Monday, May 27, 2013

Cooking Demonstration at the McCrary Farm


McCrary Farm Event

Sunday, April 21st 
Members of the Historical Cooking Guild of Madison County left their familiar stomping ground of Burritt on the Mountain and headed north.  

Their purpose: to demonstrate historical cooking methods for the Historic Huntsville Foundation's Barbecue fundraiser.  

Their destination: the McCrary Farm of New Market.
  • The farm, currently owned by Marguerite Thomas Ellison and Rosemary and Thomas McCrary, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  
  • It is both an Alabama Century Farm (having been in the same family continuously for at least 100 years)  and an Alabama Heritage Farm (one that has played a significant role in Alabama history.)  
  • Even more impressive is that Thomas McCrary has been farming the parcel of land himself until very recently when his health forced him to slow down just a bit at the age of 101.

Preparations
Although the event began at 2:00 p.m., guild members Sharlene Coker,  "Granny Pat" McMillion, and Lou Ann Poole started preparations days before that with menu planning and gathering supplies.  As usual, our families are very supportive and often lend a hand.  




Set Up
Safety First!
There is no reason to sacrifice a sense of historical accuracy for safety or visa versa.  A barrel makes a fabulous hiding place for a modern fire extinguisher.  


Taking time to set things up properly makes the day go more smoothly.




  We couldn't forget the hands on station for kids.

Let the Cooking Begin








The Historic Cooking Guild Of Madison County would like to thank the McCrary family and the Historic Huntsville Foundation for allowing us to be part of this event.  

We'd also like to offer special thanks to Sharlene's husband Phil Coker for building our fire pit, tending our fire, loading and unloading equipment, lifting heavy pots and pans,  watching and tasting our food, being an all around good sport, and doing it all with a smile.  We couldn't have done it without you Phil.



Monday, May 20, 2013

Mooresville Walking Tour 2013



Just a few pictures from the Mooresville Walking Tour event.  It was a long day and the weather threatened rain more than once, but it was so much fun and we met so many wonderful people.  

Pat, and Susan Demonstrated cooking along with Lou Ann( not pictured), while Amy came along to demonstrate apple head doll making.  She has tutorials on her blog if you want to try your hand at making one yourself.