We made the button lamp from 'The Long Winter'. When the Ingalls ran out of kerosene to keep their lamps running, Pa bought a large can of axle grease from the store (the only type of grease left in the town). Ma made a candle by taking a button and wrapping it in a piece of calico, tying the cotten tightly with thread near the button. She then twisted the top into a wick and coated the tip with grease. Then she placed the button bottom in grease on a saucer. When the lit the top of the calico, it burned and created light. Which considering they had 7 months (!) of blizzards every 2 days (!!) and it was dark alot, I'm sure the light was a great comfort.
Darling devised ours this afternoon using some bacon grease (the thickest grease we had), a button and some leftover turtle cotton material from a pillow I made for Stephen. It worked! I was a bit surprised, actually. First, it burned down a bit, until it reached the thread, then it began to pull the grease up 'wicking' it and creating a continual flame, just like a candle. It was so cool!
The button lamp, from the top
Placed in the bowl of grease
Here's where we weren't sure if it was going to just burn the cloth and then then grease (it was in the sink and we were ready with water)
Here it is in it's continual burn. It made a surprisingly big flame.
Attempting to blow it out. We ended up needing to snuff it out with a plate (cuz the flame is surprisingly big). In the future I think we would use a smaller button, to make not such a big flame. Then again, if we were in a large room needing a lot of light for many people, this size would be much more preferable.
AND --
We finally made the green pumpkin pie!
Right before the Ingalls endured the long winter, Ma had Laura pick a green pumpkin from the field to make a surprise pie for Pa. She lined the bottom of the pie with brown sugar, 'spices', then the pumpkin, thinly sliced. She topped it with 1/2 cup vinegar, a pad of butter and another crust. When Pa tried it, he said in surprise, 'Apple Pie?! Where did you get apples?' Since reading this story when I was about 8, I have wanted to make a green pumpkin pie. You may recall we picked a green pumpkin when we went to the orchard last weekend.
Since the instructions via the book were rather vague, here's what we did: lined the bottom pie shell with 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/8 tsp nutmeg (amounts from an apple pie recipe I have). Then we placed the green pumpkin pieces on top of that. Then we poured 1/2 cup of white vinegar on top, adding a pad of butter on the top and covered it with another crust.
The end result was a delicious, incredible, moist pie that -shockingly- tasted just like apples! That said, I didn't read the instructions close enough. Ma had put the pie in right after breakfast so it would be ready just in time for lunch. Hmmm.... I suppose that is why it was a 2 hour pie. And it even had a slight al dente then (but that was good too, surprisingly enough). SO! For the next one (and trust me, there will be another, it was so good) I will either boil the pumpkin first (or pressure cook it) to soften them so it will bake quicker in the oven. Unless I need to run the stove for a heat source already (like Ma) and having it in the oven for 3-5 hours is a good thing.
Janou and Stephen VERY excited to start
The hallowed out shells
Stephen holding the peeled and scraped out pieces (he really liked rubbing his fingers on the 'icky' part inside)
Stephen also loved placing the pumpkin pieces in the pie shell. FYI: make the pieces into much smaller pieces than what I did. Especially if you don't roast or boil the pumpkin first.
Playing 'How long are my arms?' with the pie shell boxes
Consulting the book for instructions
The pie cut up nicely (which after 2 hours I wasn't sure what we would find)
Now we had to eat the pie by kerosene lamp to be truly authentic (Stephen had gone to bed an hour before. He'll try it tomorrow)
The one on the left is the one with the crust on top, the right one we did a crumb topping. Another FYI, use a top crust. VERY necessary to make the pumpkin steam properly.
At this point, I really wish I had another green pumpkin to cook. It was a blast and we had a wonderful afternoon. We have loved learning new ways to come at things today. We're finishing the day by watching 'Cinderella Man', a movie about a boxer who gets a second chance during the Great Depression. Another time when a button lamp or a green pumpkin pie recipe would come in handy.
Love to you all, whomever you are. God bless you and know we are praying for you.
-Shaun for the crew
