1860s Period Foods - Including Good Down Home Eatin'

[Donna McCreary]

Schimpff's Confectionary has a web site, and they ship! Due to the hot humid days of summer, they only ship chocolates in the winter months. But yes, Jim, if given an opportunity, come visit. Watching them make candy is fun, and if you watch the demonstration until the end, there are samples! It is so much fun to walk down the street and suddenly smell peanut brittle.

Laurie, often when I speak at events, food is served and recipes from "Lincoln's Table" are prepared. I have had my fair share of Mrs. Lincoln's Champagne Punch, and for a non-drinker like myself, it packs its own punch. Everyone always includes the fruit, but sometimes (especially at historic sites) edible flowers are added. As they float on top, they make a colorful presentation. My favorite are borage petals.

I have always taken issue with Sandburg's story about the potatoes. Growing up in rural Southern Indiana myself, it is difficult to believe there was nothing to eat except potatoes. The Lincoln's had animals on their farm, and Thomas was known to grow a variety of crops. To my knowledge, there is no historical documentation of a year where crops failed. I think Sandburg mingled stories of the poor Irish immigrants with stories of a poor Hoosier boy.