the stove. She was able to control the temperature by placing a stick of
wood of just the correct thickness at the precise moment. Obtaining a
stove with a gauge - that was progress! The aroma of freshly baked
bread waiting across the breezes would hire the children quickly home
to supper.

Mrs. Mal)! Matech uk weaving rag rugs.

Embroidery, knitting, sewing, quilting, mending, daming, carding
wool, feather tearing, etc. were generally the chores done in relnxation -
a far cry from today’s yoga practices, aerobic exercises or T.V. Brass on
horse harnesses was polished with a paste made of coal oil and ashes.

A daily. chore. especially in the winter, the homemaker was
responsible for was keeping the coal oil lamps ready forrlighting in the
evening. The lamp chimneys had to be washed and polished, wicks
trimmed and bowls filled with fuel (coal oil, high test gas).

Regardless of the weather, the homemaker had meals to prepare,
clothes to wash, etc, each which required the use of the kitchen stove.
Come summer, the heat from the stove combined with the summer heat.
the kitchen became an oven in itself. To overcome this and to make the
home cool, the "summer kitchen” came into existence. In many in—
stances an empty granary was pulled near the home to serve this pur-
pose. Here all the cooking, canning and washing chores were done. The
house was used only for sleeping and for entertaining Visitors.

‘ Ollie Prokopch air in her summer kitchen.

The summer kitchen, with the heat and aroma of food soon attracted
all the flies in the area. Fly swatters were swung into use. If the door was
accidentally left open (a common occurrence with even today’s
youngsters) the unwelcomed guests were chased out with a towel,
apron, or leafy branches. Fly paper, a coiled sticky paper, was hung in
strategic areas to entrap the flies. A certain type of poisonous toadstool
was placed on window sills. The flies that alighted on this toadstool
soon “met their waterloo”. Toidc fly pads were also purchased. The
pads were soaked in water and set on window ledges. The flies drinking
this water would be poisoned.

If today’s homemaker was told that she must give up all her electrical
appliances with the exception of one, in all likelihood she would keep
her refrigerator. It is one luxury item one would not like to live without.
The pioneer woman had to rely on the ice house during the summer to
keep the pcrishables from spoiling. An ice house was a large pit filled
with ice and then covered with a thick layer of sawdust. Over this a roof
was built with a door on one wall - presto! — a walk—in refrigerator! The
winter posed no problems as the outdoors provided her with the largest
freezer. The pantry was often unheated so it was cool enough to store
1‘ .

To ensure a continuous supply of meat, the homemaker canned
chicken, pork, beef and wild meat. Beef rings were held during the
summer. A number of families would belong to the beef ring. Each
month an animal would be slaughtered and the meat shared. The
families took turns providing the beef for slaughtering.

In the winter, the meat was wrapped in sugar bags and stored in the
grain. Some meat was also set in a brine to cure. Mrs. Phillip Coulson
used the following brine:

3 mixing bowls salt

3 pails of water

5 cups brown sugar

3 Tblsp. salt pctrc

3 Tblsp. cayenne

3 Tblsp. or more ground allspice

Boil good, set out to cool; put an egg in (raw in shell), if it floats the
brine is alright, if the eggs sink, it needs more salt.

After the meat was cured it was often smoked. Even today, meat that
has been cured and smoked over green willow, oak, hickory sawdust,
etc... has a flavour difficult to be duplicated in store-bought goods.

In the spring the homemaker would plant her garden, often using her
own seed. She would set aside a few plants through the summer which
would be permitted to go to seed. This seed was carefully gathered,
dried and stored to be used for next year’s planting. To have seed from
biannual plants such as beets, carrots, or parsnips a whole root would
be planted in the spring. Chosen cucumbers and tomatoes were
carehdly ripened and the seeds dried. '

Morelspicked by Joe Hnatiuk.

The loading of the poplar was a signal that the morels might be out .
and the mushroom hunt would begin. The morals would be followed by «
”pecheritsi", “varge” (horse lips), “kozari” (red caps), and lastly by -
“pidpenke” in the fall. These were the popular mushrooms. In the early
years they were dried for use in the winter. ‘

Eariy spring was also the time to set the cluekers (a setting hen) on a '
clutch of eggs. As the setting period drew to an end the clucker would be '
watched closely to ensure a high survival rate of the young chicks. There 7
was no such thing as chick starter for the young chicks. The homemaker '
would make her own variation of chick starter. It would consist of
mashed hard-boiled eggs. cottage cheese, oatmeal, wheatlcts, chopped .