1 c White cornmeal
1/2 c Cattail flour (pollen)
1 ts Wood ashes or baking soda
1/2 ts Ground ginger
1 c Sour milk
1 Egg, beaten
2 tb Honey
3 tb Corn oil
Mix together the cornmeal and cattail flour in a large bowl.
Gradually add the remaining ingredients, blending well and working
into a sturdy dough. Turn into a well-greased loaf pan (8x4")
and bake in a preheated 425 F oven for 30 minutes. The dough may
also be shaped and flattened into a greased cast-iron skillet and
cooked over an open fire, turning once. Gauge the cooking time
according to the fire, usually 10 minutes per side. Delicious as a
trail bread, it is enhanced by the addition of a handful or two of
seasonal (or dried) berries included in the raw batter before
baking.
Ashes have special properties when mixed with foods, or in water,
for various preparations. The Indians passed this along to the early
Americans and it became a part of their traditional food as well.
Ashes of distinctive woods such as cedar, juniper, hickory, etc. were
definite flavourings, as well as cleansing and digestive agents.
Ashes also bleach and soften some foods and add trace minerals,
subtly influencing taste and consistency. Ashes in water create lye,
which will harden and chemically change the substances to which it is
added.
Spoon fresh ashes out of a fireplace, wood burning stove, or campfire
for use in recipes. (In some cases substitutions are indicated) Be
sure not to scrape the ashes out of the fireplace, or you will pick
up unwanted and harmful tars and residues.
Cattail Flour: During June the male blossoms, which are located
above the female cattail bloom spike, produce quantities of bright
yellow pollen. This nutritious, corn-flavoured food substance in
easily gathered by wading through cattail marshes and gently bending
each bloom spike over a deep bowl or bucket and "dusting" the golden
pollen in (thereby pollinating the plant at the same time). This
gathering is best accomplished on a still, dry afternoon. Gather as
much fresh pollen as you can use soon or put by. It is an important
flour extender and makes a good addition to biscuit, bread, and cake
batters. It should be added in an equal amount to replace an equal
portion of flour deleted from a recipe.
