Part 4/8:
For many lighthousekeepers, chowders provided a notable culinary reprieve. One such recipe sourced from the "Boston Cooking-School Cook Book" by Fannie Farmer was recreated recently to capture the essence of the cuisine available in those times. The corn chowder recipe, filled primarily with ingredients accessible to lighthouse keepers, involved the following components:
3 cups of sweet corn
4 to 5 Yukon Gold potatoes
3 tablespoons of fatty salt pork or bacon fat
1 onion, diced
1 quart of whole milk
3 tablespoons of butter
Salt, pepper, and common crackers for garnish.
This dish mirrors not only the creativity of the keepers but also the necessity to use what's available to create something wholesome in the face of monotony.