Rations

[48Sarge]

Re: Hog Jowls

Mark,

There was a lot of other stuff in that Pannhas that I would care to rather not know about as well! Oh well, what does not kill me......

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Hog Jowls

Hallo Kameraden!

Once, around Chrismouse time, while visiting some acquaintances who ran a Chinese Restaurant...

They brought me a square of something I thought was a lemon square type dessert.
However, my first bite down signalled my instant doom.

It was rancid, chopped fish heads gelled in clear congealed grease with the white fat having settled to the bottom.

Yummy, that.

And we talk of salt pork... ;-)

Curt-Heinrich Schmidt
Who Once Spent Many Years in the Company of Orientals Mess
Proud Member of the Acquired Taste Rifles

[DonSmithnotTMD]

Re: Hog Jowls

OOH -- I once went to a real Chinese food buffet in celebration of a christening (friends of my (soon to be) ex-wife). Amazing.

[Skeet]

Re: Hog Jowls

Pards, There is a market here in VA that sells the best hog jowl. It's in Penn Laird, the name of the place is Gayle's Market. You can get just about anything that has to do with pork. If you cook it with greens, I pity the person who has to spoon next to you! :sarcastic

[DonSmithnotTMD]

Re: Hog Jowls

How do you get there from here? Well actually N.C.

[orngblsm]

Candles

Gents,

Some of my pards and I are planning on doing a ration issue. We wanted to add candles into the picture, but I can't see paying $.75 a candle for 50 candles. Just wondering if anyone knew of a source that sells bulk candles that are period accurate for the federal army.

Respectfully,

[Makoski4141]

Re: Candles

Gents,

Some of my pards and I are planning on doing a ration issue. We wanted to add candles into the picture, but I can't see paying $.75 a candle for 50 candles. Just wondering if anyone knew of a source that sells bulk candles that are period accurate for the federal army.

Respectfully,

I do not know if you find this worth doing but if you check out www.Jastown.com they sell candle molds, beeswax, and wicks. Then you could make the candles your self which is quite easy. It might cost you $60.00 and whenever you need candles just buy a pound off beezwax which runs about $10.00 and it makes a good amount of candles.

Andrew Birnbaum

[MissMaggie]

Re: Candles

I've had some good luck buying hand dipped candles from a local candle outlet. Unfortunatly, the place went out of business. When they were open I think I was able to get 12 candles for just under 8 dollars. I can't for the life of me remember the name of the place but at least the idea is there.

[Spinster]

Re: Candles

Makin' candles aint' as easy as its cracked up to be. :baring_te Got the spots on my ceiling to prove it--they go nicely with the spots resulting from Ben Thomas's ginger beer receipt. Like corset making, I've learned to leave these processes to experienced pros, and tend to my dyepots like a proper old crone.

Not knowing exactly what is required of a Federal issue candle, I can't say that this would be a match. I have purchased in bulk from her though, and her candles are all she says they are. Wade past the popups and any web based ordering-call her, leave a message and wait.

http://members.tripod.com/Bushwomans/

[Virginia Mescher]

Re: Candles

I do not know if you find this worth doing but if you check out www.Jastown.com they sell candle molds, beeswax, and wicks. Then you could make the candles your self which is quite easy. It might cost you $60.00 and whenever you need candles just buy a pound off beezwax which runs about $10.00 and it makes a good amount of candles.

Andrew Birnbaum

In researching for an article on candles, I found that beeswax was usually dipped or ladled rather than molded. Pure beeswax is sticky and difficult to remove from the molds.

Candles of the period were mostly of three kinds - tallow, beeswax, and adamantine. Aviod the modern paraffine candles. They are not correct for the period and will soften and melt in the sun. Although the term paraffine candles was used, the paraffine was made beech tar or peat.

Tallow candles were either dipped or molded but were fairly soft, difficult to use in the summer, smelly and smokey. They were readily available commercially but were still made at home, at least in the south. Beewax burned cleanly but were mostly purchased and not made at home. Adamantine candles were a commercially made candle and could not be made at home. They burned cleanly, burned longer, were hard and didn't bend as the tallow ones would, and were less expensive than beeswax. In reading store ledgers, the adamantine candles were by far the most popular.

If the impression is a federal one, most of the candles were provided by Proctor and Gamble and were called "Star" candles. By that time, the Star candles were adamantine rather than tallow, which they first produced. The army regulations provided for use of tallow, adamantine and sperm, with a specific amount for each type of candle issued. More tallow candles were issued per company than would have been when adamantine or sperm were issued.

Although the adamantine candles are more expensive than common modern paraffin candles are, they burn longer and are much more authentic. If anyone is interested in adamantine candles, please contact me privately at vmescher@vt.edu.

[Hank Trent]

Re: Candles

Just curious if dipped or beeswax candles were issued by the Federal army in any significant quantities.

The regulations gave the equivalents for star, spermaceti or tallow candles in the rations, but beeswax wasn't listed. Are there references to them being issued though?

Dipped vs. molded I don't know much about, but would be curious to see references to large-scale commercial candle-dipping in the 1860s. What little I've run across seems to indicate molding was the standard commercial method.

We've purchased plain white molded 7/8" diameter stearine (adamantine, star) candles in bulk from Cathedral Candles at http://cathedralcandles.com/prod_mai...oductTypeId=45 . Over the phone they told us they were 100% stearine, and they certainly have all the long-burning, hard qualities that were attributed to adamantine candles in the period. But they're indistinguishable from regular modern white paraffin candles (not that paraffine candles are totally anachronistic), and I wish I knew how to tell whether they were indeed 100% stearine and whether they actually have the same qualities as stearine candles of the period.

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net

[Virginia Mescher]

Re: Candles

[QUOTE=Hank Trent]Just curious if dipped or beeswax candles were issued by the Federal army in any significant quantities.

The regulations gave the equivalents for star, spermaceti or tallow candles in the rations, but beeswax wasn't listed. Are there references to them being issued though?

I've not found any reference to beeswax candles being issued.

But they're indistinguishable from regular modern white paraffin candles (not that paraffine candles are totally anachronistic), and I wish I knew how to tell whether they were indeed 100% stearine and whether they actually have the same qualities as stearine candles of the period.

100% stearine candles clack when hit together and other candles will clunk. Also, if you run a fingernail down a stearine candle the substance will chip off in flakes and with paraffin candles, the wax will come off in a ribbon.

[Makoski4141]

Re: Candles

Im thinking that if you find a sutler that carries tallow or star candles you should contact them and arrange for a special order. Maybe they will give you a discount.

Andrew Birnbaum

[ThehosGendar]

A can amongst the rocks.

Gents,

I present to you the official sequel to my wildly popular post, "An apple amid the cornstalks."

On July 2nd, 1863, on the ground in front of Little Round Top over which passed the left flank of Robertson's brigade...


(LC-B817- 7493 )

... there lies a can amongst the rocks.



I wonder what it could have been!

[markj]

Re: A can amongst the rocks.

Gents,

I present to you the official sequel to my wildly popular post, "An apple amid the cornstalks."

On July 2nd, 1863, on the ground in front of Little Round Top over which passed the left flank of Robertson's brigade...


(LC-B817- 7493 )

... there lies a can amongst the rocks.



I wonder what it could have been!

Nice bit of detective work, old boy. The short answer is, of course, "We'll never know." The can could have been discarded by one of the photographers, or by a soldier passing through, or even by a citizen foraging for battlefield souvenirs or booty. All of the aforementioned explanations are entirely reasonable.

Maybe you should contact William Frassanito about this item as well.

Regards,

Mark Jaeger