Kitchen Krafts

By Hilary M. Hendricks

Pioneers who crossed the sea could not bring fresh food because it would spoil. For weeks they ate rice, oatmeal, and hard biscuits. To improve their bitter drinking water, they added lime and a bit of sugar.

You can make Ship’s Biscuits and Lime Water to sample. Then make Shipshape Sandwiches to remind you of the pioneers at sea.

Ship’s Biscuits

2 cups whole-wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 to 1 cup water, depending on your climate’s humidity

1. Stir the flour and salt together. Add the water a little at a time until you can press the dough into a ball. (It should not be very sticky.)

2. Knead the dough a few times. Roll it into a rectangle, about 1/2 inch (1.5 cm) thick. Cut the dough into six rectangle-shaped biscuits. Poke each one several times with a knife.

3. Bake on an ungreased baking sheet at 325°F (163°C) for 45 minutes. Remove from baking sheet to cool. Store biscuits uncovered so they dry out. To eat the biscuits, soak them in soup or milk.

Lime Water

1 cup water

2 teaspoons lime juice

1 teaspoon sugar

Mix ingredients together and stir until sugar dissolves.

Shipshape Sandwiches

1 medium cucumber, peeled

1 can (6 ounces/170 g) tuna fish, drained

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

1 heaping tablespoon sweet pickle relish

6 toothpicks

6 slices cheddar or mozzarella cheese, thicker at one end

1. Slice the cucumber in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Use a vegetable peeler to make a flat surface on the bottom of each cucumber half.

2. In a small bowl, mix the tuna, mayonnaise, and relish together. Divide the mixture evenly between the two cucumber halves.

3. Poke one end of a toothpick into the thickest edge of a slice of cheese. Carefully poke the other end of the toothpick into the cucumber so the slice of cheese stands up like a sail. Repeat with the remaining toothpicks so each cucumber “ship” has three sails.

Illustrations by Julie F. Young