By Gretchen Witt
Rowan Public Library
With the cold and snow we’ve experienced recently, a cozy curl-up with a good book, a fire in the grate and soup on the stove has a certain appeal.
Simple warm pleasures abound in Nancy Carter Crump’s “Hearthside Cooking.” This second edition is part culinary history and part cookbook. Researching archives and old receipts (the old word for recipes) from Virginia and North Carolina, this book explores cooking on an open fire.
Whether the reader is involved in historic re-enactments at a living history museum such as Old Salem or Colonial Williamsburg or just wants to appreciate tasty cooking, this volume is full of interesting tidbits. Giving equipment needs and tips for successfully navigating the world of hearth cooking, Crump gives both hearthside and modern cooking directions.
The cooks of colonial America were more skilled in culinary techniques than most of us realize. They used herbs and other flavorings extensively to make both sweet and savory dishes. From Blackberry Cordial to Sweet Potatoes Baked in Wine, from Roast Goose to Ashcake, the recipes run the gamut, rivaling the intricacy of today’s gourmet cooking.The book also includes different bills of fare depending on the month, as colonial cooking was more dependent on what foods where at hand than we are today. Dinner clubs might want to add elegant early American fare to their line up this year.
If you are not quite so adventurous, there is nothing like an excellent cup of tea on a blustery day to warm you to your toes. “The Harney & Sons Guide to Tea” investigates the history of tea as well as the expanding varieties available to the growing number of tea connoisseurs.
Tea begins as leaves from the evergreen Camellia sinensis indigenous to China. Most of the best teas available today come from Asia, with the exception of Kenyan tea. Tea has been grown in China for thousands of years, in Japan since the ninth century.
The British brought tea to India, hoping to develop a cheaper tea to provide for the expanding middle class of the Empire in the early 18th century. They found Darjeeling to be an ideal location.
Michael Harney, one of the sons and the buyer and blender for the Harney company, explains differences between white teas, green teas, oolongs and blended teas while familiarizing the reader with tea growing regions, tea technology and techniques.
Listing primarily pure teas, he details the way to a perfect cup of tea much as a vintner describes wine, by listing the type of tea, temperature, expected color, aroma, body and flavors. For example, Jin Shan or Jin Mountain tea should provide a flavor of sweet roasted artichokes, with a lemony finish and a tinge of roasted marshmallow.
Harney also presents a number of tea suppliers so that the reader can use the “Guide to Tea” even if an extended supply of tea is not available nearby.
So whether your tastes run to tea and biscuits or colonial cuisine, enjoy learning and tasting a little culinary history.
Computer classes: Classes are free. Sessions are 90 minutes long. Class size is limited and on a first-come, first-served basis. Dates and times are subject to change without notice.
Headquarters ó Monday, 7 p.m., Introduction to Yahoo e-mail; Thursday, 2:30 p.m., Taming Information Overload with RSS; March 23, 7 p.m., Yahoo e-mail Beyond the Basics; March 26, 2:30 p.m., Open Office Up Close ó Impress.
South ó Monday, 7 p.m., Introduction to Social Networking; March 24, 11 a.m., Trip Planning.
Children’s Storytime: February-April, weekly story time. For more information, call 704-216-8234.Headquarters ó Monday or Wednesday, 11 a.m., Tiny Tots and Moms (infants-18 months); Tuesday, 10 a.m., Toddlers and Kinfolks (18-24 months), and 11 a.m., Toddlers and Kinfolks (24-36 months); Thursday, 10:30 a.m., Three through Five; 4 p.m., Noodlehead (4-8 years).
South ó Monday, 10:30 a.m., Preschool Time (3-5 years), 4 p.m., Noodlehead (4-8 years); Wednesday, 10:30 a.m., Toddlers and Twos (12-36 months); Thursday, 10:30 a.m., Baby Time (0-12 months).
East ó Tuesday or Wednesday, 10:30 a.m., Preschool (2-5 years); Thursday, 11 a.m., Baby Time (6 months-2 years).
Teen program: South, Tuesday, 5:30-7 p.m.; East, March 19, 5:30-7 p.m.; Headquarters, March 10, 5:30-7 p.m. Calling all teens for Teen Tech Week. Come to the library and show off your gaming skills by playing Rock Band 2 and other PS2 games. While you wait your turn, make a customized duct tape cover for you iPod or MP2 player.
Tuesday Night at the Movies: All movies are at 6:30 p.m. All movies are rated G, PG or PG 13; some movies are inappropriate for younger audiences. Children should be accompanied by an adult. Free popcorn and lemonade.
Movies about basketball.
Tuesday, “The Sixth Man”; March 17, “Space Jam”; March 24, “Eddie”; March 31, “Like Mike.”Displays: Headquarters ó artwork by Fred Young; South ó photography by DB Images, Daryl Brewton; East ó stained glass by James Brady.Literacy: Call the Rowan County Literacy Council at 704-216-8266 for more information on teaching or receiving literacy tutoring for English speakers or for those for whom English is a second language.