Reminder to Subscribe and leave a suggestion for future historic recipes. And I will see some of you in October for the Fall Book Tour in Boston, Ridgewood, Atlanta and Chicago. And the companion channel for extra random content: th-cam.com/video/Glw5OTrHxQk/w-d-xo.html
Hey Max just came back from a trip to Scandinavia! Check out the histories for Icelandic Hákarl, minke whale, puffin, and Swedish toast Skagen, pickled herring, Swedish meatballs, and the use of ammonium chloride in swedish sweets(it was the absolute worst thing I’ve ever put in my mouth)
Hey if your interested in an epic story of a badass lighthouse keeper, take a look into Henry Hall. That man went through an insane event and his level of badassery through the whole ordeal should be spread around more :)
After thinking back on my museum days, maybe something from Panama. There's a lot of history for a tiny country and the food is influenced by many cultures. Especially during the canal's construction
Thank you. My dad was a light house keeper here in New Zealand back in the late 1940s until the mid 50s. They were very self-sufficient ,from gardening, raising a milking cow, sheep gardening ,fishing and now and then home brewing beer. Mum made butter , baking, bread. One of mums favourite recipes was what we called whales tail. It was a fruit scone mix cooked in a syrup of golden syrup, baked in the coal heated stove. Even to this day when our mum who is 95 year old she still makes it when we ask for it. She was very skilled at making clothing and keeping an eye on us children. Dad did as was required when it came to maintain the light etc, fishing and smoking the catch. I still remember loving smoked blue cod poached in fresh cows milk with lots of parsley.
Thanks for sharing! I thought from the provisions list he read out that supplies were delivered to the lighthouse, had no idea you needed to be self sufficient on top of the lighthouse duties. If you don’t mind me asking, how did the employers fulfil their provisioning duties? Did they pay for the cow and its food, etc.?
As much as mercury is certainly an issue for neurological damage, I can only say that I've never been closer to a breakdown in sanity than being a new parent waking up every few hours. Chronic sleeplessness at the level you described would absolutely drive people over the edge. Combine that with a grueling work schedule, isolation, and consequences for failure, and I've no doubt the average keeper was barely alive day to day.
I agree! Even when you do sleep, every little noise wakes you and you instinctively get up to check the baby. I think it was definitely the lack of quality sleep that drive them over edge. Bless their souls.
that was in 1801 and is known as the 'Smalls Lighthouse Tragedy', and it's so much worse than 'one died and one went mad. in 1801 Thomas Howell and Thomas Griffith were appointed keepers of the Smalls Lighthouse. They were known to not get along and constantly quarrel, so when Griffith died in an accident, Howell couldn't just discard his body in the sea, because then it would look like he murdered his colleague, he couldnt bury him on the rocky island either, so he kept Griffiths corpse in the living quarters of the lighthouse for a few weeks, while doing twice the work as before to keep the lighthouse running. After a while Griffiths corpse started to decompose, so Howell built a makeshift coffin and hung it outside one of the windows of the lighthouse, but eventually storms and weather partly broke the coffin and exposed Griffiths arm, swinging in the wind like Griffith was beckoning or waving. So every day, day and night, in complete isolation, Howell would do the work meant for two people, while the slowly decomposing arm of his former colleague waved at him. Howell lived like that for four months. For four months he managed to keep the lighthouse running. It took such a physical and mental toll on him that when he was finally relieved, former friends didnt recognize him any more. And that's why there were three lighthouse keepers from then on.
Max, you have ruined me. I was watching Cooks Country the other day, and a lady mentioned hard tack, and I immediately put a goofy smile on my face and clanged my hands together. You have Pavlov dogged me. ❤
FYI, scalding milk in this recipe is a holdover from a time before pasteurization was widely available, so consider it optional. In some recipes scalding is used to infuse the milk with herbs and spices, but that's not the case here.
I'm a subtitle user since I have auditory processing issues, and I have to say thank you for typing them in yourself! Automatically generated subtitles on TH-cam can be a nightmare. I always laugh when you do funny emoticons like at 6:29, and I can tell that you put so much passion into every step of the video making process - including writing your own subtitles, which are only noticed by folk like me. You're one of my favorite youtubers, and history has always not been one of my strong suits, but pairing it with cooking/baking (things I love to do) makes it so much easier for me to stay interested + learn about the history behind the foods. Thank you for doing all that you do, and sharing your love of history/cooking/humor/stuffed plushies with us! I love seeing what Pokémon plush + other items you'll use in the background of each video. •ᴗ•
Max: *For which you need:* - 3 cups of sweet corn - 4-5 cups of Yukon gold potatoes - 3 Tablespoons of fatty salty pork - 1 onion diced - 1L of whole milk - 3 Table spoons of butter - 2 Teaspoons of salt - 3/4 teaspoon of pepper - 8 crackers And 200ml of mercury
only if you want to be historically accurate. Or source your fish bad. a lot of tuna had mercury for a while, might still. Also that San Francisco fog.
Oh that would be awesome. Maybe at many of the historical sites (?). Williamsburg, also Greenfield Village in Detroit. Then location’s everywhere! I like it!
Here in Alaska, pilot bread is very popular. I teach at an Alaskan native school, and it is a staple for us and in native villages as well as rural Alaska in general. The brand you are using for this recipe is the one we have available here, and I have heard that Alaska accounts for the lion’s share of Interbake foods’ pilot bread sales. I grew up eating it, and to me, it is delicious. I realize it is kind of bland, but there are times that there is nothing I want more than a couple pilot bread crackers. We put smoked salmon and cream cheese on them, peanut butter and jelly, eat them with moose soup, or use them for just about anything you would use bread for.
@@andreahighsides7756 The typical recipe includes a thin broth, rice, and vegetables. The flavor of the moose meat takes the center stage. It tastes different from anything else. Compared to beef, it is way leaner but has more flavor.
Unfortunately for the rest of us, we can not pay $50 a box for those Sailor Boy crackers. $35 + $15 shipping on Amazon. I am not a wealthy man. However I did discover Milton crackers after a friend gave me a box that was 3 years old. Tasted like the day they were made. Milton crackers is the way to go and they do not cost $50 a box.
My grandfather was a lighthouse keeper from the the 1950's to the 80's, based at quite a number of lighthouses on the South African coastline, including one on a island on the west coast. At the time if they had stock up with supplies, an air force helicopter brought in food and other supplies once a week. Luxuries such as eating out at restaurants were non-existent because of the locations of the lighthouses.
@@ttaibe Depending on where you happen to live, that is still very much free today XD I say that as someone who's grown up and lived most of her life on the coast of northern Norway. And to be pedantic, it's only free if you just count cost as money you have to pay directly in order to experience it. It is anything *but* free if you count the cost of equipment/tools and time needed to keep things maintained... Like Max so astutely mentioned in this video; it's basically a full-time job to maintain the paint job on a FENCE by the ocean, nevermind a giant tower needing whitewashing! XD IN fact, in many older villages and settlements along the coast of northern Norway, you'll notice that the hosues often only have wooden, painted walls on three sides. The side that faces the sea, very often is just those rather ugly Eternit plated walls, because it doesn't matter how much salt water that is sprayed with (or how much salt it is blasted with, if it's windy at all, which it tends to be when it's open enough....), they remain perfectly fine. They look ugly as heck, but they are at least low maintenance! For the same reason, those walls often did not have windows.... And if you have ever been on a sea-going ferry during winter and looked at the windows...... It makes sense why.... The air is deliciously fresh, and now that I have lived more "inland" too for a while (though not inland at all, still on the coast, just... on a less exposed part of the Norwegian coast XD), I will say that... I do miss the proper WEATHER we'd get. But it is also quite nice to have a slightly more... stable weather, and not have AS horribly cold *actual* temperatures....
@@ttaibeyeah the luxury of being blinded by the lighthouse and deafened by the horn while being totally screwed if you have a medical emergency of any kind.
@@HadridarMatramen Ty for your long reply. I was thinking modern lighthouses., I didn't think about the upkeep of seaside houses. Most places I am familiar with seaside houses are just unobtainable for the common man. Either they are just passed on in the family, or bought up by investors and rented out for the holidays. Nice houses cost a fortune or two. I am Dutch. I'd love to live near the sea. Preferably within sight of it, but with a good wall so one can sit out of the wind. Not sure about Norway though. Indeed that might be a bit too cold even for me. Everything has its downsides I guess. Decades ago I was on my way to London to my then girlfriend. I was on the last catamaran ferry that went out just before a storm. I stayed on deck the whole time. Loved it! My girlfriend not so much as my hair was blasted and set in salt XD.
It's a mistake, in my opinion, to not use the water in which you boiled the potatoes in the chowder. It has the starch, some of the nutrition, and a LOT of the flavor of the potato in it. The starch will help thicken the finished soup. I also mash a bit of the potatoes to thicken it a bit more. I also remove the bacon or salt pork solids after they are rendered and add them back to the finished chowder before serving. Just some chowder tips I find helpful, use them or not. 😊
I'm so sad that I've been ruined for chowder forever thanks to Campbell's anything chowder or 'cream of'. My mother, good child of the 50's that she was, forced all of those down us and oh man 🤢 i wish that it had been homemade because that is an economical dish, but yeah even the memory of the texture of the potatoes makes me yak
Hey, Max (and Jose!), I just made this today and it was delicious! One thing I changed, though, because you mentioned at 21:00 that it's not very thick: I drained most of the water from the potatoes before adding the milk, butter, corn etc. You strained them once at 7:15 before boiling them with the bacon fat, but you didn't drain them again at 7:30 and I did. My soup turned out wonderfully thick and creamy. Thank you for the recipe!
I must try this. What crackers you used? I don't know much about them and differences between them.. And did you use bacon? I'm going to cook this tomorrow, I have potatoes and onions growing outside. And I do like my soup a little watery so I wonder if I should do the draining second time.. I've always dreamed about trying all kinds of historical dishes and found this channel today and it's awesome. So thank you very much for your support and donatinon! 👍🏻🙂
@@beatnik6806 I didn't use any crackers because I have celiac and can't eat wheat. I crumbled up a couple slices of gluten free bread because that's what I had on hand. I did not use bacon either, I used a little bit of olive oil for cooking and added some diced ham to the soup.
@@eledatowle8767 I had to google that so I don't think I can't find those in my country but I try. Thanks for the suggestion. I still haven't made this reciepe but I've come into conglusion that any hard dry cracker works with this one 🙂
The phrase "try out" in the original recipe caught my eye. Back when whaling was a major New England industry, boiling the whale blubber to obtain the oil was referred to as "trying out" a whale, with the pots used for the purpose called "try pots".
@@sixstringedthing I wonder if that's the origin of the phrase. maybe 'try out' meant that first. 'try and get some oil out of that blubber' 'try out that oil' 'try and do this'
My husband introduced me to corn chowder. The version his family makes is a thin corn soup. The version I make is a thick, stick to every bone in your body corn soup that is a proper goddamned chowder made with a beef stock base. His family's is closer to the original, apparently. Who knew? Thank you so much for these episodes, Max. I sent this one to my friend who adores lighthouses, and it put a smile on her face.
Hey there! I'm from central Alaska, born and raised, and pilot bread is commonly eaten here, though nowadays more often in the many small villages around the state. Many times in the past have I eaten pilot bread smeared with butter, or with peanut butter and jelly, or with some oily salmon strips (the kind handmade and smoked by locals are much better than those you can find in the store, and those made from king salmon are the best). Some nice oily king salmon strips with pilot bread are delicious.
I’m a born and raised Mainer, we still make our chowder basically exactly like this. We usually also include cream, but otherwise this is pretty much exactly what you’d get here today, at least in my house.
My great grandmother, grandmother, and mother all made this type of chowder. My mom always gave us saltines with it, but my grandmothers liked to give us “oyster crackers” and I always thought them so fancy. 😂 Our family recipe includes cream, but it’s the same as yours, except mom always used bacon instead of fat from our pork cuts. Also, that French lighthouse keeper with the kitten in his beard is the greatest. Très Bohème!
I home schooled for a few years. Once, we were reading one of the American Girl books and came across a breakfast food called Saratoga chips. My girls insisted that I make them for breakfast. The chips were a big hit, mostly because they got to eat potato chips for breakfast. After that, we started looking for more historical foods to make. Even today we research, make, and recommend historical recipes. This is why I love this channel so much.
That's a great way to incorporate history in your daily living. As we know from watching Max! I wonder if your girls would enjoy historical clothing, too? There are lots of great channels on YT, th9ugh rather more dealing with European and North American history than anything else. That's a general problem, of course.
What book was it? I was a huge fan of the Historical Character books as a kid. They first got me invested in US history and in historical literature in general. Glad that your daughters enjoy them too!
🎶My father was the keeper Of the Eddystone Light And he married a mermaid One fine night. 🎶 Out of that union there came three: 🎶 A pogey and a porpoise And the third was me. 🎶 YO HO HO🎶 The wind blows free! Oh for a life 🎶 🎶 on the rolling sea🎶 My beloved brother, a music teacher, would always present a "Novelty Song" combination band and chorus in each Concert. This was by far and away the most popular "Novelty Song" beating out even The 1812 OVERTURE, whose original score included cannon fire. (My brother taught me to be a History geek as well) The cannon fire was duplicated by my brother-also the Conductor-firing 12-gauge shotgun blanks into a 55 gallon steel drum. My brother was adored both by his students and the Community. He died of Agent Orange-caused cancer. .the result of 2 tours of duty in Vietnam. I MISS HIM WITH ALL MY HEART.
My great grandfather Con Farrow was the keeper of the Cape Hatteras Light House in North Carolina. Someone posted an interview with him on TH-cam a long time ago. He lived to a ripe old age. He was the sweetest old man ever. I was really young when he passed away. I have very faint memories of him.
That's so cool! I was just wondering myself what sort of food our North Carolinian lighthouse keepers would've eaten. I somewhat doubt they would have eaten chowder specifically 😅
@@ThinWhiteAxe I was wondering the same thing. I can ask my aunt Dawn. She's the most familiar with what great Granddaddy went through. Hopefully I'll have an update soon! 😃
I'm from Alaska, and pilot bread is a staple of many people here. In the villages off the road system, pilot bread is super important as a versatile food that will last a long time. I'm really excited to see it make an appearance in a video!
The Southport Light Station, in Kenosha, WI, had one of the few female keepers, who took over from her husband. Joseph Merrill got the job after Civil War service (in which he lost an arm), and died in 1871. His wife, Lorinda, took over for a year or so. And their daughter Emma was their assistant. The Merrills were replaced by a Louis Napoleon DeDiemar, who also lost an arm in the Civil War. And he was the keeper for 35 years, with his wife, Mary, occasionally on the books as the assistant keeper. If you're ever in the Chicago area, come up to Kenosha. The lighthouse here is now a museum, which we operate.
My Chicagoan friend keeps urging me to visit, to walk around the Arboretum and see the museum; a lighthouse is an admirable addition to the list! Thank you, from the UK.
@@SciFiFemale The couple was fairly old at the time they were appointed. Both she and her husband were born in 1808. Which means he went to war in his 50s, which is nuts. After she left, I think she resigned, she went to live with her daughter, Emma, who in addition to being on the books as an assistant keeper was a school teacher in town. And she died in 1888, about six months before turning 80. It doesn't look like she had a professional job after leaving, but she was already at an age where her daughter would be looked down on if she had to work for a living. Emma lived into the 1930s, one day before her 83rd birthday, and taught in the time when only unmarried women could legally have a teaching job (but male teachers could be married and were subject to less strict moral rules). People who love teaching will sacrifice just about anything to teach, so she never married. She retired from teaching in 1919 and moved into a retirement home.
Grew up less than a mile from a lighthouse on Lake Michigan. It was comforting to see the lighthouse rays shining through my bedroom windows and hear the foghorn. I went to HS with the lighthouse keepers daughter. The lighthouse was decommissioned in the late 1970s. It is open to the public in summer. There are 142 steps to the top where you can see the lenses. You can tour tour the house and grounds. It was used as a community center. You could borrow books and it was the place where you voted. It’s a historical landmark now.
Small correction regarding Louis Coulon : although this picture is often refered to as "Lighthouse keeper and his cat", he was in fact a metal caster and a trade unionist. He was born in 1826 and started working around 1840. He met emperor Napoleon III in 1864 and became famous around 1890, appearing in several postcards. His fame rose again in 1907 when he was called "the dean of metallurgy" in one of France's biggest newspaper, which reported that he had been working as a metal caster for more than 67 years. He passed in 1916 at the age of 90.
I came here to say exactly this. I think the mistake is made when people translate the phrase "un modèle photographique phare" which instead of properly being translated as a "stand-out" or "leading" model gets translated literally as a "lighthouse model".
An idea to take this to another level would be to grill corn on the cob directly on a charcoal grill, then remove the kernels and use that for the corn instead of canned corn. I think the roasted slightly smoky flavor addition would work wonderfully.
"It's friggin delicious" The enthusiasm is adorable. That chowder looks amazing, and an old french lightkeeper with an epic heard who loved cats. This video should go in your top 10 best
I'm originally from Connecticut ( New England) and once a year we would prepare corn chowder and it is an easy stable prepper food . You can use evaporated milk diluted 1/2 and 1/2 using water or reconstituted dried powered milk . This is a hearty and satisfying meal . I use 1 can of whole kernel corn and one can of cream corn , bacon and onions are great as is potatoes 👍 having lived alone for 5 years now , I'd absolutely love living in a lighthouse especially since the ocean is my happy place 😊
I make it very similar to you but in fall and winter about every 10 days as a permanent rotation in my menu. Easy, cheap, filling and oh so delicious ❤
Used to live in Norwich CT here. My grandfather used to take me to Friendly's for a bowl of clam chowder and then to Carvels for a cone! I miss New England...
I remember watching your very first video, then I remembered you were able to quit your old job to do this full-time and now look at you with 2.1 million subscribers. Number 41 on trending, I'm so happy for you. This is my favorite channel.
My mom grew up in New England, so corn chowder was a common meal in our house. This definitely brought back some fond memories, Max. Thank you for this one.
I never had corn chowder once only clam chowder but I basically have a flashback to childhood every time I eat clam chowder one bite and I’m sitting on a dock under a gray sky while there’s a light rain the wind is blowing it’s a little chilly but I got my peacoat wool hat and pack of cigarettes in my pocket to keep me warm and I can hear the seagulls and smell the ocean or perhaps the other way around
@@fireline4765 Worth a try someday if you get the chance...just make sure it's New England style (cream or milk) rather than Manhattan (tomato broth) or Rhode Island (water)! 👍
When I watch these, I don't often think, "I need to make that, immediately." But in this case, I need to make that, immediately. Not only because I have a thing for lighthouses, but also a thing for corn chowder. Great episode. Thank you!!!
You know, I was expecting a fun video on what lighthouse keepers ate but, I wasn't expecting to find out that I'm related to Fannie Farmer through my paternal grandmother. Both of them trace their families to the Merritts of Scituate, Plymouth Co., MA, who descend from a Henry Merritt who was one of the first settlers of that township. Humble genealogist thanks, Max!
I just watched this in November, 2024, and it brought back a flood of sweet memories! When I was in the 9th grade in Clarksville, Md., in 1958, in the days when 9th grade was part of Junior High School, I took a Home Economics class that included some cooking. One thing we were taught how to make was corn chowder. It was slightly different to yours, but it was yummy! Years later, when I was a young wife and mother, I fixed corn chowder for my husband and kids, and they loved it! Thank you, Max, for reminding me of those halcyon days!
I am new here on this channel, and I am binging it like mad. Don't know what is more pleasing: Max's efervescent nature, the informative content, or the actually tasty looking recipes. Actually I do: all of them :).
Welcome aboard! I like trying out some of the recipes! And Frank Cooper’s Oxford Marmalade from the Titanic Breakfast videos is my favorite thing in the world! I’m obsessed with Tasting History with Max Miller and I take it quite literally. Not gonna eat leather though.😂
Max feels like a good friend. I get to spend a half hour or so listening to my bestie tell me about their week. Add in his Instagram account and I get to hear about his life, family, friends and cats. Not to mention Garum
I was SO excited to see your cover photo with pilot bread on it. My parents moved to a village in bush Alaska right after I graduated from high school - the first meal I ever had in Chignik was pilot bread with melted cheddar cheese and halibut cheek stew . . . Good times!
Man oh man, I miss the days when I could stay home sick and still learn something from the History Channel that was based in facts (at least the ones we had back then). Or from Discovery. Or from TLC.
Made this tonight and i was shocked at how flavoursome it was, next time i reckon i'll add some bacon and garlic maybe some chicken to make it heartier, but the og is worth giving a go, 10/10. thanks max for sharing this awesome piece of history.
I had no idea "The Lighthouse" was so true to life, but I guess it stands to reason that your sanity would start slipping if you were all alone on a remote island with hard work and unimpressive food/pay. Also, you're almost at two million! Keep up the good work!
According to Jasper White, 'THE" chowder expert, there's one easy step that makes your chowder taste even better. All you do is plunk a lid on it after it's finished cooking and let it sit for 30 to 60 minutes. This is called "curing the chowder" and it allows the flavors to meld in a more cohesive way.
Finally some recognition for Pilot Bread!!! Here in Alaska it is still a very common household food- usually out at tables to be eaten with butter, homemade jam or smoked salmon, or even dipped in stews! Great video as always, cheers!
Any particularly-good left over gravy is, by moral and ethical mandate, to be eaten with plain crackers or toasted white bread at the first appropriate moment of the snackies.
Mr. Miller, Here is the corn chowder recipe from the 11th edition of The Fannie Farmer Cookbook published in 1965 roughly seven decades beyond the one you produced from the 1896 first edition: Corn Chowder Use 3 tablespoons butter in place of salt pork, if it is more convenient. Dice and put in a deep pan. 1 1/2 inch cube salt pork Cook slowly until the fat is melted and the pork bits are crisp and brown Add 1 small onion, sliced. Cook slowly 5 minutes stirring often. 4 potatoes, cubed or sliced 2 cups water Cook until the potatoes are tender. Add 2 cups cream-style corn 4 cups milk Heat. Add 3 Tablespoons butter. Salt and pepper to taste Serves 6 to 8 generously.
You can always mash some of the potatoes to thicken it up. That would make it closer to what people associate with chowder in terms of consistency, but this is still very good as is. Gotta love the association between lighthouse keepers being given beans and the lighthouse movie's "why'd ya spill yer beans" bit.
I currently work at a forestry lookout tower. I imagine my day to day is similar to some of the remote lighthouses. Although we get food resupply every three weeks. Recipes like this are severely underrated these days. Simple ingredients, simple process, hearty food. Having a supply of food like this for rainy days or just sitting in the freezer for when you don't have a lot of time to cook is absolutely wonderful. I hope more people can learn about these traditional foods. Sometimes it is simple food that is the best food. Great episode.
@@wmluna381 Nope. It is seasonal work (at least where I am, Alberta Canada). Some outdoor experience is helpful, reading maps etc, and an ability to be VERY independent is necessary. Nobody watching you but you are the only one on site so it is pretty isolating work.
@@chriskola3822 Thank you for taking the time to answer my question! I am in Michigan, USA and am just ending my stint as a seasonal worker in a state park. A couple of the rangers said I should consider applying to be a ranger as well, that I'd be "good at it", but some of their observed duties are not appealing to me (dealing with entry booth $ counting, being an unglorified plumber / mechanic / welder / handyman++, plus backwards and inefficient ways of doing certain things...like parking lot striping...by hand!!). But I really still do like working outdoors for the/a parks system. What you described seems like a possible option of interest if it's available here somewhere in the States. I'm a people person, but the older I get, being alone doesn't bother me all too much. Are you required to monitor things at night? Are there notable "industry" groups or online forums somewhere that would provide additional insight to the life?
the Canadian show, 'the red green show' that also played on PBS had a forestry lookout tower guy as one of the characters. so funny and so desperately lonely and bored. the show was brilliant and I miss it so
I knew the clip of you clacking the hard tack was coming as soon as you described the pilot bread. You've gotten more than enough mileage out of it, Max!
This can size might have just helped me with my grandmother's banana but bread recipe. It calls to put the mix into cans for baking, but i never found out how big the cans were. Thank you.
I love the fact there's a plushie Steelix in the background, considering Olivine City is known for its lighthouse and has a Steel-type gym. Very clever
I made this for dinner today. I cut the ingredients in half (one can of corn) since I was cooking for two and it still made a generous pot of soup. I didn't have the crackers so I toasted some day old country bread in the skillet i used to make the bacon grease. It was a delicious soup and am happy I made it. Thanks Max and Jose!
@@kbomb234 By far one of my favorite quotes from him alongside "WHO'S MOOING NOW?" and "How am I going to survive the apocalypse if I can't survive OATS?"
I work on a commercial fishing boat in Alaska! We eat pilot bread all the time, great for when we haven’t been in town for a month and we’ve run out of bread. Pilot bread with salmon salad, or just butter and jam is a daily occurrence
We have a beautifully restored lighthouse here in Ferryland, NL 🇨🇦 The granddaughter of the last lighthouse keeper completed the work and runs Lighthouse Picnics during the summer. They prepare amazing fresh food and pack it into a picnic basket for you to take and find somewhere to sit and enjoy your meal and the stunning view.
Having a Steelix in the back is great! Not only does it look like Willem Dafoe from The Lighthouse, it was also the pokemon of Jasmine, who was the gym leader of a Lighthouse town.
What a great episode, so interesting, and the delight on your face when you tried the soup was only equalled by mine when you had hard tack for the third week running 😄 All credit to all of those lighthouse keepers, they sacrificed so much and saved so many lives.
Currently in Wilmington, NC and loved the Cape Fear lighthouse shoutout! Wilmington is about 45 minutes away from Southport, NC, the closest town to Bald Head Island, where the lighthouse, "Old Baldy" is
As a native Masshole, I love corn chowdah, clam chowdah, fish chowdah My Nana used to give me pilot crackers with butter when I was a little guy back in the 70s, Max. Ugh, you're hitting all my nostalgia buttons today, I live in the South and I've been very homesick lately
Corn chowder and clam chowder are both wonderful New England comfort foods! Just watching you make it brought back the smells, sounds, and tastes of my grandmother's kitchen. Her chowder was second to none! Salty, creamy, and sweet, all mixed together with a hint of smokiness from the bacon or salt pork. We didn't always use crackers with it, but when we did, either saltines or oyster crackers were put on top just before serving (no pre-softening needed.) Very warming on cold days and hearty for keeping you energized for hard work outside in winter.
I bet Max has now entered a stage of production that he only looks for recipes in order to form some sort of tangent in order to sneak in that hardtack clip. And I'm all here for it.
My husband was a lighthouse keeper at a family light. We lived on Wood Island, in Biddeford, Maine; from 1973-76. I’m a lifelong Mainer, and I always make my chowder this way. You can use the same method for fish chowder-add haddock on top of the cooked potatoes and cook in the liquid until it flakes. Then add the milk and heat for a few minutes. Love your videos!
Idk what I like more , Max's enthusiasm to teach us historical recipes, OR his knowledge and love of pokemon. Steelix in the Background reference to olivine city (lighthouse) god tier reference
Glad I'm not the only one who noticed it too! He places Pokemon on his background in his videos that fit the theme of the subject, like how he featured the Ice/Water Type 'Ice Break' Pokemon Walrein in his Titanic series.
I made (threw together, really) a ham and potato soup not too long ago that I have since repeated multiple times, and it ALSO relies on onions (I caramelize mine a bit more than you may have) for a significant part of the flavor. Made broth from a ham bone (leftover from one of those spiral cut roasts; I've also used bone-in ham steak and the fat trimmings), caramelized a diced onion on the side with butter (or bacon fat, honestly), removed bone and such from the broth, added diced potatoes (1 lb of yukon gold, or russets I guess), let it boil until potatoes were done, added ham and onions, as well as a cup or so of heavy cream. Pepper and salt to taste, of course. Leftovers rarely lasted 24 hours. So dang good.
The moment I saw that title, I wondered where do you possibly got a lighthouse keeper recipe and what will you tell about *this* particular topic - and you truly never disappoint! The sheer breadth of periods and places and topics you find fascinating stories and delicious recipes for is astounding. Thank you so much for what you're doing, love your videos
Sailor Boy Pilot Bread is a staple in Alaska. It's our state bread I believe. It's fantastic with any chowder or even to top your top ramen. I left some in a tote once outside for several winters and it was still good when I found it again.
Max! More about the Calumet Lighthouse - it was rebuilt a few times after Mary Ryan's tenure, with the last manned lighthouse being replaced in 1995 with the automated one that's there now. There were a number of steel mills along the lake and river at that point which belched so much smoke into the air that the lighthouse's foghorn operated on the average of 260 hours a month, more than any other horn on Lake Michigan!
I don't know about lighthouse keepers in other countries, but here in Canada we have hundreds of lighthouses (due to long coastlines on the west and east) that must be manned 24/7. Some of them in remote locations that can only get their supplies brought once a month, hopefully. It's like being a ranger with nothing but nature around you, the difficulty of your job will depend greatly on the location.
I really like how we can see you’re not just being polite, and are surprised and VERY pleased when something actually tastes good! Your eyes light up! 😸
Reminder to Subscribe and leave a suggestion for future historic recipes. And I will see some of you in October for the Fall Book Tour in Boston, Ridgewood, Atlanta and Chicago. And the companion channel for extra random content: th-cam.com/video/Glw5OTrHxQk/w-d-xo.html
Hey Max just came back from a trip to Scandinavia! Check out the histories for Icelandic Hákarl, minke whale, puffin, and Swedish toast Skagen, pickled herring, Swedish meatballs, and the use of ammonium chloride in swedish sweets(it was the absolute worst thing I’ve ever put in my mouth)
Fun fact 24lbs/10.8 kgs of coffee is the yearly consumption of a average Scandinavian😉
Hey if your interested in an epic story of a badass lighthouse keeper, take a look into Henry Hall. That man went through an insane event and his level of badassery through the whole ordeal should be spread around more :)
I'd like to recommend Boston Baked Beans
After thinking back on my museum days, maybe something from Panama. There's a lot of history for a tiny country and the food is influenced by many cultures. Especially during the canal's construction
That hardtack joke never gets stale 🙃
You could said it never spoils ;D
Ouch 😁
😂😂😂
A true building block of the channel, firm and unbreakable.
Clack. Clack. (Slow clack)
Huzzah, we made it to #41 on Trending Videos. Thanks for watching and sharing.
huzzah!
Your videos are always so interesting. I come for the food because it looks amazing but I definitely stay for the history. Keep up the fantastic work
Says you"re #33 now!
Can you taste that sweet sweet victory?
Right on!👍👍💖
I've worked as a modern-day lighthouse keeper and can honestly say that the voices really liked this video!👍
Thank you. My dad was a light house keeper here in New Zealand back in the late 1940s until the mid 50s. They were very self-sufficient ,from gardening, raising a milking cow, sheep gardening ,fishing and now and then home brewing beer. Mum made butter , baking, bread. One of mums favourite recipes was what we called whales tail. It was a fruit scone mix cooked in a syrup of golden syrup, baked in the coal heated stove. Even to this day when our mum who is 95 year old she still makes it when we ask for it. She was very skilled at making clothing and keeping an eye on us children. Dad did as was required
when it came to maintain the light etc, fishing and smoking the catch. I still remember loving smoked blue cod poached in fresh cows milk with lots of parsley.
Was that the lighthouse at Farewell Spit? I went there a few years ago and actually really enjoyed it!
Sounds delicious! I miss the lush greenery of NZ
Cool story, so if your mom is 95 how old are you?
Thanks for sharing! I thought from the provisions list he read out that supplies were delivered to the lighthouse, had no idea you needed to be self sufficient on top of the lighthouse duties. If you don’t mind me asking, how did the employers fulfil their provisioning duties? Did they pay for the cow and its food, etc.?
Can you post the recipe?
As much as mercury is certainly an issue for neurological damage, I can only say that I've never been closer to a breakdown in sanity than being a new parent waking up every few hours. Chronic sleeplessness at the level you described would absolutely drive people over the edge. Combine that with a grueling work schedule, isolation, and consequences for failure, and I've no doubt the average keeper was barely alive day to day.
i think it was a mixture of all the things, like the mercury, the stress, the constant light in your sleep, & etc
If I had a cent for every new parent that compares their dull routines to the harshness of a dangerous job I'd be able to buy a lighthouse.
isolation also fucks you over badly
Exactly! Getting no solid sleep, ever, would make anyone completely lose their mind.
I agree! Even when you do sleep, every little noise wakes you and you instinctively get up to check the baby. I think it was definitely the lack of quality sleep that drive them over edge. Bless their souls.
British lighthouses had two keepers until 1818, when one died and the other went mad, and from then on it was three.
that was in 1801 and is known as the 'Smalls Lighthouse Tragedy', and it's so much worse than 'one died and one went mad.
in 1801 Thomas Howell and Thomas Griffith were appointed keepers of the Smalls Lighthouse.
They were known to not get along and constantly quarrel, so when Griffith died in an accident, Howell couldn't just discard his body in the sea, because then it would look like he murdered his colleague, he couldnt bury him on the rocky island either, so he kept Griffiths corpse in the living quarters of the lighthouse for a few weeks, while doing twice the work as before to keep the lighthouse running.
After a while Griffiths corpse started to decompose, so Howell built a makeshift coffin and hung it outside one of the windows of the lighthouse, but eventually storms and weather partly broke the coffin and exposed Griffiths arm, swinging in the wind like Griffith was beckoning or waving.
So every day, day and night, in complete isolation, Howell would do the work meant for two people, while the slowly decomposing arm of his former colleague waved at him.
Howell lived like that for four months. For four months he managed to keep the lighthouse running.
It took such a physical and mental toll on him that when he was finally relieved, former friends didnt recognize him any more.
And that's why there were three lighthouse keepers from then on.
Max, you have ruined me. I was watching Cooks Country the other day, and a lady mentioned hard tack, and I immediately put a goofy smile on my face and clanged my hands together. You have Pavlov dogged me. ❤
You and me both! Clack-clack!
@andimproud - I pavlova a good joke.
Pavlov....that's a name that rings a bell }}
I saw the reference coming in this vid right before he said it 😅 gotta love Max and his hard tack….
*clack clack*
FYI, scalding milk in this recipe is a holdover from a time before pasteurization was widely available, so consider it optional. In some recipes scalding is used to infuse the milk with herbs and spices, but that's not the case here.
Ah, good to know. I made this the other day and was afterward wondering whether using a second pot was really necessary.
Yes, my grandfather worked on ships and helped the cook. He then made it for his family which was passed down. The milk was not scalded.
Thanks for that explanation! I knew there was a reason but couldn't remember.
Thank you for that information, I was not aware of that.
it brings up the sugar. or lactose flavor.....forgetting about that?
I'm a subtitle user since I have auditory processing issues, and I have to say thank you for typing them in yourself! Automatically generated subtitles on TH-cam can be a nightmare. I always laugh when you do funny emoticons like at 6:29, and I can tell that you put so much passion into every step of the video making process - including writing your own subtitles, which are only noticed by folk like me. You're one of my favorite youtubers, and history has always not been one of my strong suits, but pairing it with cooking/baking (things I love to do) makes it so much easier for me to stay interested + learn about the history behind the foods. Thank you for doing all that you do, and sharing your love of history/cooking/humor/stuffed plushies with us! I love seeing what Pokémon plush + other items you'll use in the background of each video. •ᴗ•
Glad you find the subtitles useful. Credit for subtitles and Pokemon go to Jose.
The pokemon plushie in the background is a highlight for me, love whatever lil fella he puts there
@TastingHistory thank you José!
max writes his own subtitles?!! how many hours in a day has this man.....
ah, i see its a partnership that does it.....! 🤗
Max: *For which you need:*
- 3 cups of sweet corn
- 4-5 cups of Yukon gold potatoes
- 3 Tablespoons of fatty salty pork
- 1 onion diced
- 1L of whole milk
- 3 Table spoons of butter
- 2 Teaspoons of salt
- 3/4 teaspoon of pepper
- 8 crackers
And 200ml of mercury
Lol gotta love that taste of mercury
Just like Grandma used to make!
only if you want to be historically accurate. Or source your fish bad. a lot of tuna had mercury for a while, might still. Also that San Francisco fog.
When do you add the mercury and does the thermometer kind work or do I need organic
@@mannyaguirre4856it actually tastes almondy like arsenic
You know what? I would absolutely visit a Tasting History themed restaurant.
hard tack with pemican tonight!
@@ttaibe Clack Clack
@@ttaibe wash it down with switchel
Oh that would be awesome. Maybe at many of the historical sites (?). Williamsburg, also Greenfield Village in Detroit. Then location’s everywhere! I like it!
@@ttaibeclack clack
Here in Alaska, pilot bread is very popular. I teach at an Alaskan native school, and it is a staple for us and in native villages as well as rural Alaska in general. The brand you are using for this recipe is the one we have available here, and I have heard that Alaska accounts for the lion’s share of Interbake foods’ pilot bread sales. I grew up eating it, and to me, it is delicious. I realize it is kind of bland, but there are times that there is nothing I want more than a couple pilot bread crackers. We put smoked salmon and cream cheese on them, peanut butter and jelly, eat them with moose soup, or use them for just about anything you would use bread for.
What does moose soup taste like
@@andreahighsides7756moose
@@andreahighsides7756 Like a moose? ;)
@@andreahighsides7756 The typical recipe includes a thin broth, rice, and vegetables. The flavor of the moose meat takes the center stage. It tastes different from anything else. Compared to beef, it is way leaner but has more flavor.
Unfortunately for the rest of us, we can not pay $50 a box for those Sailor Boy crackers. $35 + $15 shipping on Amazon. I am not a wealthy man. However I did discover Milton crackers after a friend gave me a box that was 3 years old. Tasted like the day they were made. Milton crackers is the way to go and they do not cost $50 a box.
My grandfather was a lighthouse keeper from the the 1950's to the 80's, based at quite a number of lighthouses on the South African coastline, including one on a island on the west coast. At the time if they had stock up with supplies, an air force helicopter brought in food and other supplies once a week. Luxuries such as eating out at restaurants were non-existent because of the locations of the lighthouses.
However, luxuries like having the sea nearby, lots of fresh air and experiencing the elements were free...
@@ttaibe Depending on where you happen to live, that is still very much free today XD I say that as someone who's grown up and lived most of her life on the coast of northern Norway.
And to be pedantic, it's only free if you just count cost as money you have to pay directly in order to experience it. It is anything *but* free if you count the cost of equipment/tools and time needed to keep things maintained... Like Max so astutely mentioned in this video; it's basically a full-time job to maintain the paint job on a FENCE by the ocean, nevermind a giant tower needing whitewashing! XD
IN fact, in many older villages and settlements along the coast of northern Norway, you'll notice that the hosues often only have wooden, painted walls on three sides. The side that faces the sea, very often is just those rather ugly Eternit plated walls, because it doesn't matter how much salt water that is sprayed with (or how much salt it is blasted with, if it's windy at all, which it tends to be when it's open enough....), they remain perfectly fine. They look ugly as heck, but they are at least low maintenance!
For the same reason, those walls often did not have windows.... And if you have ever been on a sea-going ferry during winter and looked at the windows...... It makes sense why....
The air is deliciously fresh, and now that I have lived more "inland" too for a while (though not inland at all, still on the coast, just... on a less exposed part of the Norwegian coast XD), I will say that... I do miss the proper WEATHER we'd get. But it is also quite nice to have a slightly more... stable weather, and not have AS horribly cold *actual* temperatures....
@@ttaibeyeah the luxury of being blinded by the lighthouse and deafened by the horn while being totally screwed if you have a medical emergency of any kind.
@@dirpyturtle69i see you always look on the bright side of life.
@@HadridarMatramen Ty for your long reply. I was thinking modern lighthouses., I didn't think about the upkeep of seaside houses. Most places I am familiar with seaside houses are just unobtainable for the common man. Either they are just passed on in the family, or bought up by investors and rented out for the holidays. Nice houses cost a fortune or two. I am Dutch.
I'd love to live near the sea. Preferably within sight of it, but with a good wall so one can sit out of the wind. Not sure about Norway though. Indeed that might be a bit too cold even for me. Everything has its downsides I guess.
Decades ago I was on my way to London to my then girlfriend. I was on the last catamaran ferry that went out just before a storm. I stayed on deck the whole time. Loved it! My girlfriend not so much as my hair was blasted and set in salt XD.
It's a mistake, in my opinion, to not use the water in which you boiled the potatoes in the chowder. It has the starch, some of the nutrition, and a LOT of the flavor of the potato in it. The starch will help thicken the finished soup. I also mash a bit of the potatoes to thicken it a bit more. I also remove the bacon or salt pork solids after they are rendered and add them back to the finished chowder before serving. Just some chowder tips I find helpful, use them or not. 😊
I'm so sad that I've been ruined for chowder forever thanks to Campbell's anything chowder or 'cream of'. My mother, good child of the 50's that she was, forced all of those down us and oh man 🤢 i wish that it had been homemade because that is an economical dish, but yeah even the memory of the texture of the potatoes makes me yak
I was pretty confused by the discarding of the potato boiling water, too. And, yes, I'd dice the salt pork and keep it in the chowder, too.
@@MyName-tb9oz hell yes keep the salt pork in! And yes I would love to have a homemade soup to replace the disgusting gluey Campbell's shit
Oh, agreed, but he was following the recipe as written, now one could change it as one likes.
@@sherrieludwig508 hell yes! Change it up as much as one would wish! The best parts of recipes is where the fuck they're changed up!
Hey, Max (and Jose!), I just made this today and it was delicious! One thing I changed, though, because you mentioned at 21:00 that it's not very thick: I drained most of the water from the potatoes before adding the milk, butter, corn etc. You strained them once at 7:15 before boiling them with the bacon fat, but you didn't drain them again at 7:30 and I did. My soup turned out wonderfully thick and creamy. Thank you for the recipe!
I must try this. What crackers you used? I don't know much about them and differences between them.. And did you use bacon? I'm going to cook this tomorrow, I have potatoes and onions growing outside. And I do like my soup a little watery so I wonder if I should do the draining second time.. I've always dreamed about trying all kinds of historical dishes and found this channel today and it's awesome. So thank you very much for your support and donatinon! 👍🏻🙂
@@beatnik6806 I didn't use any crackers because I have celiac and can't eat wheat. I crumbled up a couple slices of gluten free bread because that's what I had on hand. I did not use bacon either, I used a little bit of olive oil for cooking and added some diced ham to the soup.
@@beatnik6806 Most of us New Englanders use oyster crackers 🙂
@@Jewelsmith oh I bet that worked as good 🤤👍🏻
@@eledatowle8767 I had to google that so I don't think I can't find those in my country but I try. Thanks for the suggestion. I still haven't made this reciepe but I've come into conglusion that any hard dry cracker works with this one 🙂
I knew where it was going as you described pilot bread. The few seconds of anticipation for the *clack clack* just made the payoff so much better. 😂
EXACTLY!! It was perfect you see it coming and brace and yay!!
I knew it just from the thumbnail. I saw those thick and big-looking crackers on the side of the bowl and said Yep, it's comin'...
The phrase "try out" in the original recipe caught my eye. Back when whaling was a major New England industry, boiling the whale blubber to obtain the oil was referred to as "trying out" a whale, with the pots used for the purpose called "try pots".
Interesting. I understood the meaning from the context but I wonder how we got from "trying out" to "rendering out".
I noticed the use of that phrase and wondered about the origins of it. Thanks for posting.
@@sixstringedthing I wonder if that's the origin of the phrase. maybe 'try out' meant that first. 'try and get some oil out of that blubber' 'try out that oil' 'try and do this'
My husband introduced me to corn chowder. The version his family makes is a thin corn soup. The version I make is a thick, stick to every bone in your body corn soup that is a proper goddamned chowder made with a beef stock base. His family's is closer to the original, apparently. Who knew? Thank you so much for these episodes, Max. I sent this one to my friend who adores lighthouses, and it put a smile on her face.
From what recipe book are your in-laws referencing from? That sounds hilarious
Id be more interested except I cannot stand corn.
So many soups are better, including broccoli and cauliflower soup.
Bean soup.
If she makes you a Boston Corn Chowder like that, she's a Keeper
Preach brother
If he makes you a Boston corn chowder like that, he’s a keeper.
I bet Keepers also made great corn chowder.
A lighthouse keeper some might say
If a bee makes you a Boston corn chowder like that, you're a Beekeeper.
So good
It is respectable these keepers were depressed but kept the light going to keep the sailors alive. Truly a selfless job.
The job is what keeps you alive.
I don't think the majority did it because of their kind heart, but because they needed food and shelter in order to survive.
I think it sounds fun.
@@Fulcrum205 lol watch the movie "the lighthouse" with willem dafoe and robert pattinson.
@@jeepowner2675 oh no. I wouldn't want anyone else there. The solitude is a feature not a bug
Hey there! I'm from central Alaska, born and raised, and pilot bread is commonly eaten here, though nowadays more often in the many small villages around the state. Many times in the past have I eaten pilot bread smeared with butter, or with peanut butter and jelly, or with some oily salmon strips (the kind handmade and smoked by locals are much better than those you can find in the store, and those made from king salmon are the best). Some nice oily king salmon strips with pilot bread are delicious.
I’m a born and raised Mainer, we still make our chowder basically exactly like this. We usually also include cream, but otherwise this is pretty much exactly what you’d get here today, at least in my house.
Ayuh, good eating.
My great grandmother, grandmother, and mother all made this type of chowder. My mom always gave us saltines with it, but my grandmothers liked to give us “oyster crackers” and I always thought them so fancy. 😂
Our family recipe includes cream, but it’s the same as yours, except mom always used bacon instead of fat from our pork cuts.
Also, that French lighthouse keeper with the kitten in his beard is the greatest. Très Bohème!
What kind of crackers do you use? I'm not in the US and don't really have any of the options Max mentioned available
@@sevenandthelittlestmewI feel like every New England childhood involves oyster crackers, Marshmallow fluff and some variety of frozen lemonade.
@@sevenandthelittlestmew
In our family it was dad who learned it from a neighbor’s husb from Nova Scotia, Canada.
I home schooled for a few years. Once, we were reading one of the American Girl books and came across a breakfast food called Saratoga chips. My girls insisted that I make them for breakfast. The chips were a big hit, mostly because they got to eat potato chips for breakfast. After that, we started looking for more historical foods to make. Even today we research, make, and recommend historical recipes. This is why I love this channel so much.
L
I used to make those Saratoga chips too! They were the bomb
That's a great way to incorporate history in your daily living. As we know from watching Max! I wonder if your girls would enjoy historical clothing, too? There are lots of great channels on YT, th9ugh rather more dealing with European and North American history than anything else. That's a general problem, of course.
If you ever go to the racetrack in Saratoga Springs, NY you can get some
there too! I’m sure your homemade ones are awesome though 😊
What book was it? I was a huge fan of the Historical Character books as a kid. They first got me invested in US history and in historical literature in general. Glad that your daughters enjoy them too!
🎶My father was the keeper
Of the Eddystone Light
And he married a mermaid
One fine night. 🎶
Out of that union there came three: 🎶
A pogey and a porpoise
And the third was me. 🎶
YO HO HO🎶
The wind blows free!
Oh for a life 🎶 🎶
on the rolling sea🎶
My beloved brother, a music teacher, would always present a "Novelty Song" combination band and chorus in each Concert. This was by far and away the most popular "Novelty Song" beating out even The 1812 OVERTURE, whose original score included cannon fire. (My brother taught me to be a History geek as well) The cannon fire was duplicated by my brother-also the Conductor-firing 12-gauge shotgun blanks into a 55 gallon steel drum.
My brother was adored both by his students and the Community. He died of Agent Orange-caused cancer. .the result of 2 tours of duty in Vietnam.
I MISS HIM WITH ALL MY HEART.
I like when Max tries his food and its better than he thought it would be.
Why...?
This recipe sounds delicious
Agreed. His face after tasting says it all. Completely and happily surprised.
My great grandfather Con Farrow was the keeper of the Cape Hatteras Light House in North Carolina. Someone posted an interview with him on TH-cam a long time ago. He lived to a ripe old age. He was the sweetest old man ever. I was really young when he passed away. I have very faint memories of him.
That's so cool! I was just wondering myself what sort of food our North Carolinian lighthouse keepers would've eaten. I somewhat doubt they would have eaten chowder specifically 😅
@@ThinWhiteAxe I was wondering the same thing. I can ask my aunt Dawn. She's the most familiar with what great Granddaddy went through. Hopefully I'll have an update soon! 😃
Outer Banks/Hatteras interest here, too. Some shallow fish, crab, maybe ponies? Not to sound offensive, truly curious about Hatteras.
It also astounds me that these lighthouse keepers had such a critical duty but were so woefully underfunded and neglected. Mind-boggling.
I'm from Alaska, and pilot bread is a staple of many people here. In the villages off the road system, pilot bread is super important as a versatile food that will last a long time. I'm really excited to see it make an appearance in a video!
I grew up in AK, and I still enjoy pilot crackers! I have had friends send them to me in the mail.
Hey, I'm from Fairbanks
Was going to post the same thing. Sailor Boy for life.
The Southport Light Station, in Kenosha, WI, had one of the few female keepers, who took over from her husband. Joseph Merrill got the job after Civil War service (in which he lost an arm), and died in 1871. His wife, Lorinda, took over for a year or so. And their daughter Emma was their assistant. The Merrills were replaced by a Louis Napoleon DeDiemar, who also lost an arm in the Civil War. And he was the keeper for 35 years, with his wife, Mary, occasionally on the books as the assistant keeper.
If you're ever in the Chicago area, come up to Kenosha. The lighthouse here is now a museum, which we operate.
My Chicagoan friend keeps urging me to visit, to walk around the Arboretum and see the museum; a lighthouse is an admirable addition to the list! Thank you, from the UK.
I wonder what happened to his wife after she left?
The Red Witch is a dope ship for a tour too.
@@SciFiFemale The couple was fairly old at the time they were appointed. Both she and her husband were born in 1808. Which means he went to war in his 50s, which is nuts. After she left, I think she resigned, she went to live with her daughter, Emma, who in addition to being on the books as an assistant keeper was a school teacher in town. And she died in 1888, about six months before turning 80. It doesn't look like she had a professional job after leaving, but she was already at an age where her daughter would be looked down on if she had to work for a living.
Emma lived into the 1930s, one day before her 83rd birthday, and taught in the time when only unmarried women could legally have a teaching job (but male teachers could be married and were subject to less strict moral rules). People who love teaching will sacrifice just about anything to teach, so she never married. She retired from teaching in 1919 and moved into a retirement home.
History meets cooking? I have found heaven. Thank you, Max! You're wonderful!
Wow, thank you!
You've found a goldmine: one of the very best channels on TH-cam!
Grew up less than a mile from a lighthouse on Lake Michigan. It was comforting to see the lighthouse rays shining through my bedroom windows and hear the foghorn. I went to HS with the lighthouse keepers daughter. The lighthouse was decommissioned in the late 1970s. It is open to the public in summer. There are 142 steps to the top where you can see the lenses. You can tour tour the house and grounds. It was used as a community center. You could borrow books and it was the place where you voted. It’s a historical landmark now.
Nice.
Im from Northern Michigan close to a lighthouse too. Frankfort ❤.
Small correction regarding Louis Coulon : although this picture is often refered to as "Lighthouse keeper and his cat", he was in fact a metal caster and a trade unionist.
He was born in 1826 and started working around 1840. He met emperor Napoleon III in 1864 and became famous around 1890, appearing in several postcards. His fame rose again in 1907 when he was called "the dean of metallurgy" in one of France's biggest newspaper, which reported that he had been working as a metal caster for more than 67 years.
He passed in 1916 at the age of 90.
I came here to say exactly this. I think the mistake is made when people translate the phrase "un modèle photographique phare" which instead of properly being translated as a "stand-out" or "leading" model gets translated literally as a "lighthouse model".
Thank you for the info! This community is so great for sharing this sort of stuff 😊
He wasn't just a trade unionist, he was an early syndicalist and advocated for universal unionisation.
Campbells just discontinued "chicken corn chowder" in their hearty stew line so I guess I better start making my own... thanks for the lesson!!!
An idea to take this to another level would be to grill corn on the cob directly on a charcoal grill, then remove the kernels and use that for the corn instead of canned corn. I think the roasted slightly smoky flavor addition would work wonderfully.
Agree. Few dashes of paprika would help set that flavor off too.
You can get some of that roasted corn flavor with canned corn by dumping it into a skillet and putting that over a flame.
and thicken it with the potatoes.
Or some Old Bay! @@mosesbrown4126
"It's friggin delicious" The enthusiasm is adorable. That chowder looks amazing, and an old french lightkeeper with an epic heard who loved cats. This video should go in your top 10 best
Not quite sure he " loved" cats. Those are the only pet animals suited for a lighthouse and poor man was alone for decades.
I could literally listen to this man talk about history for hours. When will you start a podcast 😊?
I'm originally from Connecticut ( New England) and once a year we would prepare corn chowder and it is an easy stable prepper food . You can use evaporated milk diluted 1/2 and 1/2 using water or reconstituted dried powered milk . This is a hearty and satisfying meal . I use 1 can of whole kernel corn and one can of cream corn , bacon and onions are great as is potatoes 👍 having lived alone for 5 years now , I'd absolutely love living in a lighthouse especially since the ocean is my happy place 😊
Rhode Islander here. I grew up eating corn chowder. And fish chowder too. Mmm... I miss that.
I make it very similar to you but in fall and winter about every 10 days as a permanent rotation in my menu. Easy, cheap, filling and oh so delicious ❤
As a fellow person from CT lol we r indeed as New England as it comes
Used to live in Norwich CT here. My grandfather used to take me to Friendly's for a bowl of clam chowder and then to Carvels for a cone! I miss New England...
It never fails to make me laugh every time you clack that hardtack
Same here. My wife and I wait for it and laugh
Me too.😂
I have no idea why I laugh every time. You'd think I'd be expecting it by now. And I am. But it's still funny somehow!
I remember watching your very first video, then I remembered you were able to quit your old job to do this full-time and now look at you with 2.1 million subscribers. Number 41 on trending, I'm so happy for you. This is my favorite channel.
Every time I feel like you're going to mention hardtack, I wait for the clack clack. And you never disappoint. 1:46
That clack clack gets me through the tough times
The hardtack clack never gets old, even if the hardtack does. 😂😂😂
Lol
Never gets old
I always chuckle
😂😂
I now mime the action with him! :)
My mom grew up in New England, so corn chowder was a common meal in our house. This definitely brought back some fond memories, Max. Thank you for this one.
I never had corn chowder once only clam chowder but I basically have a flashback to childhood every time I eat clam chowder one bite and I’m sitting on a dock under a gray sky while there’s a light rain the wind is blowing it’s a little chilly but I got my peacoat wool hat and pack of cigarettes in my pocket to keep me warm and I can hear the seagulls and smell the ocean or perhaps the other way around
Agreed! I haven't had a good chowder (corn or clam) since leaving New England...I'll make some soon I think.😊
Same Nova Scotia and PEI provinces in Canada. Quebec had a good version too.
I'm from Texas, and I've only heard of clam chowder.
@@fireline4765 Worth a try someday if you get the chance...just make sure it's New England style (cream or milk) rather than Manhattan (tomato broth) or Rhode Island (water)! 👍
Absolutely everything about this episode is a delight, from the Lego lighthouse to the keeper with kittens in his beard 😊
When I watch these, I don't often think, "I need to make that, immediately." But in this case, I need to make that, immediately. Not only because I have a thing for lighthouses, but also a thing for corn chowder. Great episode. Thank you!!!
I love corn chowder so much. Definitely the best of all the chowders in my opinion. Especially good sweet corn fresh out of the garden.
You know, I was expecting a fun video on what lighthouse keepers ate but, I wasn't expecting to find out that I'm related to Fannie Farmer through my paternal grandmother. Both of them trace their families to the Merritts of Scituate, Plymouth Co., MA, who descend from a Henry Merritt who was one of the first settlers of that township. Humble genealogist thanks, Max!
I just watched this in November, 2024, and it brought back a flood of sweet memories! When I was in the 9th grade in Clarksville, Md., in 1958, in the days when 9th grade was part of Junior High School, I took a Home Economics class that included some cooking. One thing we were taught how to make was corn chowder. It was slightly different to yours, but it was yummy! Years later, when I was a young wife and mother, I fixed corn chowder for my husband and kids, and they loved it! Thank you, Max, for reminding me of those halcyon days!
I am new here on this channel, and I am binging it like mad.
Don't know what is more pleasing: Max's efervescent nature, the informative content, or the actually tasty looking recipes. Actually I do: all of them :).
Welcome to the channel! You got 3. years of backlog to catch up on and a 2nd side channel called Ketchup With Max and Jose :)
@@TastingHistory ..T-There is a side channel? ooooooo
Welcome aboard! I like trying out some of the recipes! And Frank Cooper’s Oxford Marmalade from the Titanic Breakfast videos is my favorite thing in the world! I’m obsessed with Tasting History with Max Miller and I take it quite literally. Not gonna eat leather though.😂
His face is pleasant to look at as well ❤
New subscriber here too!
Max feels like a good friend. I get to spend a half hour or so listening to my bestie tell me about their week. Add in his Instagram account and I get to hear about his life, family, friends and cats. Not to mention Garum
Didn't know just how difficult being a lighthouse keeper was. All the glamor of solitary confinement, the chain gang and mercury poisoning.
Max...the knowledge you give to us is incomparable. Only you,like I
would think life was like a Shirley Temple movie !! Bravo!
I was SO excited to see your cover photo with pilot bread on it. My parents moved to a village in bush Alaska right after I graduated from high school - the first meal I ever had in Chignik was pilot bread with melted cheddar cheese and halibut cheek stew . . . Good times!
Max, you are educated, talented, and entertaining. Thank you. This is what the History Channel should be.
Now I am imagining a history channel cooking show about what ancient aliens ate while building the pyramids.
@@crankysaint that would definitely be in keeping with their lineup the last several years.
And sexy. You for got to mention unbearably hot 🥵 lol
Man oh man, I miss the days when I could stay home sick and still learn something from the History Channel that was based in facts (at least the ones we had back then). Or from Discovery. Or from TLC.
The history channel used to be like this, but I don't think it was ever as well researched.
Made this tonight and i was shocked at how flavoursome it was, next time i reckon i'll add some bacon and garlic maybe some chicken to make it heartier, but the og is worth giving a go, 10/10. thanks max for sharing this awesome piece of history.
Honestly, having a kitten live in your beard is life goals.. It’s pure serotonin to watch Max light up when something is delicious!.
I had no idea "The Lighthouse" was so true to life, but I guess it stands to reason that your sanity would start slipping if you were all alone on a remote island with hard work and unimpressive food/pay.
Also, you're almost at two million! Keep up the good work!
Yeah! Hopefully 2M by end of year
They based the movie off the book Max just showed as well as some journals I think
According to Jasper White, 'THE" chowder expert, there's one easy step that makes your chowder taste even better. All you do is plunk a lid on it after it's finished cooking and let it sit for 30 to 60 minutes. This is called "curing the chowder" and it allows the flavors to meld in a more cohesive way.
Finally some recognition for Pilot Bread!!! Here in Alaska it is still a very common household food- usually out at tables to be eaten with butter, homemade jam or smoked salmon, or even dipped in stews! Great video as always, cheers!
Nothing beats pilot bread with some oily king salmon strps
Pilot bread smeared thick with peanut butter was my go-to. Dries out your mouth and really makes you want a nice cold glass of milk 😂
Any particularly-good left over gravy is, by moral and ethical mandate, to be eaten with plain crackers or toasted white bread at the first appropriate moment of the snackies.
Mr. Miller, Here is the corn chowder recipe from the 11th edition of The Fannie Farmer Cookbook published in 1965 roughly seven decades beyond the one you produced from the 1896 first edition:
Corn Chowder
Use 3 tablespoons butter in place of salt pork, if it is more convenient.
Dice and put in a deep pan.
1 1/2 inch cube salt pork
Cook slowly until the fat is melted and the pork bits are crisp and brown Add 1 small onion, sliced.
Cook slowly 5 minutes stirring often.
4 potatoes, cubed or sliced
2 cups water
Cook until the potatoes are tender. Add
2 cups cream-style corn
4 cups milk
Heat. Add
3 Tablespoons butter.
Salt and pepper to taste
Serves 6 to 8 generously.
You can always mash some of the potatoes to thicken it up. That would make it closer to what people associate with chowder in terms of consistency, but this is still very good as is.
Gotta love the association between lighthouse keepers being given beans and the lighthouse movie's "why'd ya spill yer beans" bit.
I currently work at a forestry lookout tower. I imagine my day to day is similar to some of the remote lighthouses. Although we get food resupply every three weeks.
Recipes like this are severely underrated these days. Simple ingredients, simple process, hearty food. Having a supply of food like this for rainy days or just sitting in the freezer for when you don't have a lot of time to cook is absolutely wonderful.
I hope more people can learn about these traditional foods. Sometimes it is simple food that is the best food.
Great episode.
Does one have to be an official ranger to have this job?
@@wmluna381 Nope. It is seasonal work (at least where I am, Alberta Canada). Some outdoor experience is helpful, reading maps etc, and an ability to be VERY independent is necessary. Nobody watching you but you are the only one on site so it is pretty isolating work.
@@chriskola3822 Thank you for taking the time to answer my question! I am in Michigan, USA and am just ending my stint as a seasonal worker in a state park. A couple of the rangers said I should consider applying to be a ranger as well, that I'd be "good at it", but some of their observed duties are not appealing to me (dealing with entry booth $ counting, being an unglorified plumber / mechanic / welder / handyman++, plus backwards and inefficient ways of doing certain things...like parking lot striping...by hand!!). But I really still do like working outdoors for the/a parks system. What you described seems like a possible option of interest if it's available here somewhere in the States. I'm a people person, but the older I get, being alone doesn't bother me all too much.
Are you required to monitor things at night? Are there notable "industry" groups or online forums somewhere that would provide additional insight to the life?
the Canadian show, 'the red green show' that also played on PBS had a forestry lookout tower guy as one of the characters. so funny and so desperately lonely and bored. the show was brilliant and I miss it so
@@gwennorthcutt421 Your mother does sound like a cool lady. Thanks for sharing. That vertical water hauling sounds like quite the workout.
I knew the clip of you clacking the hard tack was coming as soon as you described the pilot bread. You've gotten more than enough mileage out of it, Max!
The gift that keeps on giving, and lasts a long time to boot
@@TastingHistorywas NOT expecting you to respond! You just made my day, kind sir!
There will never be enough mileage out of the clack clack!
That joke will outlast the hardtack, which is really saying something.
Dude. This channel is two of my favorite things in the WORLD combined into one... and you do a fantastic job at presenting it! Kudos, mister!
Love to see Max so delighted by how good his chowder tastes! Kudos to you, Max, and thanks for sharing the stories of the lighthouse keepers.
It’s pure serotonin to watch Max light up when something is delicious!
it is very endearing isnt it
This can size might have just helped me with my grandmother's banana but bread recipe. It calls to put the mix into cans for baking, but i never found out how big the cans were. Thank you.
I love the fact there's a plushie Steelix in the background, considering Olivine City is known for its lighthouse and has a Steel-type gym. Very clever
That's it! There's a 2nd one hidden in the back...
Please tell me it's Ampharos, lol.
I made this for dinner today. I cut the ingredients in half (one can of corn) since I was cooking for two and it still made a generous pot of soup. I didn't have the crackers so I toasted some day old country bread in the skillet i used to make the bacon grease. It was a delicious soup and am happy I made it. Thanks Max and Jose!
can you write out the measurements you used to make this for two?
l live alone & most recipes are too big for me
@@hannahlynn8028a bit late of a reply, but honestly, chuck the recipe into chat gpt and let it do the calculations for you.
We always had pilot bread in the villages in alaska growing up, i would throw sliced cheese on a plate full for a late night snack
You should never cry over spilt milk but now Max taught us how to scold the milk.
Unless it's the breastmilk you were pumping at 2am - I learned you can cry then when you accidentally drop it and then have to clean it up too😢
Maybe you need to scold you milk if it's gone bad
"YOU USELESS-"
Quote from B.Dylan Hollis
Why don’t you cry over the milk and then scold it? Best of both worlds.
@@kbomb234 By far one of my favorite quotes from him alongside "WHO'S MOOING NOW?" and "How am I going to survive the apocalypse if I can't survive OATS?"
Honestly, having a kitten live in your beard is life goals.
Kitten or Raven would be nice as a beard buddy
As Shania Twain once said:
"I wish that I could grow a beard!"🎶
I work on a commercial fishing boat in Alaska! We eat pilot bread all the time, great for when we haven’t been in town for a month and we’ve run out of bread. Pilot bread with salmon salad, or just butter and jam is a daily occurrence
I recently found my books from my childhood lighthouse keeping obsession (Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie is the best) so this is great timing!
You always manage to give my wife and myself a good chuckle, especially with your hardtack routine. Gets us every time 😅
I've watched this video several times, mostly because this is one of my favorite things to make due to budget and time.
Nothing better than seeing Max’s eyes light up at the first taste.
We have a beautifully restored lighthouse here in Ferryland, NL 🇨🇦 The granddaughter of the last lighthouse keeper completed the work and runs Lighthouse Picnics during the summer. They prepare amazing fresh food and pack it into a picnic basket for you to take and find somewhere to sit and enjoy your meal and the stunning view.
What a fantastic idea!
I will never tire of your hard tack clip 👏🏼😂
Having a Steelix in the back is great! Not only does it look like Willem Dafoe from The Lighthouse, it was also the pokemon of Jasmine, who was the gym leader of a Lighthouse town.
Yesss, plus Jose already chose Ampharos for the lemonade episode, but if you look closely...
What a great episode, so interesting, and the delight on your face when you tried the soup was only equalled by mine when you had hard tack for the third week running 😄 All credit to all of those lighthouse keepers, they sacrificed so much and saved so many lives.
Currently in Wilmington, NC and loved the Cape Fear lighthouse shoutout! Wilmington is about 45 minutes away from Southport, NC, the closest town to Bald Head Island, where the lighthouse, "Old Baldy" is
As a native Masshole, I love corn chowdah, clam chowdah, fish chowdah
My Nana used to give me pilot crackers with butter when I was a little guy back in the 70s, Max.
Ugh, you're hitting all my nostalgia buttons today, I live in the South and I've been very homesick lately
Give the recipe a whirl!
I have cooked from Fannie's 1896 cookbook for years and can confirm every recipe is delicious. Unexpectedly so.
Me too. I bake more than cook, but I've used a bunch of the pie and cake recipes.
Corn chowder and clam chowder are both wonderful New England comfort foods! Just watching you make it brought back the smells, sounds, and tastes of my grandmother's kitchen. Her chowder was second to none! Salty, creamy, and sweet, all mixed together with a hint of smokiness from the bacon or salt pork. We didn't always use crackers with it, but when we did, either saltines or oyster crackers were put on top just before serving (no pre-softening needed.) Very warming on cold days and hearty for keeping you energized for hard work outside in winter.
I bet Max has now entered a stage of production that he only looks for recipes in order to form some sort of tangent in order to sneak in that hardtack clip. And I'm all here for it.
My husband was a lighthouse keeper at a family light. We lived on Wood Island, in Biddeford, Maine; from 1973-76.
I’m a lifelong Mainer, and I always make my chowder this way. You can use the same method for fish chowder-add haddock on top of the cooked potatoes and cook in the liquid until it flakes. Then add the milk and heat for a few minutes.
Love your videos!
Why ruin lovely corn chowder with icky fish!
Jasper White's fish chowder is made this way. And it is amazing!
@@codename495 Haddock is not super fishy though, very mild. Great texture too.
@@codename495She said you can use the same method. You just omit the corn and use fish instead.
Idk what I like more , Max's enthusiasm to teach us historical recipes, OR his knowledge and love of pokemon. Steelix in the Background reference to olivine city (lighthouse) god tier reference
They were also notorius for looking like Willem Defoe.
You know, I’m something of a lighthouse keeper myself.
Is that who's in the 0:02 clip? I can see it now. I thought it was Brian Blessed. Thanks
Bad luck to kill a seabird.
Very true but honestly so freaking funny!
Yer fond of me corn chowder, ain't ye?
Grew up eating corn chowder and we usually had pilot biscuits in the pantry! Fun video! We used butter in place of pork for this dish!🇨🇦
I love corn chowder, often I add a little leftover fish or a can of chopped clams. In Alaska they put minced carrot too.. that’s good.
I make corn chowder about every 10 days fall to early spring. Cost effective, delicious and filling. Really a comfort food in our house.
Im in love with this channel. I love the history lesson along with the cooking lesson
@TastingHistory The Steelix as a reference to Olivine City Lighthouse and the Jasmine throwback. I’m here for it! ♡
Glad I'm not the only one who noticed it too! He places Pokemon on his background in his videos that fit the theme of the subject, like how he featured the Ice/Water Type 'Ice Break' Pokemon Walrein in his Titanic series.
I made (threw together, really) a ham and potato soup not too long ago that I have since repeated multiple times, and it ALSO relies on onions (I caramelize mine a bit more than you may have) for a significant part of the flavor. Made broth from a ham bone (leftover from one of those spiral cut roasts; I've also used bone-in ham steak and the fat trimmings), caramelized a diced onion on the side with butter (or bacon fat, honestly), removed bone and such from the broth, added diced potatoes (1 lb of yukon gold, or russets I guess), let it boil until potatoes were done, added ham and onions, as well as a cup or so of heavy cream. Pepper and salt to taste, of course.
Leftovers rarely lasted 24 hours. So dang good.
As someone who's odd special interest is lighthouses, I love this! I've dreamed of being a keeper haha.
The moment I saw that title, I wondered where do you possibly got a lighthouse keeper recipe and what will you tell about *this* particular topic - and you truly never disappoint!
The sheer breadth of periods and places and topics you find fascinating stories and delicious recipes for is astounding. Thank you so much for what you're doing, love your videos
Thank you for the kind words!
Not only does that chowder sound good, but i learned more about lighthouses than I ever knew before. Your recipes and history lessons are excellent.
Sailor Boy Pilot Bread is a staple in Alaska. It's our state bread I believe. It's fantastic with any chowder or even to top your top ramen. I left some in a tote once outside for several winters and it was still good when I found it again.
Max! More about the Calumet Lighthouse - it was rebuilt a few times after Mary Ryan's tenure, with the last manned lighthouse being replaced in 1995 with the automated one that's there now. There were a number of steel mills along the lake and river at that point which belched so much smoke into the air that the lighthouse's foghorn operated on the average of 260 hours a month, more than any other horn on Lake Michigan!
I've always been fascinated by lighthouses.
I don't know about lighthouse keepers in other countries, but here in Canada we have hundreds of lighthouses (due to long coastlines on the west and east) that must be manned 24/7. Some of them in remote locations that can only get their supplies brought once a month, hopefully. It's like being a ranger with nothing but nature around you, the difficulty of your job will depend greatly on the location.
I really like how we can see you’re not just being polite, and are surprised and VERY pleased when something actually tastes good!
Your eyes light up!
😸