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Health & Fitness

Life Skills Class Goes Colonial!

The East Hampton High School Life Skills class learns about history and cooking.

In anticipation of its Sustainable Garden elective offered next year, the Life Skills kids have been learning about the history of East Hampton. They’ve toured both the Town House and Hook School House museums. They have also been to a dry spice demo at the Clinton Academy as well as a tour of Mulford Farm.

The Life Skills class had a special visitor last Thursday, March 28 – Colette Guilbert from the East Hampton Historical Society. Ms. Guilbert came to teach the class to make “mock” passenger pigeon pie, a popular East Hampton recipe in the 18th century, and the students had decorated the class with pictures of popular items from the 1700s to welcome her. 

Ms. Guilbert described how once passenger pigeons were so plentiful in the area, "blackening the skies when they flew," that they were considered a nuisance -- or dinner. Similar to the age-old shepard pie popular in England, East Hampton settlers created many passenger pigeon pies, but the Life Skills class used chicken and instant mashed potatoes.

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She also brought herbs -- in particular, thyme -- which she passed around for everyone to rub on their hands to inhale the scent. Ms. Guilbert invited everyone to come and visit her this summer at the Mulford Farm herb garden, and to attend classes she will be teaching in making herbal tinctures and vinegars.

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