Voice of the Mid-Columbia | Kennewick, Pasco and Richland, Wash. |
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closeSunday, Oct. 19, 2008
Musical cooks: Mid-Columbia group mixes Dutch oven cooks with bluegrass
By Loretto J. Hulse, Herald staff writer
They play and sing old-time acoustic music, some of it from the late 1800s.
They also enjoy cooking in Dutch ovens as explorers and cowboys did. Yet members of the Mid-Columbia Traditional Arts and Music Association (MCTAMA) also appreciate modern conveniences like listening to the old ballads and folk tunes on CDs and using briquettes, not logs, to heat their pots.
"Our interests span from the late 1800s all the way up to modern times," said MCTAMA president Joe Winters of Kennewick.
The group has 34 members and is made up of two chapters -- the Mid-Columbia Bluegrass Association and the Three Rivers Cast Iron Cookers -- which merged in 2005 under the umbrella of the MCTAMA.
Their goal: To foster the traditional arts and acoustic music through concerts, Dutch oven cooking demonstrations and classes, musical jam sessions and organizing encampments like the Heritage Days a few weeks ago at Sacajawea State Park outside Pasco.
Their skills are varied. Some play instruments and sing, others can turn a few simple ingredients into gourmet dishes over glowing coals. A few do both, or are learning from each other how to pick and cook.
"All of our activities are family oriented, and a few are fattening," joked Winters.
"We complement each other," said Nancy Burgess, a Pasco native and MCTMA's vice president.
Burgess joined the Three Rivers Cast Iron Cookers about five years ago when someone gave her a Dutch oven. As it turned out the oven was meant to be used in an indoor oven, but it spurred her to take a Dutch oven cooking class through Kennewick Community Education.
"It was taught by members of the Cast Iron Cookers. I found they were a nice group of folks to get together with, so I joined," she said.
The Three Rivers Cast Iron Cookers do most of their demonstrations, seminars and cookouts during the spring, summer and fall months. For safety reasons they cook outdoors so they're limited by the weather.
"We do try not to cook in July and August, it's just too hot to be tending a fire," Burgess said.
But while the group doesn't schedule Dutch oven cooking demonstrations in the winter, Burgess doesn't let a little cold keep her from pulling out her Dutch ovens during the holidays.
"I use my cookers as an extra oven. I cook my rolls and veggie side dishes in them and leave the oven in the house free for the Thanksgiving turkey or Christmas roast," she said.
"They're pretty helpful and a useful tool for everyday cooking too," she said.
She also found it indispensable when the family was camping. "I'd often freeze our food to help it keep longer. So the cooker was useful for thawing and then cooking our meals," Burgess said.
Whenever Burgess and other members of the MCTAMA demonstrate their cookers they find people are intrigued by the process.
"They ask lots of questions from how do you season the cooker to how do you regulate the heat using briquettes," she said.
"Often I find they have one stuck away. Either they inherited it from grandma or bought one but then didn't know what to do with it," Burgess said.
"We'll teach you," she said.
The musicians among MCTAMA members also love to share their music and skills with the community. Everyone is welcome to attend their acoustic music jam sessions, which are scheduled year 'round.
Tuesday evening jams are open to variety of musical genres, from country to folk to Bluegrass. They meet from 7 to 9 p.m. at Quinault Baptist Church, 5400 W. Canal Dr., Kennewick.
During the first hour those who want to work on a new piece of music, figure out chord progressions or teach another musician a new lick or roll gather in the Workshop Room while the rest jam together. Later, everyone comes together to play.
The fourth Tuesday of the month they jam at Richland Gardens, an assisted living facility.
The first Thursday of the month is an all-Bluegrass music jam session. They meet at 7 p.m. at the First Christian Church, 1524 W. Marie St., in Pasco. Only acoustic instruments are welcome, no electric instruments or amplification are allowed.
The jams are all free and there's no need to call ahead or register.
"All people really need to do is introduce themselves and show up with their instruments tuned," Winters said.
Don't play an instrument but love the music? You're welcome at the jams, too.
For more information on the Mid-Columbia Traditional Arts and Music Association, go to www.mctama.net. Or call president Joe Winters at 582-6847. For information on the jam sessions, call Reade Obern at 509-492-1555.
* Loretto J. Hulse: 509-582-1513; lhulse@tricityherald.com.
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