Sugar cones

[markmason]

Re: Sugar cones

Not sure how "1860's" related this will be. All of these are great posts, and the references regarding how hard these loafs would be makes one wonder about the use of SUGAR NIPPERS. The sugar be in loaf form, or so-called "chunks of sugar", yet still be soft enough to allow the use of nippers?

Try this with today's cones of sugar will surely bring you closer to carpal tunnel problems sooner than later :p

[Spinster]

Re: Sugar cones

[QUOTE=markmason] The sugar be in loaf form, or so-called "chunks of sugar", yet still be soft enough to allow the use of nippers?

Pardon me here folks, for this has only marginal bearing on 1860--I'm often handicapped to some extent because sometimes I live in 1750 as well as 1860. White sugar, of various grinds and consistency, slightly dampened and packed into 18th century type molds ( I use the back of a spoon to pack with), does respond well to sugar nippers, with out all the straining required by the those little inauthentic Walmart brown sugar cones.

Rather like the way that sugar cubes stay together (hmmmm, how long has it been since I've seen those in the grocery store?), the cone holds it shape until pinched with the nippers or knocked with a knife handle. My main problem in 1750 is that the men are bad to use the sugar nippers to pick up a coal and light their pipes with.......at least I know its sterile, if not particularly clean.

[styler]

Re: Sugar cones

White sugar cones may be found in stores that cater to German cuisine. They are apparently used for some fiery alcoholic concoction.

Kevin, sugar cones, while they may or may not have been an issued item, were commonly used in civilian life and probably did find their way into soldier's life now and again.

And, no, I don't have a referrence handy. :(

[markmason]

Re: Sugar cones

Here is a little quote take from a book I am reading at the moment. Hmmm I will include a small protion of the paragraph as written.

This Wilderness of War The Civil War Letters of George Squier, Hoosier Volunteer Edited by A. Doyle, John David Smith and Richard M. McMurry

Camp near Murfreesboro, Tenn. Jan. 11th, 1863

Dearest Ellen,

I had allmost thought to wait until I heard from you whether you succeeded in getting "through" with the doubtless "in a most" interminable scrawl of the first volume of the battle battle near Murfreesboro.............Now we are in camp about 1/2 mile north of Murfreesboro...

"I did not throw away those things, or atleast none of value --only a lot of papers sent to Tommie and some maple sugar for the same, which i did neither throw away nor carry through."

George

[markj]

Re: Sugar cones

Greetings,

ARMY SUPPLIES.
________

OFFICE OF COMMISSARY OF SUBSISTENCE,
No. 4 STATE-ST., NEW-YORK, March 21, 1864.

SEALED PROPOSALS (in duplicate) will be received by the undersigned until 4 o’clock P. M. on TUESDAY, the 24th inst., for supplying for the use of the United States Army, SUBSISTENCE STORES, to be delivered in New-York or Brooklyn, as follows:

1,000,000 pounds of clean, dry BROWN SUGAR; barrels to be new, and of the best in use for the purpose, and to be full head-lined.
50 barrels of “C” SUGAR, barrels as above.
Samples of the sugar, in neat boxes of card-board or tin, must be delivered with the proposals, and referred to therein.
A printed copy of this advertisement must be attached to each proposal, and the proposals must be specific in complying precisely with all the terms. Each bid, to have consideration, must contain the written guaranty of two responsible names, as follows:
“We, the undersigned, hereby guarantee that should all or any part of the above bid be accepted, it shall be duly fulfilled, according to its true purport and conditions; also, that a written contract, with bonds to the amount of one-fourth the value of the stores proposed to be furnished, shall be executed, if required.
The seller’s name, place of business, and the date of the purchase, as well as the name of the contents, with gross, tare, and net weights, and shipping marks to be hereafter designated, must be plainly marked on every package. All other old marks must be obliterated.
The sugar will be carefully inspected before its delivery, and compared with the retained samples. Returns of weights, signed by a professional Public Weigher, must be furnished whenever required.
Payment, as heretofore, to be made in such funds as may be furnished by the United States.
Contractors are expected to hold their goods, without expense to the United States, until required for shipment.
Blanks for proposals will be furnished at this office which must be inclosed in an envelope, addressed to the undersigned, and indorsed “Proposals for Subsistence Stores.”
H. F. CLARKE,
Colonel, A. D. C. and C. S.

Source: New York Times, 25 March 1864.

Regards,

Mark Jaeger

[SparksBird]

Re: Sugar cones

Michael,
For some instructions on making sugar loaves, you might want to check with Terry Sargent. He is doing a workshop at the Spring MOMCC Conference at Conner Prairie on "Stocking the Period Pantry". For the workshop they will be making sugar loaves as well as roasting green coffee beans, and compounding kitchen pepper and other early 19th century condiments. If you need his address I can send it to you.

Rick Musselman
Buckeye Mess
GHTI

[SparksBird]

Re: Sugar cones

I think that the nature of this thread has definitely changed. Rather than talking about brown sugar loaves we are now talking about whether they were actually around. Based upon my own research and opinion, I agree with Hank that they might possibly be a reenactorism. I have looked through numerous period cookbooks, practical receipt books, and others and have yet to find a mention of brown sugar loaves in the 1860s. I have even contacted a sugar museum on this and they couldn't answer this question. Actually, what I have always found is a noted distinction between sugar loaves and brown sugar. In Debow's review, Agricultural, commercial, industrial progress and resources. / Volume 22, Issue 3, Mar 1857, "The Sugar Crop and Sugar Duties, No. 1", they mention several times "loaf sugar" and "brown sugar", with a difference in price and the duties on it. This is just one example of many distinctions between the two. I did find one other interesting note about sugar production in Louisiana. Outside of the Carribbean nations, Louisiana was the largest producer of sugar in the 1830s-40s, with 35,000 tons being produced.
Lastly, if Hank and I both are having this much trouble finding documentation for brown sugar cones then common sense dictates that they couldn't have been that common during the time period. That my two cents.

Rick Musselman
Buckeye Mess
GHTI

[Michael Comer]

Re: Sugar cones

Rick,

I am planning on being at the MOMCC meeting. In fact, I was just looking at the registration picking what sessions I wanted to go to. Just might make me one of those sugar loafs.

Thanks,

[RedCordCO]

Re: Sugar cones

Interesting responses from all sorts of folks.

I wanted to offer that Jas. Townsend sells paper-wrapped sugar cones and sugar nippers in their catalog. The wrapping on the cones can be easily replaced and the nippers [should one need them] can be either hidden from view or explained off as an heirloom in other, perhaps more mainstream, camps.

I prefer using the Mexican 'pilloncillo' sugar that is available in the Mex. section. Also prefer Mex. chocolate as it is more appropo for my region of the country. I digress..

Check out Townsend, though. They are good folks though a bit removed from the era we all portray.

Rob Burchardt

[SparksBird]

Re: Sugar cones

Rob,
I don't know if you read the rest of this thread, but we were just discussing whether or not brown sugar cones are actually period or a reenactorism. The ones sold by James Townsend are brown sugar cones. I think we need to look closer at their documentation then where they are available today. Also, I do hope you are talking about civilian use of sugar nippers and not military. I can't see any reason a soldier would be carrying around sugar nippers.

Rick Musselman
Buckeye Mess
GHTI

[Robert Braun]

Re: Sugar cones

I am finding myself in agreement with Mr. Musselman.

Unless something more definitive becomes available, use of those quaint sugar cones in one's authentic soldier impression should probably go the way of the dodo...

Regards, Bob.

[vbetts]

Re: Sugar cones

This doesn't specifically mention BROWN sugar, nor cones, but at least they are called the same. Of course, this is Mexico, not the US or CS, but it is mid-19th century. For what it's worth, which isn't much.

NEW ORLEANS DAILY PICAYUNE, September 8, 1864, p. 4, c. 1

The Mexican Fairs.
[Montera Morning Star, July 24th.
We presume the fairs of the "old country" are like unto them; but one who has never trusted his life across the ocean, would find in these fairs, the announcement of which we take from a Texas paper, food for many a gay and lively recollection.
In Mexico, without railways, stages, towns near each other, or a population living compactly, except in the towns, these fairs are the event of the year. Thither travel the manufacturers of those curious, water-proof, elegant, soft and exquisitely fine woven blanket shawls, of the unequaled Paras saddle-trees, of the Paras wine, of the earthenware and quaint images of Guadalajara, of the hardware and cutlery of Leon, of the gamusa, (the dressed goat and deer skins,) and the tanned leather of the mountains, and all other various articles of home production, not excluding the piloncillos, little loaves of coarse but very sweet sugar, and the mescal, or whiskey, made of the maguey, or "century plant" with us.

Vicki Betts
vbetts@gower.net

[Hank Trent]

Re: Sugar cones

... and all other various articles of home production, not excluding the piloncillos, little loaves of coarse but very sweet sugar...

It sounds like they're talking about the same thing mentioned in a quote I posted on the first page of this thread, and if so, they were indeed apparently unrefined and brown (resembling maple sugar). Reposting the quote:

"The sugar here is made into pilensi (little sugar-loaves) resembling maple-sugar, which are transported on mules to the large cities to be refined. [Dec. 27, on Rio Mecca or Rio de la Purificacion, near town of Hidalgos]" (From Life and Correspondence of John A. Quitman ... Governor of the State of Mississippi, By John Francis Hamtramck Claiborne, 1860)

Now there's just that little detail of documenting that 1) the little brown loaves were also available in the United States and 2) they were issued to soldiers. :)

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net

[FlemSmythe]

Re: Sugar cones

A few years back I attended a short talk on Maple sugaring. The woman who was doing the talk stated that maple sugar was made into cones for use and storage. She also showed us a few examples of some she was making.
They were not commercially manufactured but were manufactured by the people at home for their own use. This was mainly in the north east or where Maple syrup was made most commonly. So you cant totally discount the use of brown sugar or maple sugar cones. Especially if they show up in a package from home.

[Hank Trent]

Re: Sugar cones

So you cant totally discount the use of brown sugar or maple sugar cones. Especially if they show up in a package from home.

If the question is, "Was brown cane sugar or maple sugar *ever* formed into cones in the 1860s in the U.S.?" obviously we can never prove that it wasn't.

If the question is, "Do we have primary source evidence of brown cane sugar or maple sugar being formed into cones in the 1860s in the U.S.?", there's none yet on this thread.

If the question is, "What can we document as the most common form of brown cane or maple sugar to use at a reenactment?" then cane sugar has been discussed, and below is some info on maple sugar.

The following is from "The Manufacture of Maple Sugar" C.T. Alvord, Wilmington, Vermont, in the 1862 Report of the Commissioner of Agriculture. For what it's worth, the top maple sugar producing states in 1860, according to the article, were New York, Vermont, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire. Emphasis is added.

The general method of putting up maple sugar for family use is to place it in tubs and drain it.... The best tubs for this purpose are those holding from one to two hundred pounds, made flaring, largest at the top, and having two bottoms... In this bottom one or more holes should be made for the molasses to drain through....

Many families are in the habit of stirring a portion of their sugar, as in this form it retains its flavor better than when it is drained, and is in a more convenient form for use... When it is done, take it from the fire, set the pan in a cool place, and with a wooden paddle commence stirring it briskly... If it is then put into tight boxes or tubs and thus kept, it will retain the fresh maple flavor for some length of time.

When the sugar is to be caked, it should be allowed to stand after it is taken from the fire until it is partially grained, when it shoudl be run into the moulds... Both wooden and tin moulds are used to cake sugar in, and these are made of different forms and sizes--the weight of the cakes varying from two ounces to several pounds. The general form of the cake is a square, as this is the most convenient one for packing in boxes, in which form it is put up for market.

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net