One of the things I have noticed in studying farmers of the past is that often people got by with very simple dishes for meals. People would eat say, Corn bread and milk. I think that today, we have too much variety. Most of the time the main meal of the day was at what most call lunch today. Here in Oklahoma, I still catch people calling the noon meal dinner. Really though the absolute best time for your body is to have your largest meal at noon. The only reason I think it changed is the 40 hour a week corporate lifestyle. People eat their largest meal after arriving home from a job. However, years ago most people ate a very light meal at night. Lately I have taken to making a large meal for me and the kids in the afternoon, and serving Joe his when he gets home from work. Then the kids and I just snack along in the evening. I think that it is a good idea for us to talk about simple food. Give me some real homesteader recipes for a light supper.

Little Bit Farm

Little Bit Farm

-- Little Bit Farm (littlebitfarm@itlnet.net), January 26, 2004

Answers

Yes judy, I agree about the seasonal eating. That certainly guarantees the freshest food.

Little bit farm

-- Little Bit Farm (littlebit@brightok.net), February 06, 2004.

One thing the old-timers relied on for supper was leftovers. The remains of the large lunch (dinner) were just covered with clean towels and re-used for supper. (Please, no food-poisoning warnings. It was how things were done). That's probably where cornbread and milk came in. Another factor of old-time eating was that they eat seasonally. We've become used to having an infinite variety of foods available at any time of the year. In winter meat was a staple. In warm months fresh vegetables came to the forefront. In the spring, greens were a treat. Chicken was stored "on the hoof", etc.

-- Judy (tabletophomestead@earthlink.net), January 26, 2004.

We have been eating our main meal in the afternoon for years. For a light supper it's popcorn and smoothies, toast and fruit, something that I may have baked during the day. AZnything that is easily digestable so our tummy's aren't working while we are trying to sleep. I do the same as Lil-bit, I feed my hubby (or whoever has to go out to work during the day) what we had for lunch. Or sometimes (most, actually) he will just want something light too, and take what I have saved him for lunch the next day.

-- Lynelle (x2ldp@aol.com), January 28, 2004.

Good topic. My own preference is to more or less snack all day, but when I was very young, we'd have breakfast at 6:30am, lunch around 10:30am and supper around 4pm. I won't eat big dinners after 6pm--if we go out I usually just order dessert or an appetizer.

About big dinners at noon, I guess that's okay if you live in a colder climate, or have to work outside, but if you're in an office, or sitting in a classroom, and live in a warmer climate it's a recipe for a siesta ;-) All the teachers hated teaching any class right after lunch....

Any broth-based soup is good for a light supper, or if you prefer something that looks "creamy" puree some of the veggies in a blender or food processor. Add a salad and some bread and it's pretty quick, especially if you do the soup in a crockpot.

-- GT (nospam@nospam.com), January 29, 2004.