By Rich Larson
Loon Liquors is getting into the spirit of the Defeat of Jesse James Days this weekend by offering visitors a taste of what people in Northfield might have eaten during the era of the famous 1876 bank raid.
Owners Mark Schiller and Simion Rossi have developed a special Defeat Days menu featuring food inspired by recipes and ingredients from the late 19th century.
Among the featured items is the “Scattered Posse Platter,” made with rustic bread using Loon’s sourdough base, along with honey butter, apple butter, and pork and beans. The menu runs through Sunday.
Schiller said the idea grew out of a simple question: Northfield had a flour mill in 1876, so what were people doing with all that flour?
With help from the Northfield Historical Society and local historian Earl Weinmann, Schiller and Rossi found a Minnesota cookbook published in 1887. They used those recipes as a guide and checked ingredients to make sure they would have been available during the period.
The project also fits Loon’s emphasis on local ingredients. They are extremely proud of the fact that they mill their own flour. The wheat used is grown about ten miles from Northfield, while other ingredients come from producers including Hope Creamery, Homestead Apiaries and Fireside Orchard.
Rossi said even the apple butter was developed with history in mind. It uses several varieties of locally grown apples, reduced cider and spices that the owners verified would have been available in the 19th century.
But Schiller said the project is about more than creating unusual menu items.
With reenactments, period clothing and historical programming already bringing the 1876 story to life, he said Loon saw an opportunity to add food to that experience.
The distillery will also donate 15 percent of proceeds from the special items, divided between the Northfield Historical Society and the Defeat of Jesse James Days Committee.
For Schiller and Rossi, it is another way for their recently relocated downtown business to participate in one of Northfield’s signature traditions — while giving visitors another way to experience the history behind it.
Rich Larson is the owner and General Manager of KYMN Radio. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
