“we’ve been doing so much, with so little, for so long, we’re now qualified to do everything with nothing!”  -unknown

A cowboy was once described as an appetite on two legs, by a chuck wagon cook.  The cook’s job is to fill the human machinery of a ranch.  Cooks and cowboys are usually busiest during spring and fall when the herd work goes on.  Often extra hands are needed to round up and pen and sort cattle.  Then the roping, branding, vaccinating and various unmentionable surgical procedures take place. 

Wes strode up to the cook to ask what was for supper.

“What’s it to you!?” barked the grouchy cook.

“I’m so hungry, I’m weak, so weak, I’d have to stand in the same place twice just to cast a shadow!”

One specialty of camp cooks is dessert, often made from limited resources, as the camp is often not conveniently located near a Kroger’s or H.E.B.  So the food is often quite inventive.  My favorite along this line is Vinegar Pie.  Sure don’t sound appetizing, but if you try it, you’ll like it.  We were introduced to it by Charlie, our ninety three year old friend who grew up in Swisher County, in the Panhandle.

Put ¼ cup of vinegar (apple cider) in two cups of water and bring to a boil.  Sift ½ cup of flour, a cup of sugar and ¼ tsp of salt, and stir it slowly into the boiling liquid.  Cook it down to pudding consistency, stirring all the while.  Take it off the fire, add a teaspoon of vanilla and let it sit and cool for half an hour, pour it into a pie crust and let it set up.

We’ll talk about pie crust later! Enjoy!