CLARKE HISTORICAL MUSEUM
  • Home
    • Land Acknowledgement
    • How to find us
  • About the Clarke
    • Annual Report 2023
    • Staff & Board
  • Exhibits
    • Native Plant Garden
    • Main Hall >
      • History of McKinleyville
      • Emmerson Room >
        • Arsenic and Old Lace: A Victorian Cookbook
        • The Carolyn Burns Foundation
      • Historic Firearms
      • Clarke Bird Collection
      • Clarke Gem & Mineral Collection
    • Nealis Hall >
      • About Nealis Hall
      • History of Nealis Hall
      • Florence Harrie (1889–1981, Karuk)
      • Traditional Tastes
      • Shounarr Gaplhouyit! Let’s Eat!
      • Hover Collection
      • Wiyot People, Places, and Practices
      • Traditional Legacy: Baskets from the 1800's
      • Past Mini-Exhibits
    • Community Case
    • Opera Alley Mural >
      • Past Opera Alley Exhibits
    • WWII Memorial Exhibit at the Humboldt County Airport
    • Virtual Tours
    • Online Exhibits >
      • Historic Homicide: The Kjer Family Tragedy
      • Historic Homicide: Northern Humboldt’s Mysterious Murderer: The Unsolved Cases of Bert Porter and Joseph Vierra
      • MPH
      • Immigration, Expulsion, Homecoming
    • Exhibit Archive >
      • Membership
      • Fall Harvest
      • Stitched in Time: Humboldt County's Quilted History
      • Weaving Wonders: Exceptional Design
      • Nellie McGraw
      • Ecological Management
      • Hailstone Collection
      • Maritime History
      • Notable Women of Humboldt County
      • Bigfoot Quilt Raffle
  • Events
    • Second Annual Night At The Museum Gala 2025
    • Arts Alive
    • Saturday Speaker Series
    • Members Only Preview
    • Humboldt Marble Weekend 2025
  • Membership
  • Support
    • Admission
    • Volunteer
    • Donations & Fundraisers
    • Sponsorships
    • Internships
  • Blog
  • Education
    • Untitled
    • TikTok Videos
    • Teacher Resources
    • Additional Resources
    • Research >
      • Humboldt History
      • Local History Links
  • Tours
    • School Tours >
      • Donate & Schedule Your Tour
    • Chinatown Walking Tours
  • NCMA

Dispatches from Home - A Taste of Humboldt

3/31/2020

6 Comments

 
Day ??? of Shelter in place and soon I’ll have polished off a 30 pack of tortillas and pound of salsa. I’m looking through my cupboards to see if there is anything, anything different I can make with random odds and ends that I have. Ooh, mac and cheese. That’ll do.
Back in the before times (before shelter in place that is), I picked up a cookbook of recipes from different immigrant groups that have come to Humboldt County over time. The book was published in 1987 and I think is out of print now. It was produced by YES at Humboldt State to raise money for scholarships. It’s actually a great historical resource, giving a short discussion of different immigrant groups that came to the county, when they came here, and what trades they participated in, and where they settled, thanks to help from a number of big names in the local history world - Lynwood Carranco, Martha Roscoe, Peter Palmquist, and Jack Norton to name a few.  It also has all kinds of tasty recipes that people brought with them in their travels to the county, and some that were modified when they got here. There are local Native American, Welsh, Laotian, Danish, Italian, English, Swiss, Mien, Indian, Finnish, Norwegian, Greek, Mexican, even the Midwest attributions in the book, from people located all around the county (that’s not an exhaustive list of the different ethnic backgrounds of the foods in the book by the way, it goes on and on). ​
Picture
Picture
My Aebleskiver pan that I found at a yard sale in San Diego.
In the book, there are some recipes I recognize from my own family. Aebleskivers come to mind. I’m not exactly sure how a Danish recipe ended up in our German and Luxembourgian family (I think I’m 4th or 5th generation American), maybe it was from my grandparent’s frequent visits to Solvang where the fried dough and related accoutrements are sold.  There are also some other ones I’d like to break out at a post-pandemic party (Pink Elephant Party Punch with Grenadine, lemonade, orange juice and a bit of vodka- maybe hold the vodka - recipe from Sylvia Molloy of Bayside), and all kinds of bread. Breadmaking seems to be making a comeback with people at home looking for things to do- and this book is not short on bread recipes. Yugoslavian ones, Portuguese ones, ones with unknown origins...

Oh my and it has cookie recipes.

Cookies are some of my go-to recipes when I’m having a tough day or know someone else who is. There’s an oatmeal cookie one that sounds tasty, oh, and a peanut butter cookie one that also sounds tasty…
For you enjoyment, here’s those two recipes:

Old fashioned Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup raisins
½ cup hot water
¾ cup butter
½ cup sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
2 ½ cups flour
½ tsp ground cloves
1 tsp baking soda
3 cups rolled oats
1 ½ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
Soak raisins in hot water for five minutes; drain, reserving liquid. Combine butter, sugars, and eggs; beat until fluffy. Set aside. sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spice. Blend into sugar mixture. mix in ¼ cup raisin liquid, adding water if necessary. Add oats and raisins, drop onto greased cookie sheets by teaspoonfuls. 
Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Makes 4 dozen cookies.
This cookie recipe has been passed down through three generations of my family. My grandmother made them for my father when he was a child, and they continue to be his favorite cookie. Now I make the cookies for Dad and enjoy them as much as he does. They are the best oatmeal cookies I have ever tasted.
Michelle Farden, Arcata

Grandma Poe’s Peanut Butter Cookies (this one had a star next to it and a rusted paperclip mark from its previous owner- probably a favorite recipe)
½ cup each of the following: Peanut Butter, shortening, white sugar, and brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1 large egg
1 ½ cups flour

Cream butter, shortening, and sugars. add baking soda and salt. add egg, and beat well. Add flour. Roll in small balls and put on a greased cookie sheet. press both ways with a fork.
bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Makes 3 dozen.
Grace and Ed Poe from Trinidad were my adopted grandparents. They often came to stay overnight with us in Arcata. We loved to see them come. Grandma always brought something good to eat. My favorite were these cookies.
Paula Flannery, Bayside

The book also includes little stories from some of the recipe contributors, like the ones listed in the last two recipes. Another story was one from Carol S. Kausen of Fortuna who says that she found the recipe for her holiday “Delightful “No Bake” Dessert” from a friend of a friend who was a caretaker on one of the Russ family ranches. She was really impressed with the recipe and made it a part of her holiday traditions for the next 50 years.
A word of caution however, look how many it serves before you break into making a recipe from this book- some serve a small dinner party while others serve 25 or more!
In all, if you’re looking for a book that gives you a rundown of the early immigration history to Humboldt County and some recipes for your shelter in place party of 1 (or your household), this is the book for you!
 If you’re looking for me this weekend, I’ll be in the kitchen baking up a storm. Too bad I’ll have to keep the cookies to myself…
Stay safe, stay healthy, and stay home!
-Katie
6 Comments
shareit link
2/1/2022 05:54:51 am

ring the article, and more importantly, your personal experience mindfully using our emotions as data about our inner state and knowing when it’s better to de-escalate by taking a time out are great tools. Appreciatedcdacvacsd you reading and sharing your story since I can certainly relate and I think others can to

Reply
A2Bookmarks Japan Social Bookmarking Platform link
8/17/2024 04:42:43 am

Your blog post, "Dispatches from Home - A Taste of Humboldt," offers a delightful blend of culinary exploration and historical reflection. The way you intertwine personal anecdotes with the rich tapestry of recipes from various immigrant groups in Humboldt County creates a vivid picture of the area's cultural diversity. Highlighting the cookbook from YES at Humboldt State as a historical resource, you not only celebrate the unique dishes that have enriched the local food landscape but also acknowledge the broader context of immigration and community-building. The detailed descriptions of recipes like Aebleskivers and classic cookies serve as a nostalgic reminder of the comforts of home cooking during challenging times.

To further enhance the reach and visibility of your engaging content, consider joining A2Bookmarks Japan. As a top social bookmarking platform in Japan, A2Bookmarks can significantly boost your blog’s SEO and increase its visibility among a wider audience. By bookmarking your post on A2Bookmarks Japan, you tap into a network of users interested in cultural and culinary topics, helping your content gain traction across a new geographical region. This can drive more traffic to your blog, encourage cross-cultural exchanges, and elevate the profile of your posts within the Japanese digital space. Additionally, A2Bookmarks offers tools for tracking engagement and performance, allowing you to refine your content strategy and better connect with readers interested in historical and gastronomic narratives.

Reply
mxplayer link
2/1/2022 06:20:06 am

nd more importantly, your personal experience mindfully using our emotions aszc szx data about our inner state and knowing when it’s better to de-escalate by taking a time out are great tools. Apprecia sdctedcda cvacsd you reading and sharing your story since I can certainly relate and I think others can to

Reply
Concrete Layers south auckland link
8/1/2022 03:13:25 am

Dispatches From Home is a new blog about food, recipes, and photographs of the Pacific Northwest. I intend to create a place for people to see what's going on around them and how they can take advantage of their surroundings. The blog will showcase as many areas as it can by utilizing photographs, stories, and recipes in an effort to capture the true essence of Humboldt County.

Reply
lanai screening Kissimmee, FL link
6/18/2023 07:48:00 am

Thanks for sharing this recipe. Want to try making it at home.

Reply
klarna link
11/14/2024 12:27:05 pm

Financial services are rapidly evolving, with digital innovation transforming how consumers interact with their finances. Klarna, a prominent fintech company, has become a leader in the "buy now, pay later" (BNPL) model, allowing customers to make purchases and pay in installments without interest. This service is particularly popular in e-commerce, giving shoppers flexibility and increasing sales for retailers. Beyond BNPL, Klarna offers tools for personal budgeting, financial tracking, and a streamlined payment experience. Its approach is reshaping financial services, emphasizing convenience, transparency, and customer-centric solutions, ultimately providing more accessible and flexible options in today’s financial ecosystem.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    About

    Keep up with the Clarke through our Blog!
    Posts are sent out once a month with our monthly newsletter, but they post here throughout the month so check back each week for something new!

    ​Posts created by Katie Buesch, Interim Director-Curator unless otherwise noted.

      Subscribe to our newsletter!

    Subscribe to Newsletter

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    August 2022
    March 2022
    November 2021
    October 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018

Clarke Historical Museum
240 E Street
​Eureka, California 95501
[email protected]
(707) 443-1947
Open Wednesday - Sunday
11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Closed Monday and Tuesday

​Open until 8:30 p.m. during Friday Night Markets
Open until 9 p.m. during Eureka Arts Alive
Copyright © 2018. All Rights Reserved.