Howdy !!!
Christmas seems to bring out the big heartedness in all of us. It’s also when family members spend time with each other: prepare food, ‘break bread together’, play games, sing, the list goes on. How good when generosity and time with our kin is a year-round practice, especially easy when they live in the vicinity. In a family farm or ranch setting, there’s the added bonus of parents and grandparents being able to pass on traditions and ideals as a part of daily living. But make no mistake, being together creates challenges large and small, at Christmas and otherwise. Families and those gathered at Christmas find creative ways to honor its true meaning, even when they are too far from home, more or less isolated and maybe without communication technology. May each of you find joy and peace, as we think of those in the world for which that is next to impossible.
Jen
It’s an hour of celebrating Christmas in the Cowboy Poetry Genre. It’s about stories, with both verse and music, not strictly about cowboys though. Some of the poems are: The Bachelor’s Christmas Feast, Ma’s Old Galvanized Washtub and The Truth About Santa. Songs include parodies: “Twas the Night Before Christmas and Out on the Ranch”, “Jingle Bell Rewrite” and “Sam and Roz are Coming to Town”. The program will end with Alan Jackson’s “Let it be Christmas Everywhere”. Be sure to take a Christmas card with M&M’s Christmas Story.
Thursday, December 18th at 1:30pm
2793 Southview Drive SE , Medicine Hat, AB
Free Entry. Refreshments to follow.
Dough Dad
Meet Brendan Hillson, a local businessman, proud owner of McBride’s Bakery. In many ways he’s much like the rancher or farmer: independently employed, able to work alongside his family and thus passes along a solid work ethic. His two ‘kids’ help him when they’re not in school or university. His wife is otherwise employed, much like many wives work ‘off the farm’. Brendan’s mom is a big help and every day picks up the leftover doughnuts to hand out to the homeless, the Doughnut Lady they call her. Medicine Hat Care picks up the day-old bread to distribute to those who need it. He has monthly fund raisers. In November all proceeds went to the Food Bank, in December they go to the Santa Claus fund and last year to various city schools. You might be one of his lucky customers that is invited to get free birthday doughnuts. Thanks from MHCP for the doughnuts at our event this past September and at last year’s annual meeting.
When Brendan came back 15 years ago from teaching English in Asia, he couldn’t find a job that interested him. So he bought a bakery; that was 15 years ago. He is the 5th owner since McBride’s started here in the 1967. His enthusiasm and creativity have been instrumental in building a thriving business, as witnessed on his almost daily You-Tubes.
Working with dough was not a lifelong passion. In fact he had no formal training as a baker, just books and a strong desire to learn (other subjects as well). Now he has 7 front staff and 6 bakers. A baker starts his or her day at 4 a.m. till about noon. Just like ranchers and farmers, hours are flexible according to when the work for the day is done. Sam, a staff member said, “Brendan looks after his staff like family”. Heather, another employee commented how much she appreciates not having to worry about taking time off when the kids are sick. “He puts family first.” Brendan’s comment was, “I enjoy running my own business and not having a boss.” Every farmer/rancher would say exactly the same thing.
Trail Cook
A cowboy past his prime, most commonly called, “Cookie”
Other names were Dough Boxer, Dough Puncher, Dough Wrangler. He did much more than use flour to make grub for the cowhands.
He was up before sunrise and worked long hours preparing 3 meals a day in adverse conditions. (Beans and salt pork were also staples.) He was in charge of the medical supplies and had a working knowledge of practical medicine. As an excellent chuckwagon teamster (of oxen or horses), he travelled ahead of the cattle drive to find suitable stopping places (where there was water and grass). When there were differences, he served as a mediator and the firearms guard. He was banker, barber, vet and stakeholder of bets. Although food preparation was his charge, he was often hired for reasons other than his ability to cook. He had a reputation for being cantankerous; many were also known to be colorful characters. Of all the hired help on the trail drive, he outranked all but the trail boss and had the respect of every man, or else.
Cattle Trail ‘Bread’
When out on the trail, it was usually biscuits instead of bread. The flour at that time was a middling grade of flour (not processed like modern flour) or it was unbolted flour (didn’t have the bran or course parts of the flour sifted out). Biscuits were relatively quick and easy to make, but not the light, fluffy kind of today (sometimes called sourdough bullets). When put in the saddlebag, they were called hard tack for a reason. But they were handy when the ride on the range took longer than expected. Biscuits leavened with sourdough were more common on the trail, but back at the ranch, buttermilk biscuits were also popular. Bread (soft tack) was a treat when there was a wood stove with an oven back at the ranch.
Trail biscuits were “baked” in a Dutch oven or large skillet. The Dutch oven would be placed over coals, also having coals on lid so the heat distributed evenly. The little lip on the lid is designed to keep the coals from rolling off.
Every chuckwagon cook had his own special (and carefully guarded) recipe for biscuits. Cowboys would judge his cooking skill by the quality of his biscuits. Thus cowboys might call the him a biscuit shooter, a biscuit roller and even a dough belly if he had a certain physique.
Pancakes
They are synonymous with cowboys and cowboy culture, more or less a western institution. Other names for them are griddle cakes, hotcakes, slapjacks and cowboys had another name for them: splatter dabs.
Cowboys and Chuckwagon Cooks weren’t known to follow a written recipe. Instead they followed a rule of thumb with 1:1 proportions for each ingredient: 1 cup flour, 1 cup liquid, 1 pinch of salt and 1 teaspoon melted pork fat (probably bacon drippings). If it wasn’t sourdough leavening, it might be 1 tablespoon of baking powder. The batter was poured on a greased cast iron skillet. After bubbles formed it was flipped over and cooked on the other side. Many a cook could toss (or flap) them in the air off the griddle onto a targeted plate (thus the term flapjacks)
During Medicine Hat’s stampede week, free pancake breakfasts are a famous and beloved tradition hosted by various groups throughout the city. The tradition has become something of national institution in Canada. Communities often have pancake breakfasts when there are gatherings; family reunions, fundraisers, Christmas morning family get-togethers, etc. The tradition has even trickled into the United States.
The first free Stampede breakfast was held in 1923 at a campsite just outside the CPR station close to downtown Calgary. Apparently Jack Morton, a chuckwagon driver, invited some friends to join him for breakfast at his camp. In true cowboy tradition, anyone that came by the camp was invited to eat with them. It’s the western hospitality we are known for and are proud of.
Anytime a cowboy rode to camp (or a ranch), he was invited to have some grub (food). “Fly at it!”, in the cook’s words. It might be a cowboy from another outfit, an outlaw, a cattle rustler or a saddle tramp (a cowboy with wanderlust only staying long enough to earn some road stake, enough cash to carry him over the next horizon). No questions asked except, “What do we call you?”
Doughnuts
They were called doughgods. A cook that could (and would) make them was highly regarded. Every year the the homemade spudnut goodies at our AGM meeting are in the shape of steerheads, oxtails and prairie oysters. (Some folks innocently ask, “What are prairie oysters? They would agree that the first person to taste them was indeed brave.)
Sourdough Starter
It was one of the cook’s prized possessions. It’s live yeast in a mixture of flour and water used to make dough rise when making biscuits, pancakes, doughnuts and cakes. Keeping it alive was an ongoing “give ‘n take” process. Some of the starter was taken out the night before and set in a warm place so it begins to ferment for tomorrow’s flour dishes. He put equal amounts of flour and water back into the original starter to use next time. Most often cooks carried their prized starter in a small crock or a wooden pail snuggly packed. The cook guarded his starter with his life. During very cold weather it is said the cook would take it to bed with him to keep it from freezing. (My mom always used “everlasting yeast” to leaven her bread.)
Pie Lingo
- pie eater: country boy
- pie trail: small side road
- as easy as pie: very easy
- crumb castle: chuckwagon
- boggy top: pie but no top crust
- apple pie order: in perfect shape
- crumb incubator: a cowboy’s bed
- apple pie order: in perfect shape
- calf slobbers: meringue on top of a pie
Western Lingo
- biscuit: saddle horn
- sour dough: experienced prospector
- prairie pancakes: buffalo or cow chips
- pancake saddle: English saddle so called because it’s flat, small and light
- squeezing the biscuit: grabbing the saddlehorn (a cowboy would rather be bucked off than to be caught grabbing the saddlehorn)
- Old Woman: cowboy cook (though the cook was usually a man, cooking was still considered woman’s work)
Western Wisdom
- The dinner bell is always in tune
- Mind your biscuits and life will be gravy
- A rumor is as hard to unspread as butter on hot toast
- If a camp cook ain’t grouchy, he ain’t bin cookin’ long enough
- Cussing the range cook is about as risky as branding a mule’s tail
- Happiness is like jam; it’s hard to spread without getting some on yourself
Campfire Nativity
by Uncle Bobby Rusch aka Bob Ruschiensky
Bob, from Regina, started writing poetry a year ago, and now has 21 books of poems published and 6 or so almost ready. This is one of 20 poems in “Cowboy Christmas”. He uses computer AI technology for the pictures, one for each poem.
By the campfire’s golden flame,
Cowboys told the Christmas name.
One played Joseph, hat in hand,
While Mary’s part the cook did stand.
Lantern served as guiding star,
Laughed and prayed from near and far.
Bunkhouse colt, so strong and true,
Played the manger’s donkey too.
Told the story plain and sweet,
In worn-out boots on tired feet.
Every word was true and kind,
Christmas tale they all did find.
Herd lay quiet, sky was clear,
Voices strong with holy cheer.
The Nativity by firelight,
Glowed in the dark of Christmas night.
And though no stage or church was near,
Cowboy hearts made Christmas clear.
Campfire flames told all who see,
The Savior born for you and me.
Walter Scott’s Christmas wish to them on the Range:
Heap on more wood! The wind is chill,
But let it whistle as it will,
We’ll keep our Christmas merry still.
A Parting Gift to You, the Reader
The newsletters are my gift to you, the reader.
Your gift to me is an email reply , a “Like” on Facebook, a “thumbs up” on YouTube , a comment below or a good ole fashioned phone call!
A little smile, a word of cheer,
A bit of love from someone near,
A little gift from one held dear,
Best wishes for the coming year.
– John Greenleaf Whittier –
Happy trails and Merry Christmas,
Jen
