Pit Cooking

During the gathering, Tim had some of the kids hopping around the ground on all fours like rabbits. At first, I thought it was just a funny game to engage the children, but with their hands on the ground, they were able to feel warmth rising from the soil. With a little encouragement from the adults, the kids started digging and soon uncovered an underground pit oven. The adults had made the oven earlier in the day, but it was like a totally new discovery for the kids. In the end, they recovered several elk roasts and potatoes, all wonderfully cooked. It was delicious.

I was so happy to see people using this ancient method of pit cooking. Truthfully, I have always wanted to try pit cooking some of the old foods like lack moss or brown camas. Perhaps we will do it in time.