by Ellen Petry Whalen

“Cooking on the fire is like cooking on the stove,” Maureen Leavenworth, master hearth cook, assured the 20 attendees of the “Seaside Fare of Colonial America” open hearth cooking demonstration and lunch at the historic Caleb Nickerson House. “You just have to be aware of where everything is and how long it has been on,” she continued, dressed in a period costume made by her own hand. Then, to prove her point, she lowered the heat on “the burner” by pulling on the wrought iron crane, removing the hanging cast iron pot from the direct fire.

Leavenworth is one of four master craftspeople at the non-profit Nickerson Family Association in North Chatham who demonstrate how people lived during the 1700s and 1800s on Cape Cod. Master woodworker Richard Noyes, master gardener Anne Firth and master weaver Michelle Arsenault are the other three artisans in their Forgotten Arts Program. The many descendants of William and Anne (Busby) Nickerson support the mission of the Caleb Nickerson House to be a living history museum for children and adults throughout the year. Leavenworth was first introduced to hearth cooking when she was a child through the Girl Scouts and through visiting historical locations like Plimoth Plantation and Sturbridge Village. She has always been drawn to exploring how women lived their everyday lives in the past. She explained, “I enjoy thinking of what history was like.” Additionally, she admits to having a sixth sense about colonial cooking and recipes, and feels this innate intuition has guided her along a historical path. In fact,
this multi-talented woman is not only passionate about oldfashioned cooking but also costume design. She recently opened a vintage clothing store on Main Street in Orleans called Vintage in Vogue: Ladies’ Clothing 1770 to 1970.

Using as many local foods and recipes that she can find, Leavenworth recreates seasonal colonial meals throughout the year at the museum. In true colonial fashion, master gardener Anne Firth planted a kitchen garden filled with essential herbs only a few steps from the side door, which Leavenworth readily takes advantage of for her culinary needs.

On the cold spring day of the “Seaside Fare” hearthside cooking class, the fire was very inviting. All of the action revolved around the center chimney, clearly defining it as the heart of the home, and if the warmth did not draw everyone in, the smells and Leavenworth’s expertise did. She demonstrated how hearth cooking is surprisingly efficient and economical with,space. It was a pleasure to watch Leavenworth’s deftness at quickly and easily
moving and stirring the various antique pots producing wonderful aromas. She, like woman many generations before her, watched her long skirts when working closely by the fire, with her naturally flameresistant wool apron her only defense.

Next, Leavenworth showed the flexible nature of hearth cooking. When coffee was desired, she simply shoveled a little pile of embers onto the hearth, placed a trivet above them and the coffee pot on top. She said one can have as many trivets set up as one needs, giving six-burner professional ranges a run for their money. She also introduced the mostly female group to an ingenious yet simple tin radiant oven that easily bakes items like cookies without the need of a beehive oven. The lunch’s main dish of sole with forcemeat was made this way, with the baking sheet set on a shelf inside the u-shaped shield, facing the fire. The reflection of the tin increased the heat while minimizing drafts. In fact, the stuffed sole was delectable and on par with the cuisine of a five-star restaurant. The unassuming Leavenworth said the secret is using only fresh and all-natural ingredients, which produces simple yet beautifully combined flavors.

With an ambitious menu, some items were prepared ahead of time, like the pounded cheese. This dairy dish is a 1700s meal made from leftover cheese scraps pounded together with butter and sherry and served on bread. The fire for the meal was started at least an hour ahead of time so the heat could permeate through the bricks and to make enough ashes for good radiant heating. Furthermore, to keep the lunch on schedule, a handful of helpers was enlisted and was eagerly working in the tight space. One guest was busy grinding the coffee beans with mortar and pestle. Another chopped a variety of freshly picked herbs like savory and lovage (some of the first herbs to pop up after our wet winter), while someone else was busy cleaning the mussel shells.

Many of the colonial dishes prepared for the lunch contained a handful of ingredients, yet the combination of flavors and depth suggested more. Most could easily be reproduced at home today with or without the modern accoutrement we have grown accustomed to using. The delicious pink cream dessert was one such item. It contained cream, beach plum jelly and lemon juice. Leavenworth whipped the three ingredients with a handmade whisk from birch twigs tied together. She said birch is best, since it has a neutral flavor, is safe to use and cleans up easily with its smooth bark. The resulting dessert was wonderfully light and satisfying with a bright tartness from the lemon.

The unusual raspberry shrub drink, which is a vinegar cordial, was also a big hit among the guests and Leavenworth explained how she made it: dump a big bowl of raspberries in a pot. Add enough apple cider vinegar to just cover the top of the berries, then simmer until the fruit has broken down. Pour the cooled mixture in a cheese cloth. Bundle it up and knot off the end. Hang the knot from a cupboard knob and allow the liquid to drip into a bowl below. Do not squeeze. Measure the resulting liquid and combine with an equal amount of sugar. Simmer this down until the sugar dissolves. The end-product has a jelly-like consistency. Leavenworth said the resulting dense, red liquid can be kept up to five to seven years unrefrigerated. Always experimenting, she has tested the claim and even mixed up a glass from a 12- year-old batch, by just adding a heaping tablespoon of the raspberry concentrate to a glass of cold water. The resulting liquid is an amazing thirst quencher and was used to replenish the workers in the hot farm fields.

Even though most everyone appreciates modern, time-saving conveniences, the colonial enthusiasts at the hearthside cooking class felt very much at home in the primitive 1827 setting. The Caleb Nickerson House has a strong following of individuals who are not only interested in learning how our “foremothers” cooked over the fire, but many also cook in their hearths at home. For them, Maureen Leavenworth’s classes are a dream come true, where they can fine-tune their hearthside skills in the context of Cape Cod history, while enjoying a good meal.

This renewed interest in historical cooking puts a whole new twist on the local eating movement. At the Caleb Nickerson House, through Maureen Leavenworth’s guidance, people cannot only eat local foods, but they can also eat their local history.

The Caleb Nickerson House is located at 1107 Orleans Road
(Route 28) in North Chatham.
To learn more about this historic site and for a calendar of
events, visit www.nickersonassoc.org

Ellen Petry Whalen is a freelance writer. She grew up spending her summers in Orleans and has been calling it home for seven years, with her husband and their two organically homeschooled daughters. Before children, she worked in sales and marketing in the medical nutrition industry and the wine industry. A supporter of traditional foods, she is a local Weston A. Price Chapter Leader (www.westonaprice.org). She holds a B.A. in Economics and Spanish from Wellesley College.