Saturday Sighting

Hi everyone!

I hope this blog post finds you well :)  This week's nugget of nature from the Backus-Page House Museum grounds is the comfrey in the kitchen garden.  I love its little purple flowers!

Fun facts about comfrey:

• It was once popularly grown as a medicinal herb, though is now believed to be carcinogenic if ingested. 
• It can reach heights of 5 feet easily. 
• It is in the same family as borage.
• It can live several decades before declining. 
• The safest use for comfrey is as mulch for other crops. 

Have a great week everyone!  Stay safe and take care!

Catie Welch

Foodie Friday - 100 Cups of Coffee

From a Tyrconnell Heritage Society book called 
12 Days of Christmas

100 CUPS OF COFFEE

Recipe given to Marion (Davy) Foreman by her mother Ida (Wilton) Davy.  Submitted by Laurine Foreman and Angela (Foreman) Bobier, daughter and granddaughter of Marion and granddaughter and great granddaughter of Ida.  Since Ida was an active member of the Wallacetown Women’s Institute it is quite probable that this recipe was used for meetings and also for serving customers at Davy’s Garage and Restaurant in Wallacetown. 

18 qts cold water

8 cups coffee

2 tbsps salt

1 tsp any mustard may be added

Put coffee into cheese cloth bags (double thickness).  Leave plenty of room for coffee to swell.  Fill about 1.4 full.  Soak bags in cold water to cover (be sure that the bags are well tied at neck with string, leaving enough string to tie onto handle of coffee pot.) And add salt.  Soak bags of coffee several hours (this soaking is done in a large kettle). 

Put 18 quarts of cold water into coffee maker, bags of coffee and the water they have been soaking in, gather up all strings and tie onto handle making sure all coffee bags are tied securely so that no grounds escape.  Add mustard.  Bring this to a boil and boil for 5 to 10 minutes.  Test coffee for strength, if not strong enough leave for a few minutes longer to boil.  Take out bags of coffee.  Into kettle that they were soaked in pour boiling water over them and this may be added to coffee in maker if required.  

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You may not know that all our events, admission and programming income goes into maintaining our heritage buildings, daily operating expenses like utilities, and funding future events.  If you are able to contribute financially by purchasing a Tyrconnell Heritage Society Membership or making a donation in any amount your support would be greatly appreciated.  Memberships - Individual $30; Couple $35; Family $40; Organization $45; Business $75; Individual Lifetime $250  Here is the link to our page at CanadaHelps http://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/tyrconnell-heritage-society/

Scott/Sefton Negatives

This interesting collection of photographs documents street scenes, store windows, house interiors, sports groups, clubs, rural views, railway crossings, and much more all in the area of St.Thomas. These photographs span almost a century (mid to late 1800s to the early 1900s) and show the geographical changes of the region. This book is $5.00 in our giftshop at the Backus-Page House Museum or call 519-762-3072 for shipping arrangments.

History Meme Tuesday #5

What's It Wednesday: Answer for August 5th

What's It Wednesday: Answer Week 3 – August 9

Did you see our “What’s it Wednesday” post on Facebook? We asked what this ceramic vessel could be.

As a reminder the object is a small whiteware dish with a lid. The lid is decorated with decals and gilding and has a hole at the top. The base is undecorated. The entire vessel can be held in one hand.

This object is a hair collector. Back in the day people valued locks of hair and would give them away as tokens of love or memory. By using a vessel like this you could keep the hair you clip in dainty ringlets, ready to be put in a locket or be woven into a hair wreath.