| Joe Froggers are deliciously moist
cookies the fishermen and sailors would take with them to sea. Their name comes
from their legacy as the invention of Black Joe, the proprietor of Black Joe’s
Tavern. Here’s one of my favorite interpretations of the historic recipe. 2 ˝
cups sifted flour
1 ˝ tsp. ginger
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
˝ tsp. ground cloves
˝ tsp. nutmeg
˝ tsp. allspice
˝ cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup light molasses |
Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, salt, ground cloves,
nutmeg and allspice. Cream shortening and sugar well and beat in molasses. Add
flour mixture and stir until thoroughly mixed. Take half the dough,
refrigerating the other half. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to a 1/4
inch thickness. Cut with lightly floured 3 inch cookie cutter. Place cut dough on a
lightly greased baking sheet and bake at 350F for 10 minutes or until done. Cool on
baking sheet for 1 to 2 minutes. Use a wide spatula to move cookies to wire rack.
Cool.
Repeat with remaining dough. Store in air-tight container. |
Pineapples and eagles
decorate a number of front doors in Old Town Marblehead. Pineapples are the symbol of welcome and hospitality. This
tradition comes from the practice of seafaring captains returning with a pineapple, a sign of the distance they had
traveled and of prosperity. Upon their return, the pineapples would be placed by the front door or front gate as an
indication that the captain was now home and receiving visitors.
Lafayette House is
one of the more famous sites in Marblehead. Legend has it that when Lafayette's coach tried to make it around the
corner, it could not pass for the narrowness of the way. The homeowner cut off the corner of the house to make way
for the French General's coach. Skeptics suggest a more probable story is that the corner was cut off to
accommodate freer flow of draining water and sewage. 
Beyond 
