Wheat Threshing Crews Had Meals Fit for a King
Farmers’ Wives and Cook Car Women Provided Tremendous Food
Jan 25, 2009
When harvesting crews of twenty to twenty-five moved onto a farm to thresh the wheat, farmers’ wives had to be prepared to feed them four times a day. The meals had to be hearty and ready on time. Rainy weather or a machine breakdown meant that the workers waited in their bunks or on the field. Regardless, they had to be fed. During extended times of difficulty, the women used some of the preserves and provisions that they had stored for winter.
Wheat Threshing Crews Arrived with Equipment Caravan
At the beginning of the 20th century, steam was king. There was great excitement when the caravan of machinery and wagons followed the great tractor onto a farm. Most farmers could not afford to invest in their own equipment, so co-operatives of ten or more often made the purchase. Wealthy farmers with complete outfits made the rounds of the district after their own crops were in.
Cook Cars in the Caravan
The introduction of cook cars into the threshing caravan eased the burden upon many farmers’ wives and their supplies. The cook car was a crudely-built, twelve-foot-by-eighteen-foot, unpainted wooden box on metal wheels. The car contained a wood-burning cook stove, a water barrel, cupboards with storage bins and work counter, and two wall-mounted plank tables with benches. Cots for the cook and her helper folded against the wall during the day.
The cooks and their helpers were often hired in the local town with the rest of the crew. Sometimes the crew boss’ wife or a homesteader’s wife took on the job to earn extra money.
Farmers’ Wives and Cook Car Women
The success of hiring and keeping a good crew was due in large part to the cooks’ reputations. The outfit owner provided most of the food. If possible, the farmer whose grain was being threshed would supply vegetables and milk.
Cooks Prepared Four Meals a Day
Cooks worked more hours than the crewmen. They were well into breakfast preparations at four a.m. when the fireman trudged over the dark stubble field to fire up the engines. When the piercing blasts of the steam whistle broke the prairie silence, cooks knew that the gang would quickly arrive to wolf down their first meal of the day.
Breakfast consisted of hot porridge, thick bacon slices with eggs, piles of biscuits and freshly-baked bread, syrups, jams, and sometimes a stack of pancakes. Everything quickly disappeared and was washed down with cups of powerfully-strong coffee.
The cooks ate a hasty meal, cleaned up, and began the dinner preparations. Huge platters of hot roast beef or pork, large bowls heaped with mashed potatoes, turnips, carrots, and other vegetables, plus large containers of gravy were quickly emptied. Bread was sliced a loaf at a time. The cooks made a loaf for each man per day. Dessert was usually pie (at least two portions for most workers) or puddings.
There was very little conversation during mealtime. The crewmen didn’t want to miss out on any food. Some jokes passed around the table, but often only the clamour of utensils and the sounds of food chomping broke the silence.
The women carried a mid-afternoon lunch of sandwiches, cookies, and beverages out to the field. The men worked in shifts so that the meal did not interrupt the operation.
Silent, Exhausted Harvesters
When a job was almost completed by sunset, the workers continued in the moonlight or by lantern light. At such times, they returned for supper about 9 o’clock. The evening meal was eaten quickly by the silent, exhausted workers.
Some crewmen complained of indigestion, but readily blamed their eating habits for the discomfort. According to the harvesters, meals definitely fit for a king were served during threshing days
Sources:
West of Yesterday by George Shepherd; McClelland & Stewart Ltd., 1965
Salt of the Earth by Heather Robertson; James Lorimer & Company 1974
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