The Perfect Meal While Outdoors

So you’ve spent all day gold panning, and you’re ready for some good grub! If you want to live the life of a gold prospector, try what’s called the “Hangtown Fry” – a hearty omelet-style meal of oysters, bacon, eggs, and potatoes that was popular in Placerville, California, home of the Gold Rush. Miners, who spent the majority of their time eating scarcely and working hard for their gold, were often eager to splurge on a delicacy like this one once they returned to town. Find the ingredients for making one below:

Ingredients:

• 4 strips bacon
• 3 oz. smoked ham, cut into strips
• 6 eggs
• ¼ cup cream
• 2 tablespoons water
• 4 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
• 8 to 10 shucked oysters
• 1 shallot, minced
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

The "Hangtown Fry" is a delicious and nutritious meal.

Directions:

1. Cook bacon in ovenproof skillet until crisp. Drain cooked bacon strips on paper towels. Do not remove bacon grease. Add ham strips to skillet and lightly brown. Drain on paper towels.
2. Beat 4 of the eggs in medium bowl. Add cream, water, parsley, and cheese. Set aside.
3. Beat remaining 2 eggs in shallow bowl and spread breadcrumbs on a plate.
4. Dip oysters in beaten eggs, then breadcrumbs.
5. Preheat broiler.
6. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease from the skillet in which you cooked the ham. Heat grease. Add minced shallots and cook for about 1 minute.
7. Add oysters and cook each side on medium heat for approximately 1 minute.
8. Return bacon & ham to skillet.
9. Add egg mixture and cook on medium heat until eggs begin to set (approx. 4-5 minutes). DO NOT STIR.
10. Place skillet under broiler until the Hangtown Fry is golden brown.
11. Salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with parsley.

Let us know what you think! 

Best Food Choices While Gold Panning 

Last month, we shared a recipe for "Hangtown Fry" (link to prev. blog), a popular miner meal. This month, we’re back with another traditional recipe for miners: Hard Tack Biscuits. Hard tack bread was commonplace during the 49er gold rush, since its ingredients were relatively easy to acquire. As their name suggests, hard tack biscuits are traditionally hard and dry, and they’re definitely worth a try! Interested in learning more about how your predecessors dined? Follow the recipe below!

Hard tack biscuits can be a filling meal while gold panning.

Ingredients:

• lb flour
• ½ pint water
• ½ tablespoon sea salt

• 2 oz. butter
• Substitute ½ pint skim milk for ½ pint water.

Directions (traditional recipe):

1. Combine flour, water, and sea salt in mixing bowl.
2. Knead dough until thoroughly mixed.
3. Roll dough out until fairly thin.
4. Cut the dough into rounds using a biscuit cutter or the rim of a glass.
5. Place on baking tray and use a toothpick to poke several holes in the surface of every biscuit (this will allow air to escape during the baking process).
6. Bake slowly at 350 degrees until golden brown, about 30-45 minutes.
7. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Directions (modern recipe):

1. Combine flour and sea salt in mixing bowl.
2. Combine milk and butter in a saucepan on low heat until butter is melted.
3. Add the milk and butter mixture to mixing bowl and knead until dough forms.
4. Roll dough out until fairly thin.
5. Cut the dough into rounds using a biscuit cutter or the rim of a glass.
6. Place on baking tray and use a toothpick to poke several holes in the surface of every biscuit (this will allow air to escape during the baking process).
7. Bake slowly at 350 degrees until golden brown, about 30-45 minutes.
8. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Fun Facts About Gold 

We all love gold. Gold is fun, malleable, shiny, and downright cool. Here are 10 facts about gold you might not have known:

1. The word “gold” is derived from the proto-Indo-European base word meaning “yellow” or “bright”.

2. Gold is so rare that more steel is poured every hour in the world than gold has been poured since the beginning of recorded history.

3. It is thought that anywhere from 80 to 95 percent of the world’s gold is still undiscovered.

4. The largest gold nugget ever is the “Welcome Stranger”. The nugget is 10 by 25 inches and weighs approximately 2,248 ounces.

5. The world’s largest stockpile of gold is not at Fort Knox. It is instead located five stories beneath the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. It holds 25 percent of the world’s gold reserve.

6. Carats of gold are a weight measured in 10, 12, 14, 18, 22, or 24. The higher the number, the greater the purity. Pure gold is 24 carats and can be molded by hand.

7. Gold can never rust and does not cause skin irritation because it is chemically inert.

8. Gold is worth $1,275 an ounce as of October 15, 2013. In 2008, it was worth $1,000 an ounce.

9. Gold is incredibly pliable. One ounce of gold can be stretched to more than 50 miles.

10. Weird fact: Gold is edible. Some countries put gold in their fruit, jelly snacks, coffee and tea. Europeans have been putting gold leaf in bottles of liquor, such as Goldwasser and Goldschlager. Some Native American tribes believed gold could allow people to levitate.

History of Gold Panning in Alaska 

Alaska has often been associated with gold discovery and prospecting. The history of gold rushes in the region dates back to the 19th century.

Gold was discovered in Klondike, Alaska in 1896, but word did not spread quickly to the continental United States. It wasn't until prospectors in Seattle and San Francisco caught word of the discovery just more than a year later, that there began a "rush" to Klondike in the hopes of striking it rich. Nearly 100,000 prospectors migrated to the Klondike region, but only 30,000 arrived due to weather, distance, and illness. Of those 30,000, only about 4,000 people discovered gold.

There was a strong economic effect due to the Klondike migration, which was felt through northwestern Canada and Alaska. Towns and cities were established to provide living quarters and supplies to the miners. Homes were established in these small towns and cities as well. As the gold rush dragged on, many miners that were left actually brought their families with them. Though few struck it "rich," the gold rush brought in thousands who ultimately helped create an economic infrastructure for Alaska and northwestern Canada. Several years after the beginning of the gold rush, thousands of small claims were consolidated into fewer, larger claims that could marshal the resources for mass processing and have some hope of turning a profit.

Prospectors ascending the Chilkoot Pass in a long line near Klondike, Alaska.

When gold was discovered in the Alaskan town of Nome in 1899, many miners from Klondike consolidated their resources and ventured there. Gold was very easily obtained and the gold rush that ensued lasted for more than a decade. Nome is still a popular mining spot to this day and the total gold estimated to have come from the region is estimated to be 112 metric tons, with an estimated value of nearly $5.03 billion by today’s value of gold.

If you are native to Canada or Alaska, or perhaps you are visiting the region, you should consider gold panning there. Not only is there a great deal of historical relevance, you may just find some gold yourself! For all your gold panning needs, consider using the Gold Rush Nugget Bucket!

Rumors Surround China Setting New Gold Standard

Although there are rumors that China is setting the government up for a gold standard, experts say the rumors are false. According to Jim Rickards, author of the bestselling books, “Current Wars: The Making of the Next Global Crisis,” the rumors surrounding the possibility of a Chinese gold standard are unsubstantiated and overblown. China used to be on a gold standard and spent nearly 20 years trying to get away from it.

How does this affect you exactly? If China were to go on a gold standard, many more countries would more than likely follow suit due to the ever-increasing appreciation of China’s currency. However, there are several reasons why gold serves as a great monetary investment tool for the individual, but not for a central government or bank.

1. A gold standard makes business cycles, such as inflation and deflations, much more extreme and difficult to manage for businesses and central banks. Since the central banks in China would be unable to fight the cycles head on and could cripple the economy, other countries would likely not want China to be on a gold standard.
2. The Chinese Yuan could become too expensive for China to export to the west since Western currency is depreciating in value. It might strengthen the value of China’s currency, but it would make trading next to impossible due to its high value.
3. China doesn’t hold the pricing power on gold. The United States and other Western nations set the power of gold. If China went with a gold standard, Western nations could purposely or accidentally cripple any backing of Chinese currency if their own economies were in crisis.

We believe it’s important to not only understand the value of gold, but how it affects the international populace. Gold’s value in undeniable.