“Keeper of the King’s Storehouse” and Cast Iron Cookware

In 1714 Louis Antoine Juchereau de St. Denis navigated up the Red River on his trade mission from what is now Mobile, Alabama to Mexico. Because of a massive log jam St. Denis had to leave the river and continue overland. He landed near a village of the Natchitoches (nak-a-tish) Indians. St. Denis continued on to Mexico but left a few men to guard their provisions and trade with the Native Americans.Their rustic huts became Fort St. Jean Baptiste, the oldest continuous European settlement in the entire Louisiana Purchase Territory. Francois Dion Duprez d’Herbonne (Derbonne), Barbara’s ninth generation grandfather was commissioned in 1716 by King Louis XV of France “Keeper of the King’s Store House and Paymaster of the Militia” at Fort St. Jean Baptiste.

Barbara Bailey, partner with her husband Doyle, operates Cast Iron Cookware Shop in Natchitoches. Family history shows that her grandfather Francois Dion Duprez d’Herbonne (9 generations ago) also was a merchant who dealt with cast iron cookware in the store at Ft. St. Jean Baptiste. Barbara’s grandfather’s stewardship as “Keeper of the King’s Storehouse” involved the management of cast iron cookware. It must run in the family for Barbara loves cast iron cookware. She cooks with it every day and loves to talk about it with others.

Cast Iron Cookware has been around a long time. Start your collection or add to your collection of cast iron cookware and you will have family heirlooms you can pass to your children and grandchildren. In the mean time you will enjoy meals that let you “taste the food and not the cookware“.

For more on the French Colonial History of Natchitoches, the oldest permanent settlement in the Louisiana Purchase, visit Barbara’s Blog. http://www.tournatchitocheswithbarbara.storeblogs.com

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HOW MANY LANGUAGES CAN YOUR CAST IRON DUTCH OVEN SPEAK?

In 1704 Abraham Darby traveled from England to Holland to observe a Dutch casting process by which brass vessels were placed into dry sand molds to be cast. When he returned to England, he too experimented with the process and finally patented a casting process using superior molding sand as well as baking the mold to improve casting smoothness. Later, Darby began the process of casting pots and shipping them to the American Colonies and to many other countries. Ragsdale (”Dutch Ovens Chronicled, Their Use in the United States” by John Ragsdale, University of Arkansas Press), feels that the name Dutch Oven may have originated with the original dutch process for casting these metal pots. I plan to share other ideas in future posts.
So at least we can now agree on the fact that your cast iron “dutch” oven can speak “Dutch”. When you cook something in your cast iron dutch oven, you will discover a totally new meaning to the expression ““dutch treat” Consider your options: (1) Brunswick Stew gets its name from an area of Virginia. It was originally made with squirrel meat but the recipe now calls for both chicken and pork. Your cast iron dutch oven is fluent in the idiom of the Old Dominion State. 2. Louisiana Seafood Gumbo Brush up on your Cajun French. A dutch oven could well be called “mon ami” in a Cajun kitchen and yours can make Louisiana Seafood Gumbos without a problem. It speaks Cajun French. 3. Have a taste for “arroz con frijoles negros? No problem. Let your cast iron dutch oven translate your “rice with black beans” into a delicious family favorite. It also speaks Spanish, the language of Cervantes. 4. Like French Cuisine?? Bon. Your polyglot dutch oven can cook in this language easily. It also speaks French. These recipes can be found in Cast Iron Cooking For Dummies” recipes from Lodge Manufacturing Co, America’s No. 1 maker of cast iron pots, skillets and dutch ovens. Check out free tips at “dummies.com”. If you still do not have a cast iron dutch oven, you can see a full selection of pre-seasoned, enameled, and camp dutch ovens at ‘castironcookwareshop.com”. No manner what languege you cook in, cast iron cookware allows you to “taste the food and not the cookware”. When you cook your “Dutch Oven Treat”, tell us about it. We love to hear from people who cook with cast iron dutch ovens. Nosotros hablamos el espanol y nuestra olla tambien.

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