oh how far we have come

While sipping our fresh french press coffee the other morning at my parents cottage in Millinocket, Maine, Dave Mac stumbled upon an old local cookbook titled Campfires to Cupboard. The only reference to a date was in the introduction when the author made note of her father cooking in 1918, so I think it is safe to say, this book is "old". However, the first recipe we came to really dated the book. . .here it is, verbatim (spelling and all).

-Grand Lake Guide's Coffee-

2 Qt. coffee pot, filled 2/3 full of water

(Grand Lake water if possible)

Hang over open fire on the end of a pole. Take 1/4# coffee and one egg. Break egg and mix with coffee, shell and all. Let water come to a near boil pitch and dump in coffee. Set in as close as possible to fire with nozzle towards heat. Let it boil up over the nozzle and back into the pot. IT will circulate as a perculator. Let boil 10 minutes and set back a foot and pour in a cup of cold water. Watch it settle. Taste it It's good.

Yes my dear friends, this was how coffee was consumed in Grand Lake, Maine in the early 1900's, and to give credit where credit is due ~ thank you to the author, Mr. George MacArthur.