Hitty Visits the Tin Shop at Old Sturbridge Village!

The Lovely Glow of Autumn, Tin and Lantern Light!

Tin lantern made at Old Sturbridge Village with the double sunburst design.

How lovely the light of the design shines!
I love this little lantern and how cheerfully the lantern light sparkles!

Click Here for Music

Autumnal splendor at Old Sturbridge Village with the Fitch House and the Center Meetinghouse at the end of the common.

Outside the tin shop at Old Sturbridge Village.

Inside the tin shop the tinner punches a design for a lantern.

The work of the tinner is put to practical use in the butt'ry at the Freeman Farm as the lady fills a tin measure with water.

Our second cousin John May married Delia, one of the Freeman daughters. John May, Delia, and their children lived with Delia's parents at the Freeman Farm in the late 1830s.

On the drainer is a tin skimmer used to skim cream off the milk.

Looking out the window, of the hallway to the woodshed at the Pliny Freeman Farm, at the gathered harvest outside.

The squash harvest was then brought in and stored within the bedroom of the Pliny Freeman Farm.
There is a mellow beauty and autumnal glow to the gathered harvest put away to keep.

The large dark orange are Boston Marrow Squash and the large striped green is a green striped cushaw squash. The little green round one is called an American Citron Melon.

Pumpkins, squash, potatoes, apples and canned goods stored in the Corgyncombe Butt'ry.
This photograph is from our previous post
"Thanksgiving, The Old Way!".

Tasha Tudor illustrated a lovely butt'ry on
the cover of "The Butt'ry Shelf Cookbook".

I keep squash and pumpkins about the cottage, under tables and even under the dollhouse 863 Park Avenue where Tillie Tinkham, the seamstress mouse at Corgyncombe, has a shoppe "Tillie Tinkham's Frocks & Fashions" with Millinery and Tea Room.

I have kept pumpkins at Corgyncombe Cottage until April.

Some of the photographs and some of the writings on this post are from previous Corgyncombe Courant posts that can be found here on the Corgyncombe Courant and from our previous postings elsewhere on the internet.

Squash seeds to save at the Freeman Farm.

Tin basins stored under the table at the Pliny Freeman Farm.
A basket of harvested carrots and some cucumbers alongside in a tin pan.

A receipt for Gourd Soup on the table at the Freeman Farm.

Nanny Nettie-Kin has had an abundance of squash at her Pumpkin House gardens and decides to make gourd soup.

Above, she is chopping the squash.

Nanny Nettie-Kin cooking her gourd soup on her old cast iron stove, which is called the "Ark".

 Nanny Nettie-Kin puts the gourd soup through a sieve.

Nanny Nettie-Kin serves gourd soup.

She went out in her herb garden and found the smallest leaves of sage to put atop the soup.

All the Hittys at Pumpkin House find it to be most delicious!

Tin measures and a funnel in the butt'ry at the Freeman Farm.

Hitty in the Tin shop.
As she stood there, the tinner thought I was only taking a photograph of the lantern.
I motioned to him to peek around the other side and he smiled as he saw Hitty.
Hitty said she liked this lantern and would like to bring one home!

Tin Lantern Light

The light of from the lantern creates a lovely design on the wall.

Tin Caddies

On the upper right is a nurse lamp.

Tasha Tudor delighted, as we do, in refined, simple elegance, in a country way, and the combining of the every day old fashioned tasks as our ancestors did, with artistic skill that could be seen by the beauty in their accomplished results... such as baskets, clothing, gardens, pottery, tinware, textiles, furniture, food preparation, architecture, and even their tools.

How we appreciate the artisans in the old days and now, who through their talents and hard work make beautiful and well made things with their hands!

The tin shop at Old Sturbridge Village.

Pouring water from a tin measure into a tin basin for washing dishes at the Freeman Farm.

Tin turning tool.

Tin measures, graters, cookie cutters and sconces.

In the tin shop at Old Sturbridge Village, a tin kitchen used for roasting meat in front of the fire.

At Corgyncombe, a view of the turkey that faces the fire.
My Tasha Tudor reproduction tin kitchen made by Carl Giordano and sold by Tasha Tudor and Family.

I was so pleased when they became available as I wanted a reproduction of Tasha Tudor's tin kitchen.

As Tasha Tudor herself said, a turkey roasted in a tin kitchen is "Simply unsurpassed!"

Roasting a turkey outside in the Christmastide snow at Corgyncombe.

In Tasha Tudor's "Around the Year", Tasha has illustrated a tin kitchen with traditional Thanksgiving food around it. In "A Time to Keep", Tasha Tudor illustrated a lady basting the turkey in a tin kitchen in front of the fire. Hungry corgyn gather round, hoping for a taste of turkey. "The New England Butt'ry Shelf Cookbook" written by Mary Mason Campbell and illustrated by Tasha Tudor, also features an illustration of a woman using a tin kitchen with a table of Thanksgiving food. In "A Basket of Herbs", illustrated by Tasha Tudor, on the Sage pages there is a lady fixing a turkey to be put in the tin kitchen with hungry corgyn looking on.

Punched tin lanterns on display at the Early Lighting Exhibit at Old Sturbridge Village.

In the pasture along the fence line in front of the Freeman Farm at Old Sturbridge Village, this squirrel found an ear of corn of which he is removing kernels and then....

He digs a hole, deposits the corn kernels and covers them up.
He moved along the fence digging holes for kernels, bringing his ear of corn down the fence line of the pasture of the Freeman Farm.

Corgyncombe

Pumpkin House
An Old New England House

Nanny Nettie-Kin and the Little Dolls of Pumpkin House gathering the harvest by tin lantern light!

Nanny Nettie-Kin and the Little Dolls of Pumpkin House
bringing the harvest in to the hall of their Old New England House.
Many hands make light work.

And Tillie Tinkham comes and little paws help, too.

As the days get shorter, darkness comes early. A lantern that stays lit in the wind becomes handy. Alongside the lantern is a milk bucket made from tin the old way by a tinner, John Forshee.

Corgyncombe's tin collection made by
John Forshee of Cincinnatus, New York.

There are three different sizes of milk pans.
John Forshee and his father were both tinsmiths.

My great great great grand Aunt Parthenia (Shepard) Richards also lived in Cincinnatus, New York and her son James Richards was a tinner. Parthenia was second cousin to John May who lived at the Freeman Farm at Sturbridge.

The squash are stored in the hall of Pumpkin House,
which also serves as Nanny Nettie-Kin's Herbary.
Hitty had rushed upstairs with her favorite Pumpkin and hid it under the bed to later make a "Pumpkin Moonshine". Tasha Tudor wrote and illustrated the book "Pumpkin Moonshine" about a little girl who found a special pumpkin to make a pumpkin moonshine.

Sarah looking for the best pumpkin in the patch.
Tasha Tudor was delighted by this photograph that I took of my daughter Sarah.

Sarah of Corgyncombe was Tasha's model for the illustrations of the little girl Kathy in "The Real Pretend". Our Kitty was illustrated in the above pose and also as various ages on the cover. "The Real Pretend" was written by Joan Donaldson and illustrated by Tasha Tudor.

Pumpkin House
An Old New England House

Nanny Nettie-Kin and the Little Dolls of Pumpkin House

The beautiful autumnal leaves can be seen out the window.

Nanny Nettie-Kin, Hitty and Ima were made by talented doll carver Judy Brown.

A basket of acorn squash harvested from the Vegetable Garden at Corgyncombe.

A Small Little House for a Small Little Nanny and a Wee Little Mouse.
The Boston Marrow Squash alongside Nanny Nettie-Kin and Tillie Tinkham the seamstress mouse, in the "Small House" at Old Sturbridge Village.
Nanny Nettie-Kin and Tillie Tinkham love the Middlefield Sprig wallpaper! This wallpaper is a reproduction of the antique wallpaper found in Middlefield, New York, a town where my ancestors lived. It is the town where my great great grand uncle was a tinner in the 1800s.

Here is a link to:
the Receipt for Gourd Soup
at Old Sturbridge Village

Here is a link to:

Almost 89 year old Tinner John Forshee

working in his tin shop with old tools.

A fantastic video, you will love it!

Here are links to our previous posts in the series of
"Hitty's Journey and Adventures
at Old Sturbridge Village"
at the
Corgyncombe Courant:

Hitty Visits Old Sturbridge Village, Freeman Farm!

At Old Sturbridge Village Hitty Finds George Washington!

Hitty, Tasha Tudor Birthday Celebration,
and Asa Knight Store at Old Sturbridge Village!

 Tasha Tudor and Old School House Remembrances!
Old Sturbridge Village School Attended by Izannah and Hitty!

Here is a link to:
Old Sturbridge Village

Our email:
atthecottagegate@yahoo.com

http://corgyncombecourant.blogspot.com/2014/11/hitty-visits-tin-shop-at-old-sturbridge.html
copyright © 2014 Diane Shepard Johnson and Sarah E. Johnson
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanksgiving, The Old Way!

Simple Thanksgiving Gifts!

The Corgyncombe Butt'ry

In the Butt'ry, on the shelf amongst the yellowware, is "The New England Butt'ry Shelf Cookbook" written by Mary Mason Campbell and illustrated by Tasha Tudor. The book goes throughout the year, featuring receipts for different celebrations and contains Tasha's delightful colour illustrations for New Year's, Valentine's Day, Easter, May Day, Afternoon Tea, Weddings, Anniversaries, Picnics, Fourth of July, Birthdays, Quilting Bee Thimble Tea, Hallowe'en, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. The Corgyncombe Courant's favorite colour illustration is the corgi in the butt'ry surrounded by delectable Christmas treats and includes many of our favorite things.

The chosen music to accompany this post is "Simple Gifts":
Click Here for Specially Chosen Delightful Music.
Return Here to Read the Corgyncombe Courant.

What a splendid turkey!

The Butt'ry in old houses was oft' times on the north side of the house because it was the coolest side of the building. This is so at Corgyncombe Cottage. The Corgyncombe Butt'ry is on the north side of the cottage. Corgyncombe Cottage acquired the sandstone sink in Connecticut where Diane and Sarah's ancestors, the Stanclift family, dwelt. In the above photograph Diane has a colander full of washed carrots from the Corgyncombe Vegetable Garden.
Gravestone carving was a tradition in the Stanclift family. The stone of the gravestones and the Corgyncombe Butt'ry sink are the same reddish brown sandstone. The sink, which was from a very old house in the area the Stanclifts lived, could well have been made by one of the Stanclifts.
Our Stanclift family came from England in the 1680s.

Some of the photographs and writings on this post are from previous Corgyncombe Courant posts that can be found here on the Corgyncombe Courant.

 Pumpkins grown in the Corgyncombe Vegetable Garden for making pies.

Sage gathered from Corgyncombe Garden of Herbs.
In the story "An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving" written by Louisa May Alcott, when the children were left alone due to an emergency, the older girls of the family thought they would continue fixing the Thanksgiving meal. In pondering what "yarbs" would be best to put in stuffing for a turkey, sage was considered but sweet marjoram and summer savory were decided upon. Mistakenly catnip and wormwood were the "yarbs" grabbed in the darkness of the storage area. The catnip and wormwood totally ruined the stuffing!
Diane's 5th great grandfather Eliakim May was 1st cousin to Louisa May Alcott's great grandfather Samuel May.

Crushing sage and thyme for stuffing for the turkey.
The sage and thyme were gathered and dried at the Corgyncombe Herbary.
Displayed on the art stand is "The Williamsburg Art of Cookery" by Mrs. Helen Bullock.

 Diane used her Tasha Tudor Reproduction Tin Kitchen for roasting the turkey in front of the fire. Here it is shown with the door open for basting. Isn't that turkey a beauty!

Whilst tending the turkey, Diane's husband kept making toast using the old fashioned wrought iron toaster. The toaster has a swivel so that you can turn it around and toast the other side.

A view of the turkey that faces the fire.
Using the Tasha Tudor Reproduction Tin Kitchen is such a delight!

In Tasha Tudor's "Around the Year", Tasha has illustrated a tin kitchen with traditional Thanksgiving food around it. In "A Time to Keep", Tasha Tudor illustrated a lady basting the turkey in a tin kitchen in front of the fire. Hungry corgyn gather round, hoping for a taste of turkey. "The New England Butt'ry Shelf Cookbook" written by Mary Mason Campbell and illustrated by Tasha Tudor, also features an illustration of a woman using a tin kitchen with a table of Thanksgiving food. In "A Basket of Herbs", illustrated by Tasha Tudor, on the Sage pages there is a lady fixing a turkey to be put in the tin kitchen with hungry corgyn looking on.

 Regularly the spit is turned and put in the next hole to ensure that the turkey is done evenly all round.

At the proper time potatoes from the Corgyncombe Vegetable Garden are peeled and set over the fire to boil. Even though a lid is placed on the kettle, these potatoes cooked over the fire have a mild smoky taste that is just delicious!

 Cranberries cooking over the hot coals.
Cranberries have to be done the day before if you put them in a mold as they need time to chill and set whilst in the cold.

Some of the acorn squash harvested from the Corgyncombe Vegetable Garden. Corgyncombe Cottage always has squash at Thanksgiving Dinner.

Cranberry Sauce after being chilled and set in a yellowware mold.
What a pretty addition to the Thanksgiving table!

In the bowl are Red Pontiac mashed potatoes, made according to the receipt in  "The Tasha Tudor Cookbook". The turkey on the platter, all set for carving! Diane uses her Grandmum's platter for the turkey with bay leaves from Diane's bay tree tucked around the edge.
As Tasha Tudor herself said, a turkey roasted in a tin kitchen is "Simply unsurpassed!"

Diane made pumpkin pies from pumpkins grown in the Corgyncombe Vegetable Garden.

The photographs below show the steps in preparing the pumpkins for pumpkin pie.
Extreme care must be taken whilst cutting the pumpkins.

After the pumpkins are cut in two, the seeds are scraped out and the pumpkin is then put on a baking pan and put into the oven. The seeds were dried and saved.

After cooling, the outer skin is peeled off and the pumpkin is mashed.

The pumpkin is then put into cheesecloth and tied up.

The cheesecloth bag is put into a colander in a bowl and pressed with a weight overnight in the ice box to remove the excess liquid. In the morning the cheesecloth bag with the pumpkin in it is squeezed to get the rest of the liquid out.

 The pumpkin is put into a bowl and the rest of the ingredients are added.

 Cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and a little bit of nutmeg make the Corgyncombe Cottage kitchen smell delightfully like Thanksgiving.

The pumpkin pie before baking.

After barn chores pumpkin pie is served with cheese... always with cheese!

The Corgyncombe Butt'ry

The Corgyncombe Butt'ry holds many of our favorite things, yellowware, stoneware, tinware, jams, jellies, canned goods, baked goods, potatoes, squash, and apples!

The Corgyncombe Bakery.
Dundee cakes are made in November and put in cold storage and then used at St. Nicholas Tea and many Christmas teas throughout December .

Diane made a fresh wreath of princess pine for the hanging Advent Wreath.

In "First Poems of Childhood", for the poem "Over the River and Through the Wood" by Lydia Maria Child, Tasha Tudor illustrated Thanksgiving food and a family going over the covered bridge with horse and sleigh to a lovely old house and barn where they will enjoy Thanksgiving dinner. The old house and barn remind The Corgyncombe Courant of Corgyncombe Cottage and barn.

An old fashioned Thanksgiving for those at Corgyncombe Cottage, a delicious feast to be most thankful for!

Diane brings out some of her Tasha Tudor Christmas card collection to enjoy at tea with pumpkin pie, cheese, and Tasha Tudor's Welsh Breakfast Tea. Birds have always been a favorite subject for Tasha Tudor at Christmas and throughout the year.

In "Take Joy! The Tasha Tudor Christmas Book" there is a chickadee illustrated on the title page surrounded by nuts, berries, and winter greenery. There are some lovely birds illustrated on the cover and inside "Wings from the Wind, An Anthology of Poems" Selected and Illustrated by Tasha Tudor.

Chickadee and Sparrow

Diane has always loved watching birds, too. In grade school one of Diane's teachers loved birds and always fed them in a tree outside the window. Diane always liked to watch the birds instead of concentrating on school work. Diane received an award for perfect attendance which was a certificate to be redeemed at the bookstore. The second Diane walked in the bookstore she knew which book she wanted... a big wonderful book about birds. The book included a recording of all the lovely bird songs.

The Corgyncombe Courant encourages their dear readers to feed the birds throughout the winter and never forget to feed them daily as our little winged friends depend on us! The birds are always such a joy to watch and to hear! They can also be amusing to watch, like the nuthatch who likes to perch upside down.

Here is a link to a YouTube video where they prepared pumpkin for pumpkin pie using a similar method with the cheesecloth:

Pumpkin Pie from Scratch on YouTube

It has more instructions on cooking times and preparation.

The Corgyncombe Courant hopes that all of our Dear Readers had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

http://corgyncombecourant.blogspot.com/2012/11/thanksgiving-old-way.html
copyright © 2012 Diane Shepard Johnson and Sarah E. Johnson
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~