Cranford Historical Society Presentation, Women's Self Defense This Weekend

If you’ve ever wondered about what people used to eat before modern times, an event this weekend might be right for you.

The will host a presentation by food historian Judith Krall-Russo on Sunday, March 20 at 2:15pm, at the Crane-Phillips House Museum, entitled, “Eating and Drinking Customs during the Civil War and Reconstruction Years.”

Krall-Russo will discuss food and drink during the Civil War as well as after, including a discussion about the types of foods that Civil War soldiers ate, both in the North and the South.

“The north had bread, salt pork…they many times got hard bread, or salt pork that was moldy,” said Krall-Russo. “Sometimes they had to go on half rations. They also had to cook their own food a lot of the time.”

“[Southern Soldiers] were marching and for 12 days and they were on partial rations,” she said. “Which is like 8 biscuit’s a day, that’s what they were eating.”

Krall-Russo, who holds an MBA and previously worked in marketing, now focuses her time on the study of food history, speaking at various programs. She holds a tea certification from the Specialty Tea Institute as well, and part of Sunday’s program will include a discussion of the types of teas that people were drinking during the Civil War.

For more information about the event, call the Cranford Historical Society at 908-276-0082 or email cranfordhistoricalsociety@verizon.net.

More events this weekend:

Friday, March 18

• “Taste the Talent,” a pasta dinner and talent show to benefit RISE will be held at the from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $12 per person at the door. For families of three or more, $30 at the door.

Saturday, March 19

• A beginning birding workshop will be held by the Hanson Park Conservancy, featuring Frank Budney of “Friends of Lenape Park” for $2 at 11 a.m. at .

• The will host a women’s self defense workshop from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. To register, call 908-497-1100.

• The Theater Project will present a staged reading with music of “Clary’s Exodus,” by Rachel Rubin Ladutke at 3 p.m. on March 19 at the Roy Smith Theater at ’s Cranford campus. Admission is free and no reservations are necessary.

Sunday, March 20

• The is looking for people to this Sunday between 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Sandwiches should be wrapped then brought to the churched during these hours, where they will be stored in the church’s refrigerator.