual people eat rather than how celebrity chefs think we eat.
For watching it I'm glad that you liked it!
Probably it's because Spam + Ketchup combo. If you fry the spam and eat with ketchup and rice OMG.
Hard tack is simple and extremely inexpensive to make
Makin' me hungry brother !
When I was a kid (in the Boy Scouts) we made “hobo dinner”. You take a 1/4 pound of ground beef flattened it out, and add onions peppers and whatever veggies you want on top. Wrap it all up in aluminum foil and throw it on top of the hot coals to cook.
I would love to see more hobo cooking ! Thank you your uploads are always so pleasant and heartwarming!
You got it!
is this just a cooking channel or survival? I ask NICELY cuz you would be chewed on by coyotes or bears or rats by morning eating that stew... without first securing your SHELTER. Then your perimeters... then food.. and use the pea water instead of most of your drinking water. No offense.. i appreciate and note the recipe but if you are a hobo ( which i was in my life.. a street kid in the 80s... you need to understand how to live!) @@WayPointSurvival
These hobo videos are awesome. Always interesting learning about how people survived during the Depression.
It's coming back to people that won't take the mark.
It's what ever stew,what ever you can find!
my grandfather was a young man in the depression. He was a newspaper boy before school and swept the floors for a shop after school. (he dad abandoned them right around 1929. because he couldn't maintain a family. so just left my great grandma, him and his little brother back at her parents home in utah.)....he would work weekends at a chicken farm, for payment in a dozen eggs a week, wrap any extra hard boiled eggs that weren't used for breakfast, in the spare newspaper sheets he had. He was one of the roughest, toughest, hard working men I ever had the pleasure of knowing. He spent 5 months wages on a sears magazine .22 cal rifle...... just so he could hunt squirrels for his family on the way to school. would hand his small caliber rifle to the principle and the animals (squirrels, rabbits, moles. etc) to the school cook. who would make them into meals for him to bring home for his family. im almost 30 and not NEARLY as manly as he was at 10.
he was a very kind man. family oriented and i'm very lucky to have in my life for so long, until i was 19.. I miss you pappy. You were an idol in my life. Meet you again someday. You tough sob. Cant wait.
Go listen to Randy Travis song called, I thought he walked on Water.......
That reminds me of a story. Only thing is IDR if it was my dad telling me a story about his dad or if it was about this elderly pastor of this church we went to.
The story goes that back in those day their breakfast before having to work in the fields of their farm was taken a biscuit and punch a crator hole in the top of it and pour molasses I to it and eat it on the way out to the fields.
It is good that you realize you're not the man he was at 10, a step in the right direction. Hard times are to be appreciated, cherished. Makes one appreciative of good times.
Canned corned beef. I grew up on it; and still love it. 🤩🤤😋
Right!
I'm 64 and still eat a can a day
Thanks James; love the hobo series. Looks like you have enough there for not only supper, but also breakfast. God is good!
Yes! He always is! Actually, when I was nearly done filming, I knocked the pot over and spilled a bit of it so there wasn't as much left to eat as it looked originally.
Critters gotta eat too 🦨🦝🐀
Great one again. Im 50, having a hip operation soon. Single, need to do more travelling. Ive spent most of my free time outdoors, climbing, wild camping in the Scottish Highlands.
Im retired now. Youve given me inspiration (when im recovered!) To take a few essentials and spend some time as a modern hobo. Ok im not young but ive been healthy and fit all my life.
This time next year im giving it a go. 👍🤙
Sounds good!
I grew up in Iowa during the 1950s. There was an old man who lived about a block away in a neighbor's shed. He used to ask us if anybody's mother was defrosting the freezer or cleaning out the refrigerator. We all would run home and ask. If we had any leftovers, Mom would pack up the food and she always added a couple slices of fresh, buttered bread which was neatly wrapped in wax paper. The final offering was a jar of cold milk. Mom would say that a person never outgrew the need for milk.
That's wonderful! I think it's such a good reminder of how folks cared for one another and how we need to get that back again.
I'm 56 and I love milk rather have ice cold glass milk over soda punch are most anything really the milk just satisfied me always, only thing is I wish I lived on farm r ranch to get milk strait from cow no CHEMICLES are additives
Another good drink is ice cold country sweet tea, freshly sun brewed on porch all day
this is interesting. i was born in early 1950s. my mom lived in the very same area as she raised us and she remembered a guy like you describe above who had a shack in the woods (same woods we played in years later) and he did odd jobs and helped out farmers. one of the ladies that was always generous and kind to him was ill and he made her some 'slumgullion' and brought it to her in a bucket. she didnt eat it but she appreciated the gesture from him.
@@MichaelMiller-o3c Thanks for sharing your interesting story. The town we lived was Manson which is about 18 miles west of Fort Dodge.
I just bought the corned beef and peas 2 days ago, for my emergency food stores - I alway have onions on hand, and ketchup, or maybe a can of stewed tomatoes in its place. Dried bread cubes or garlic croutons would suffice for hardtack. I've been making various versions of this stew for decades - I call it clean out the fridge and pantry stew.
Excellent!
Tomato soup is usually better but ketchup sounds more hoboish.
Check out YT for recipes such as hard tack. There's a guy I follow - can't remember his name - but he cooks recipes from OLD cookbooks from the 1800s all the time. He's got one or there for hard tack and I've seen a couple other people out there with it as well (because I watched it, other videos making it came up)
The channel is called The Townsends and he's a historian and brings on other historians and they cook not only the recipes but they do it in a 1800s kitchen and cooking tools of the time. Great channel!
@@hissykittycat - thanks,Laura.
Years back when i was hopping the trains from San Diego to wherever, i would make this but with wild game and vegies found. Didnt know it had a name. Thanks for reminding me of hard times and good memories
More like these, please! In these strange times we're going through, information about simple, filling and nutritious meals is invaluable. With the price of most ingredients going into the stratosphere these days, it's time to get back to basics when it comes to feeding oneself and one's family.
Rice and beans, or peas, or lentils.
Pasta and sauce.
Homemade mashed potatos and homemade gravy.
Whatever you got soup or stew.
Sh*t on a shingle. Or biscuits and gravy.
Homemade oatmeal, or grits. Rice pudding.
Foraged salads 🥗 ♥
Free bones from the butcher, cooked to make soup.
Stone soup. Look it up.
@@heidimisfeldt5685 You're making us hungry... 😁
Dandelions are good. The whole plant is edible.
It definitely wouldn't be this, though, I was curious and added up the cost of the ingredients in this video (except for the hardtack which you can't really buy easily) at the cheapest of my local grocery stores...this small pot of stew would cost $19.79.
Looks delicious and even more so cooked outdoors after a long day of work! --- This video was rather melancholy for me watching you walk along the tracks like that. I lost a very good friend in the late 70's, we had been through 5 years of engineering school and spent one summer as roommates working on our treatises. A few years after graduation, we got word that he'd been hit by a train coming up from behind him. I've often wondered about "the rest of the story." The memory might be a bit melancholic, but it's good to remember our friends whether living or passed ... and to cherish those we still have. Thank you, James and may God bless you deeply!
That is a sad story! Fortunately, the area that I film in doesn't have very many trains coming through it. Plus, there is a crossing not far away and so there would be plenty of warning signs.
@@WayPointSurvival It was definitely sad, but it also reminded me of many good times we shared. Melancholia is not always a negative; sometimes it's reflective and an opportunity to re-evaluate.
The town where I live is a railroad town. It'll be 2024 soon. I've sat down at the railroad station and watched the trains coming and going,band I've never seen a quiet train, let alone a silent one. How did a train come on him unnoticed in the 1970s? They were noisy as hell back then.
@@dirtyscoundrel2013 Why would you want randy-9842 explain to you why his friend did not hear the train? It does not matter if the train was loud or not, he was just reminiscing about his friend who died.
@@dirtyscoundrel2013 yep, noisy AND they shook the ground when they're near. I've often wondered about that. I don't think he drank excessively or was prone to drugs, but we don't always "know." This was before cell-phones, but maybe he was listening to music or a radio or maybe he was near a loud construction zone. As I said, I've often wondered about "the rest of the story." Gruesome and "private" details are often hidden from the public.
I very much enjoy James' videos on this subject and there is a TON of stuff to admire in the Hobos (self-reliance, ingenuity, broad skill-sets, etc.) but there were also numerous dangers. There always have been. For example: it used to be "safe" to pickup and help hitchhikers but not so much these days - I'm certain that was true to some extent back in the hobo era. Today its drug and human trafficking, robbery and unprovoked malicious hatred. (We seem to have an abundance of that these days!). Those were present back in the hobo days too, but (I hope) to a lesser extent. Additionally, there were railroad security guards, physical hazards, weather and wild animals; it couldn't have been an easy life.
It's easy to glamorize their lifestyle, but I'm sure a heavy percentage of the hobos didn't survive for long.
This thread is more of a downer than I intended. As sad as my story is, I still appreciate being reminded of my friend and that's a good thing. There were a lot of good times too.
Love it when I was about 14, me and some friends they’re all gone but 1 spent a weekend hoboing it in the park near where I lived- NYC great experience- told our parents we were at one of my friends house
Very interesting. Thanks for watching and sharing!
Cooking with a bit of history is such an entertaining watch. These recipies are perfect for todays world. Thanks for shining a fresh light on them for us. More tools for the toolbox.
To get the canned meat out easier, poke a hole in the bottom. That and a couple of hard shakes and it slides out without having to dig it out a piece at a time.
Thanks for the tip! I ended up using the blade to break the seal on the sides and it slid right out.
We used to put a hole in the bottom of the can and blow real hard and it Pops right out LOL
Hey Guy, the old can opener you were incorrectly using actually works quite well. My Grandmother used one almost all of her life.
Yes, I just posted a video not long ago where I show how to use it correctly.
Looks like decent camping food. The nice thing about this is you can always add stuff like garlic and diced tomatoes.
If you had a hobo in your camp out who knoew how to find the right wild vegetables and mushrooms you got yourself more flavor and nutrition into the stew.
Whatchagot stew. If that can opener is like the one my grandmother had, you use it by sawing upward around the can counterclockwise. On hers, the blade even curved off to the left a little. Corned beef is good in bean soup also.
Yes, I certainly did not do very well using it, lol.
The cat coming out of the bushes was great.
Good eye!
My folks grew up in the old country, they couldn't keep a lot of soups and stews. This brings back good memories of my family.
Thank you for everything you post.
I'm 65 soon 66 my father born in the Ukraine in 1914 mother in Canada in 1917.
My humble thanks for your wonderful channel.
When i was a kid in the 70s early 80s we would go to my moms cousins farm and once a month we had a mulligan stew cook. It was right next to a track line and the engineers would stop and we would give them styrofoam bowls and homa made bread. They would then go up to a point where the caboose was next to us and we fed them too. It was so cool.
Very cool!
@@WayPointSurvival funny thing is when the locomotive stopped so the guys in the caboose could get their the main 2 lane highway was blocked lol
My grandfather was born in 1912 and he had some experiences throughout his life, living on the go, making makeshift campsites, and makeshift meals as he went along as a young man. This video reminds me as well as makes me think of some of his old stories about living on the go. One of my favorite stories was when he was at a campsite and just ate his dinner, he noticed two men not far out in the wooded area watching him. He recognized them from the newspaper as wanted criminals. He left what change he had in his pocket and some food and walked a safe distance. While they couldn't see where my grandfather was he could overhear them discussing if they would look for and kill him after they ate so nobody would know where they were, especially not the law. After a while of laying low in the distance out of sight the criminals left the site and let my grandfather be.
I'm sure many hobos from the old times have similar stories and some tasty recipes. Great video thanks for posting this.
❤
Thanks so much for watching and I'm glad that you enjoyed it and that it stirred up good memories!
@@WayPointSurvival that's what I love about videos like yours. Always brings up some good memories, reminds me of countless stories my grandparents told me when I was a kid of how simple life was back then. I look forward to seeing more videos from you my friend ☺️
I love this comment. Hobos weren't bums. They were migrant workers with wives and kids at home
My father was born in 1948 he passed away in 2015 I have been talking to my aunt who was his sister and she was telling me that they used to grow up eating mulligan stew. My grandfather was a World War II veteran that got one of his legs blown off in the Battle of Guadalcanal, they were a very modest family my grandparents the type that can make do with anything.
I'm going to have to try making some mulligans stew and different variations. I would like to ask my aunt exactly how they made theirs.
Thank you for this video and that looks absolutely amazing I could probably eat that whole pot
Great to see how the American Hobo cooked. Basically I cook the same way for my wife and myself this days in the Netherlands or Belgium. That is unusable this days, but who cares? We love it that way and the grandchildren love it to.
I guess I will make your stew with my grandson one day in the near future.
Totally Subscribed, I love seeing these old lifestyles.🍛😎👍💯
Yes do more hobo cooking, I'm really enjoying this series.
Will do, Lord willing!
Excellent video. It reminds me of my grand uncle telling me stories of his fishing trips to Canada and the Adirondacks in the 1920s and 30s. I believe you are using the can opener incorrectly. Pierce the can and push the lid all the way to the back of the blade, then pull up and continue cutting counterclockwise. As long as you're pushing into the lid and lifting, it makes a clean cut.
Thanks! Yes, I really struggled with that can opener, LOL.
I was going to comment on the strange way you used the can opener but I see you figured it out.😀
You've really been killing it with these hobo-themed videos. Good work.
Thanks so much!
I really enjoy seeing the old ways kept alive. Good memories refreshed. Well done.
Thanks so much!
So everyone knows! If you're ever in a survival situation or a situation like this where you have nothing or not much left other than some portable cookware. Cattail rhyzome (root) can be dug up year around and is primarily starch as well as other vitamins and minerals. And tastes somewhere between potatoes and yam (not sweet potato).
It can be prepared by washing and peeling the root, then putting it in a relatively strong vessel and pounding it down with a little water added. The resulting Elmer's glue looking stuff can be poured out and dried in the sun as a quick broth mix when on the go and need something semi substantial in your stomach. Or dried and pounded into powder for adition to stews to thicken them up. Remember, it is mostly starch. Also, the greens are edible as well as green flower at certain times of year before they get brown and fluffy. Stirfry like asparagus or toss in the pot. and at certain times of year the leaves of cattail can be twisted into descent cordage and used as fishing line for small to medium size fish
There are also many greens that grow into late fall. And if you collect greens when they are in season, they can be dehydrated without really trying. Netted bag open air relatively warm, only things you really need.
You can cut the leaf parts off bull thistle, and the stems are like celery and make a good pot herb!
Also, wild carrot, if you can properly identify it, can be cut up and used in a soup or stew or roasted alone. Unlike cultivated carrots, the greens are edible when the skin is peeled off. and they're good tasting and have been used in dishes by what are called 3rd world countries. Though be careful it has a very poisonous look alike, but it can be overcome with a bit of good research
There are multitudes of other options to make a hobo stew if you find yourself with nothing more than a meat or bean ingredient!
The still green stalk of plantain can be popped off and boiled as well as the leaves themselves. The e torety of plantain root and all is edible.
Also, dandelion, which mkst everyone can identify. The young leaves (preflower stalk) can be boiled, while slightly bitter, they add a nice flavor to soups. And can be eaten by themselves if need be. The bitterness is also a hit of vitamin D more potent than many store bought vitamins... Seriously, if you have a vitamin D deficiency, you're fine.
Even the root of dandelion is edible and highly nutritional
True.
Hi James, Another great video like always. I don't know if they told you2 tips: a) if you pierce a small hole at the bottom of the can, the suction will be relieve. 2) the hook of the can opener must face down. It must pierce and cut in a series of movement like a P38 or P51 can opener. You used it wrong. :-)
Thanks for the tips! Yes, I really struggled with that old can opener, LOL.
I was just about to say the same thing, you should only have to do the 'tap pierce' once, and then the blade stays under the lid and you use the other side as a fulcrum and lift up, you'll find the lid is still plenty sharp, but less ragged (this was the only kind of tin opener we had when we went camping with my grandparents as kids).
I've opened many cans of corned beef with a pair of pliers after the dang key would break off the can half way through opening it...good times !!
I wanted to tell him that too.
Keep the Hobo videos coming, please!
I love this connection to the history of our ancestors and easy techniques that are cheap and life-sustaining during hard times! Everything is simple, practical, and connected to an appreciation of the environment without waste. Kudos to you sir for passing on simple wisdom in these trying times!
Thanks, I appreciate that!
More hobo cooking please! Love this
Okay! I will do my best to try some other recipes.
agreed! these also double as survival food i guess 😊
this reminds me of a medieval (and beyond!) recipie called "pottage" which was just bits n bobs of food thrown into a pot, similar
When i hadda house i used to keep my crockpot going most of the time & added scraps of whatever i had,, called it "bumstew"..
You make some of the most interesting videos out there. Thank You and keep em coming
Thanks, will do, Lord willing!
People need to learn the "Old Ways", ........ Thank You for Teaching them!
You're welcome!
I realy like the hobo series, thank you,when I found hobo jungles as a kid they were in nice locations (why not) and well worn,and very close to the tracks. Love this stuff
Glad you like them!
What's a hobo jungle?
@@diogenesstudent5585 a campsite with multiple hobos
Here is a tip I picked up many years ago, I carry in my wallet, all the time, a p38 can opener. There are other variants but the one I have has bailed me out a few times over the years. Try it, you never know what it will help with. By the way, corned beef has not changed it's packaging in at least 50-60 years now. There is nothing like a meal cooked over a campfire! Take care, and thanks for another great vid!
Thanks so much for watching! I do carry a P38 can opener with me on my key ring everywhere I go.
@@WayPointSurvival I used to carry the P-38's my brothers carried in Vietnam, but gave them back. Like you, I carry my own P-38 on my keyring and keep a P-51 in my Cook Kit.
Great content! 🚂🙂
My life started in Britt, Iowa. Now, that might not mean much to any of you but that’s ok. The second week of August in my home town we have
National Hobo Days and all of the hobos made their way to my little town. It was a big deal, as kids we looked forward to this time of year, we had a carnival, rides, and games. We loved Christmas and then Hobo Days and then our birthday, in that order. People of my town made huge pots of Milligan Stew.The Hobo’s would vote on which man and woman would be King and Queen of Hobo Days for the year. Some of these hobo’s became pretty famous, Steamboat Willy for one. When my grandparents were younger they would feed hobos but they did work for my grandpa and grandma always found old clothes that she would give to the men for working for her. These men were not lazy people, they were just down on their luck like many from that era. People in my town treated these folks as people not anything less. Of course things have changed and people don’t ride the rails nowadays, they don’t walk either. Some of them have motor homes some drive. We had a theater which was called the “Indian”, it had to close for safety reasons so, the townspeople turned into the “Hobo Museum”, very interesting, they also sell tshirts and our “1800’s Museum House” is open for you to see what it was like to live in a beautiful old home. So, if you’re ever in Iowa for any reason try and go to Britt, up north on I-35, you will take the exit for highway 18 west and just follow until you see the sign for Britt, Iowa. Thank you
That's very cool! One of these days I hope to visit that museum!
Weather its your survival videos or your slice of life videos(Hobo or 1800's) you always do your research. the depth of knowledge you give is amazing. keep up the fantastic work.
Thanks so much!
That is a good and simple method. I wondered whether the fat in the meat would be to much, but it didn't look greasy. I am surprised they didn't brown the meat first. Although on the road fat isn't that bad. Glad you added everything from the can of peas as they say that is where the vitamins are. Another recipe that was available was bouillon cubes, then add a grain or hard tack which is grain.
Corned Beef is already technically cooked in the can, so all that fat you see on the outside is essentially all the fat there is. PLus browning the meat wouldn't bring much to the table other than color and more stuff to clean.
I agree 💯.
@@SilvaDreamsNo, it is fatty. You can brown the meat first right in the pot, then poor some fat out.
The editing of this video is the gift that keeps giving!
Thanks!
Good on you for creating such an interesting series and keeping the hobo traditions alive! Nostalgic fantastic!
Thanks so much!
Interesting how tough those old can openers were. I recall the old tin cans, and opening up several for a large family meal. Thank you, James, and God bless.
I still have one it takes practice then it's easy and neat
Thanks for watching! I really struggled with that thing, lol!
And hey work pretty well if you use them properly. I.E. Peirce it and work your way round forwards with the 'mouth' cutting it open. My grandad had an old one with a bulls head on it that was cool.
I enjoy your videos please keep it up! But your using the can opener wrong. Try sliding it forward horizontal a little. Then lift up using the top against the rim of the can. Then return to horizontal slide forward a little an lift keep repeating.
I’ve been on many travels around the world. And I currently work at a shelter. I stay outside with them sometimes and show them survival and resourceful tricks. If I ain’t working I’m learning. Thanks!
Thanks so much for watching!
Love your content.! Great job! I live in Otway Ohio so it is awesome to see someone close by teach skills like this.
Glad you enjoyed it!
When i was a kid i thought it would be fun to live like a hobo
In a way, every time you went camping you were doing the Hobo thing. 🙂
im not even murican but this videos and its comment is so heartwarming
thanks yall
Glad you are enjoying the channel!
I would be interested in some more hobo stew recipes. That one looked good!
Sounds good!
Love the traditional hobo meals. Very interesting
I really like the historic recipes. I would love to see more.
That's a fantastic simple recipe. Good for the 1930s. Good for today. Love your work, look forward to some more recipes.
More to come, Lord willing!
@@WayPointSurvival James 4.15 brother👍🤠
I totally love the fact that he's slicing everything on the tree stump. That right there is nature's cutting board. 😮😮😮😮😮
Yep! Thanks for watching!
the only problem with that is the bird shit I saw on it
Calories are calories nothing wrong with a bit of shit
Ain't nothing better than cooking a fine meal while out in the camp on your fire that you built, a shelter that you erected yourself. Relaxing and taking it all in he outdoors. Thanks James.
You got that right!
You have aided my appetite! Sure looks a lot better than canned stew!
It was really tasty!
Awesome, channel great informative content well presented, especially appreciate the way James always removes his hat and gives Thanks before he eats, Great example , God bless you your Family and your channel 😊
Thanks so much and may God bless you and yours as well!
To use the old can opener insert once and walk the opener forward with the wide part riding the can edge just lift handle upward move forward repeat
Yes, I posted a video shortly after this one that shows the correct way to do it.
That looks amazing!!! I’m gonna try that on my next outing. Thank you James ❤
Excellent! You're welcome!
STONE SOUP. Outstanding.
Thanks!
@3:37 You cant go wrong with Libbys corned beef, it tastes the best and has the best texture.
It's very good!
A tip , save the corn beef can , add a few pieces of onion add water , and simmer , makes for a late evening tea of sorts
Great idea!!
If you unroll the metal band , you can make a handle for your new cup to hold over the fiire , swedge the lid outwards for the cover and save the key , may not have a key next time , they do break off sometimes
My uncle Herman was kinda a lost soul after his return from WWII. I am sure he had PTSD but that was long before anyone coined that phrase, they just called it "shell-shocked" which was not really descriptive of the various forms of post combat psychological issues that our G.I.'s experienced.
He spent most of the rest of his life as a hobo, hopping trains and finding work wherever he could. He was a kindly and vastly talented man that kept a pet mouse in his coat pocket named "Rosco".
He was just a big gangly farm boy from the break country of northern Texas and grew up in the farming communities between Quanah and Farmers Valley.
Killing Germans didn't bother him much as he experienced first hand the horrors of war and the unspeakable atrocities that the some of the soldiers of the Wehrmacht and Wafen-SS committed. The part that never left him was what he and his fellow army buddies witnessed in the concentration and extermination camps as they pushed the Germans towards Berlin at the end of the war. These nightmarish images haunted him and caused him to never really trust anyone again, especially anyone from Germany.
I remember his "Hobo Kit" very well and I will say you really have "nailed" (pun intended) the kit and culture and have done much to explain that "Hobo's" weren't bums. . .just traveling "Jack of all trades" that could do much with very little! Thanks James for all you do to keep our American history and experience alive! All the Best - D
P.S. You are using that can opener wrong!😁 Once you pop in the blade, you insert it all of the way and rock it back and forth as you turn the can with your left hand and push in with your right. Your can was the worst looking one I have ever seen!🤣🤣🤣
Thanks so much for the great story! He must have been a wonderful man indeed! Also, I really did a very poor job using that can opener, lol!
I love your videos takes me back to a simpler time. My parents lived through the depression my mom would never throw anything away if she could find a use for it
Thanks! Those old timers knew the value of hanging on to items that they could use later on.
I would render the fat out of the corned beef and use that to fry the onion. Then add the other ingredients. But that's just me.
You can certainly do that!
Would have sautéed the onion first and browned, add meat and brown. Then added the water or a favor full liquid and bring to a simmer. Then add the rest. Season to taste!
I would love to see all the other recipes u have on this!!!! ❤
Noted!
A book would be great in the future.
I’m enjoying your hobo series not only does it show useful skills but that even in very hard times people can make it through and even flourish.
Very true!
Let us have some more hobo cooking please, thank you for another great video.
You got it!
I really enjoy your videos. Especially this series on HoBos. I always thought the HoBo life would be a life well lived. Don't know that I'd want to hop a train or eat corned beef but the freedom of roaming across the country is very appealing. I prefer to travel by bicycle. Thanks for your videos. 🤠
Glad you like them!
corned beef is really good though don't knock it until you've tried it 😭
Travelling by bicycle is more efficient, quicker, more relaxing, you can carry more and less dangerous that jumping on and off trains and you can use the old rail trails and you don't even have to see or hear cars most of the time.
@@rickute1458 never see cars while biking? 😂sure buddy and I picked up Willy Wonka's golden ticket
@rickute1458 not back in hobo times. If the paper said there's jobs in Sacramento and you were in really any town, (well, Lodi could be a toss up if ya had good lungs and bicycle) that train would get you there a lot faster than a bicycle.
It wasn't a lifestyle of relaxation back then. It's sad to me that so many get it wrong.
My father rode the rail illegaly before WWII. Went from rags, to a good living. Of course he had to survive WWII, Korea, and Nam before retirement, but he did.
The depression and other circumstances that make the hobo lifestyle happen, are nothing you want to experience.
That said, pay attention to these videos, teach the kids and grandchildren, never know when those times will come again.
If your still here, sorry if I bored ya 😆
I’ve made something like that so my life- I called it “crying children soup” in honor of the response I always got when the kids saw what I was making.
Interesting!
That's the response my wife and son made with my "Clean out the fridge and pantry stew!"
Try “chicken shadow soup,” sometime.
I always called it "takeit" because when you ask what we're having the options are take it or leave it.
@@grahamlopez3742 - that was my parents mealtime motto - Take it or leave it, but there will not be a special meal made for anyone. Eat what's fixed, or go hungry.
I enjoy the series! Stew looks tasty too!
Thanks!
As a modern day hobo/ prepper I carry a small plastic cutting board 8"x8" in my pack for a multi purpose work surface...i also recommend a P-38 style can opener as well as browning your canned goods before adding water to enhance the flavors.
Thanks for watching and for the suggestions!
Congrats on getting a shout out from Felix Immler. You two have in common that you turn out really good, direct content.
Thanks! He's a really great guy and a friend!
Really enjoying this series, you never know when it may come in handy. Cheers
Thanks so much!
Subcribed, man. i never knew that a hobo was someone who just traveled for work! I love the videopgraphy an the history you share! I kinda want to be a hobo now 🫡💪
Awesome, thank you and welcome aboard!
Rule number one: Before cooking hobo cuisine, you must walk for a brief period along railroad tracks to set the mood.
You know it!
Great video! Love this series you’ve done. You may be aware of this book “A Square Meal” by Jane Ziegelman and Andrew Coe. It’s a book about food during the Great Depression and there’s a chapter on Hobos. I’d be surprised if it added anything to your knowledge, as you’ve covered probably everything the book touches on. Anyway, thanks for doing these videos.
Thanks so much for watching and for the heads up on that book! I just ordered a copy for myself.
Thanks for sharing mate! Very interesting indeed.
A variation on this idea of everyone contributing but not at all related to this historical setting is the thing that my motorcycle friends and I used to do probably 40 years ago. We would make “slop”. It was basically bring your own canned food and put it all together in a big pot. Things like baked beans, corn, peas, usually some sort of canned meat stew, maybe even spaghetti in tomato sauce. Awesome stuff, very filling, simple and delicious.
Excellent!
I have to wonder how long a pot of stew was kept going by adding to? Days or weeks rondeau called it everlasting stew
Yes. That would happen back in the day.
With today’s grocery prices this is too expensive to be a hobo meal
Lol
Right this is a $10 plate meal lol 😆 thanks (Current President) lol
The president doesn’t set grocery prices. The grocer/ food corporations do. Y’all are so ignorant about how things work.
@@aliciakillen1940 Definitely has quite an influence though doesn’t he..
This is Awesome! Dont let the old ways die makes you think we take so much for granted !
Thanks so much!
Those were the Days
Absolutely!
JESUS CHRIST is Lord.......4eva 👍
What about fo now and then……fo ever
There's no God but Allah.. Jesus was a prophet.
@@H.EL-Othemany Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 14:6
What does this have anything to do with stew
Amen!
I have that same canteen. I nearly shit a solid gold brick when I found it at a junk store a few years ago. A few years later I found the accompanying skillet/ plate and cutlery at a thrift store in Florida.
Great find!
This reminds me a lot of a stew that was made in the trenches of The Great War which wouldn't surprise me simply because this was during that era. Thank you for the video.
You're welcome!
@@WayPointSurvivalI'd also love to see more versions of this stew.
So glad to have this channel pop up on my page! Awesome Vids!!! Thank You for what you do Sir!!! God Bless!!! ❤
You are very welcome and God bless you too!
Great videos. Keep them coming. We all should understand what Hobos added to our lives.
Thanks, will do!
I just made your recipe. Oh my God, so delicious. I added a can of sweetcorn to go along with those peas. (July 7, 2024)
Sounds great!
More videos like this one, please.
Will do!