1807, may 22.
Dear Mr. Jefferson,
To skin bear you must have a sharp knife and thats pretty much all you need. first get your bear and tie him very well by the legs. then hang from a roof or a tree. get your knife and slice around the ankles and the one little slice going down from the ankles. after this is done pull very hard on the ankle strips so the leg fur will come off along with the skin. when done slice down from the hip to the belly about 1 foot away from the heart. then do the same and just pull back as hard as you can. this will get the fur and skin off the belly. after this slice down the arms and peel again. then get your knife and get under the skin and slice down the spine. this will get all the fir and skin off again. then cur around the head very deep so the skin will some off and just pull as hard as you can. after this is done you will be able to just pull the whole pelt off. this is for getting the pelt for decoration. now for the meat you will cut off the legs with a larger knife and then carefully cut all the meat off this is very simple because the legs are pretty much all meat. then get the other knife as before and slice pieces off the abs and VERY carefully though because you do not want to burst the blatter. this will ruin the meat.... then do the same as before with the front legs. this s pretty much all the meat you can get from a bear. it may sound like not that much but trust me it is. i learned this from when i was in Virginia but some of this may not be correct because i didn't do it with a bear i did it with a deer. but its basically the same concept.
Bears are enormous creatures and will fight back if taunted! to day i will be sharing with you how to track down and kill a bear for dinner. 1: get any rifle lower than 12 gage and pretty much you will be set. 2: get at least 5 other people with the same gun. 3: set down bate about a mile from your house this way they wont come back to your house. 4: hide in the trees and just simply wait but do not make any noises. 5: when the bear comes if it does... fire not through the head but through the rib cage. this will penetrate the lungs and the heart making it almost an instant death. 6: when dead climb down your tree and check its pule to see if it is fully dead just to be sure... 7: bound the bear up with thick rope. one around the neck one around the arms and back and one around the back legs and back. 8: have all 5 men drag the bear to your grounds and then skin i might tell you how to skin in another journel entry. thanks Samuel Westing.
I have now switched from being a writer and cook for my cook book. although i will still be doing some recipes and i shall share them with you! For now I will be telling you the proper way to track down, hunt, and catch. Today i will be telling you how to fish. I wont be telling you about a certain type of fish but just the basics. in the end i will list the different types of bate you can use. 1: find a flexible and sturdy stick. 2: soak in water for 1 day. this is only necessary if your stick is not flexible. 3: find a strand of string the can stand up to 30 pounds of weight. Or more if necessary... 4: if you do not have string you can use horse hair about 3-4 strands. 5: carve a hold throw the end of your stick just big enough for your string to fit through. 6: thread your string or hair through the hole and tie 5 nots so the string wont slip out of the hole. 7: then find some meat mabey left over or evan rotten meat so the stench fills the water that will attract the fish. then every once in a wile tug or lift slowly up and down on your line so it looks like your bate is alive and fresh. i garente if you go to a good fish spot in a river lake pond! you will catch something. your gonna have a feast tonight!!!!
Frying foods in hot oil sears the outside surface, sealing flavor inside. Shallow frying, as opposed to deep-frying, uses a relatively small amount of butter or other oil product. Fish benefits from shallow frying as the hot oil imparts a deep golden color, improving the flavor and making a nice presentation to your lads who are tiered and ready eat after a long days work. this recipe that i will be sharing with you is one of my favorites. first thing you will have to know is that I am feeding 13 people so i will be telling you in that size. 1: you will need about 12-15 8 pounder catfish this fish is the best for this occasion. slice each one into pieces about wrist to to marriage finger. Keep these to the side for now, but not for long cuz the flies will get a feast before you do. 2: get about 25 table spoons of salt into the biggest bowl you got. then add 7 hand fulls of oil into the bowl. 3: add 2 sticks of butter and one average size loaf of bread this could be acorn bread if you want. but remember to crumble before adding. 4: the last step is to add 7 eggs this could be chicken eggs or any wild bird you come across. 5: heat mixture over camp fire and mix constantly will being heated. this step is for melting the butter and all the other ingredients. 6: dip your fish strips into the mixture, then lay on a hot pan over the fire. you can also pour the leftover mixture wile cooking the fish. after about 5 minutes flip the fish and lay for another 2. when fully cooked you are ready to serve and make some happy campers happier!
Carrots are an orange vegetable that are in the parsley family and are grown for their edible taproots. These taproots provide a great source of beta-carotene the body uses to convert to Vitamin A, and are also a great source of Vitamins B and C. There are a wide variety of ways to prepare carrots all depending on the recipes and ways they are to be consumed. Despite this fact, carrots can easily be prepped for enjoyment. First peel the carrot with a knife and then chop into pieces then wash in a river. After these steps you will start a fire about 4-5 logs. after you get decent fire going you shall put a metal pot over fill about half with water then wait 3-5 minutes until boiling. when bubbling pour the carrot slices into the bowl. wait about 10-15 minutes drain the water and there you go nice delicious on the trail carrots warm soft and good for cheering up sad campers. this method of preparing carrots is the most simple and for some people the most delicious. But for my next entry i will show you how to make mashed carrots, very sweet and tasty.
when i was a young lad my mother taught me how to cook since the i have always loved cooking on the trek so far no one has been terrible sick from my cooking and all has gone well. when i get back to west Virginia i want to make me a cook book one with plenty of ways to cook all different types of foods. for mothers at home with 10 children and a big fellow who wants to eat, my cook book would have everything for that mother. from vegetables to west Virginian mince meat pies. and in the last 12 pages There would just be deserts going to different types of pudding to ice cream and berries.
Today i will be showing you how to cook the Mushroom. I did not discover this vegetable but we have fond some on the trail and I would like to teach you how to make some scrumptious meals.
On our corps I found a great discovery, i call it the Onion! this rather large vegetable goes great on salads, grilled Buffalo, sauteed, and mixed with bread! this vegetable is an amazing find. but be careful if you eat this veggie by its self you shall feel very disgusted, and may regurgitate! The second down side is that when every i cut these onions i seem to weep, my men tell me that it is cursed. But i will keep eating this food and wont stop. I hope to discover more amazing foods and will keep touch in my journal. Samuel Westing.
The voyage up the Missouri to the Mandan villages had been easy compared to what lay ahead.
Today I found out that lewis bought a dog from a man for $21.50! which is funny because when i went to New York i say a puppy for $3,500! i just thought it was interesting how the money has changed so much and that back then 1 $ would be $28. 86. <----- wekipedia
the Lewis and Clark Song!
: there once was two men who went on an adventure! they ate so much their nick name's where
stench and belcher! but good thing they had those mighty pills that made them go poo faster!
OHHH Lewis and Clark,Lewis and Clark, LEWIS AND CLAAAAAAARRRRRRRRK du dom dom dom!
SammyDaWammy!
One of the things in the book Captains Dog that i think is very funny and describes how massive and beastly Seamen is, is when Colter comes up the dirt path to greet chief he says " when i cam up i thought u had a baby buffalo in your camp!"
Jessica from what I've heard is great at singing and and will be able to cheer people up with her voice when people are feeling down. also she is a very good cook and knows how to make a lot of tasty foods. it will be very exiting to be camping and hiking with her.
Nike is an excellent horse back rider and loves to ride them and care for them. one of the things that will be helpful on the journey is her skill to cook and will be a good thing to have around the camp fire to have warm food and nice veggies. it will be a great trip and I hope to learn more about her.
Alex is very comforting and will be able to help people get back on the trail in times of depression. Alex is also very strong and will be a good help to people that are sick and cant carry much on their backs. it will be fun to work with Alex the MOCHO man!
Conner is a good hicker and has been hiking since he was just five. conner will also be a help when we cross rivers because he knows how to steer and sail a boat. it will be an awsome adventure to work with him.
graham is very good at basketball and has the potential to make it to the NBA. graham is funny and is very talkative. He also has a lot of training with food and navigation. once we are on the trail i think it will be exiting to work with him.
erin is a great soccer player, artist, skim boarder, and has a great humor. soccer is one of her favorite things to do and has been playing it since she was five. it will be very exiting to be working with her.
Dear Captain John,
