Celebrating 60: Hominy Hill Golf Course

Hominy Hill Golf Course (1983)

In 1965, when Henry Dickson Mercer, Sr., built Hominy Hill Golf Course, it became one of New Jersey's most exclusive private golf courses. Mr. Mercer was president of the States Marine Corporation shipping company and lived in Rumson. He had purchased several farms in Colts Neck in 1941 to raise prize-winning herds of Guernsey cattle, eventually accumulating 411 acres and named his land Hominy Hill Farm after the Manhomoney Hills, the historic name for a grouping of small hills in Colts Neck. 

In 1963, Mr. Mercer commissioned famed golf course architect, Robert Trent Jones, Sr., to convert 180 acres of the farm into an 18-hole golf course for entertaining his foreign business contacts. Jones was known for designing and redesigning hundreds of challenging courses during his seven-decade career under the philosophy that golfers had to earn their rewards through high achievement. Mr. Mercer directed Jones to spare no expense in making Hominy Hill a championship-quality golf course. Jones laid out a long par 72 course measuring 7,120 yards and installed 138 bunkers to challenge golfers, as well as incorporated tributaries of the Mine Brook that runs through the rolling landscape as water hazards on several holes.

Hominy Hill Clubhouse

Architect Derrick Kipp was hired to convert the farm’s large dairy barn into a clubhouse with locker rooms and an informal restaurant with seating for 60 people on the ground floor. He turned the enormous hayloft into a formal restaurant with seating for 125 people and a large kitchen. In spite of its lavish features and meticulous care, few people actually got the opportunity to play golf at Hominy Hill. Mr. Mercer occasionally opened the course to charity events, but otherwise golfers played there only by invitation. He missed seeing cattle on the remaining portion of the farm, and he started a purebred Charolais beef cattle herd there. 

In 1975, the Mercer family decided to put the course up for sale and made a verbal agreement to sell it to the County. The Mercers resisted offers from developers to purchase the course at a higher price during the 18 months it took for the Park System to secure a Green Acres matching grant for the acquisition. While some were concerned the Park System would not be able to maintain Hominy Hill at the level of quality that the Mercers had achieved, the popularity of the course since its acquisition has long silenced any skeptics. It has been named by NJ.com and Inside Jersey as one of New Jersey's "10 Best Golf Courses for the Money," and has been voted the "Best Public Golf Course" in the state by New Jersey Monthly magazine's readers.

For more information about Hominy Hill Golf Course, visit us on the web.

Historic details for this post were collected from The Monmouth County Park System: The First Fifty Years.

From the Garden of Historic Longstreet Farm: Garlic

Garlic has a long history in many countries. The center of origin is Central Asia, which was the only place garlic flourished in the wild without human assistance, about 5,000-6,000 years ago. The Egyptian and Indian cultures referred to garlic 5,000 years ago and there is evidence it was used by the Babylonians 4,500 years ago. It was only within the last 1,000 years that garlic started being cultivated in southern Europe. 

This pungent vegetable has had many uses throughout the centuries. Both ancient Chinese and Indian cultures used garlic for a variety of ailments, from digestion to leprosy. A 14th-century Muslim physician recommended garlic for toothaches, constipation, parasites, snake bites and more. And during medieval times in Europe, garlic had a magical significance, thought to protect against witchcraft, vampires, devils and disease. Garlic made its way to North America with European settlers and today we use it to flavor a wide variety of dishes and it is still known for its medicinal uses.

In the early 19th century, garlic was most often used for medical purposes rather than culinary in North America. But after the 1850s, it became more utilized in cooking to flavor a variety of dishes and condiments, largely through the influence of French cookbooks. 

Historic Longstreet Farm is known for recreating the sights and sounds of the 1890s. Check out these traditional uses for garlic, both medicinal and culinary, from this time period in the U.S.:

Draughts for the Feet.

Garlics are also made for draughts by pounding them, placing them on a hot time plate for a moment to sweat them, and binding them closely to the hollow of the foot by a cloth bandage.

From "White House Cookbook: A Selection of Choice Recipes Original and Selected, during a period of Forty Years" by Mrs. F.L. Gillette. R. S.. Peale & Company, Chicago, 1887.

Garlic Butter or Gascony Butter.

No. 730. - Boil one dozen cloves of Garlic for ten minutes. Then drain them and pound them in a mortar with half a pound of butter. Add a little nutmeg and a pinch of red pepper, and when well mixed, rub it through a fine sieve and keep it in a cool place.

From "Harder's Practical American Cookery, Volume 1, Treating of American Vegetables, and all Alimentary Plants, Roots and Seeds" by Jules Arthur Harder, Chef de Cuisine, Palace Hotel. San Francisco, 1885.

Garlic Vinegar.

An excellent vinegar made as follows: Put three ounces of bruised garlic-cloves into an earthen jar with a teaspoonful of coarse salt, four cloves, four peppercorns, half an ounce of whole-dried ginger; pour over these a quart of the best vinegar; let it infuse two weeks, strain, and put into half-pint bottles; cork well. To those who will not use garlic in salads for flavoring this vinegar is recommended.

From "Salads and Sauces" by Thomas J. Murrey. Frederick A. Stokes Company Publishers, New York, 1884.

Tomato Catsup (Catsup de Tomates).

Boil one quart of vinegar in a saucepan, adding a quarter of an ounce of capsicum peppers, one ounce of garlic, half an ounce of shallot, all nicely peeled, and half an ounce of white ground pepper, also a coffeespoonful of red pepper, and let boil for ten minutes, then strain through a fine sieve. Mix in with this vinegar, one and a half pounds of tomatoes, reduce all together and then add the juice of three lemons, and salt to taste. Should this sauce be too thick, add more vinegar or some water; fill up the bottles, let stand till cold, then put them in a very cool place to use when needed. This sauce is excellent as a relish for cold meats fish, oysters, etc.

From "The Epicurean: A Complete Treatise of Analytical and Practical Studies on the Culinary Art" by Charles Ranhofer. Charles Ranhofer, New York, 1894.

Please Note: Historic Longstreet Farm is currently open to the public, though at this time the farmhouse remains closed. We’re operating on our summer schedule from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. through Labor Day. We ask that visitors continue social distancing and strongly recommend face coverings, especially when interacting with staff. We remind visitors that for both your safety and the safety of our animals, touching or feeding the animals is not permitted. We look forward to seeing you at the farm and be sure to take a walk past the garden to see what's currently growing.

Sources

• "Garlic". American Heritage Vegetables, http://www.digitalussouth.org/vegetable/vegetable.php?vegName=Garlic.
• "Garlic Domestication - Where Did it Come from and When?" by K. Kris Hirst. ThoughtCo, 2019, https://www.thoughtco.com/garlic-domestication-where-and-when-169374.
• "The origins and distributions of garlic: How many garlics are there?" by Philipp W. Simon. Vegetable Crops Research: Madison, WI, U.S. Department of Agriculture, https://www.ars.usda.gov/midwest-area/madison-wi/vegetable-crops-research/docs/simon-garlic-origins/.

From the Garden of Historic Longstreet Farm: Strawberries

One of the berries harvested in the garden at Historic Longstreet Farm are strawberries. Strawberries were also said to have been peddled on the streets of ancient Grecian and Roman cities. The popular, delicious berries are actually native to North America and the Native Americans used them in many dishes. In as early as 1600, the first colonists in America shipped native strawberry plants back to Europe. 

Early Americans didn't cultivate strawberries in their own gardens because they were so abundant in the wild. It wasn't until the early 19th century that cultivation began as strawberries became considered an ingredient in luxurious desserts. New York was a hub for strawberries with the advent of the railroad as they shipped their crops in refrigerated rail cars. Production then spread across the country, and today 75 percent of U.S. strawberry crops are grown in California.

Check out these traditional recipes and techniques for strawberries from cookbooks published in the late 19th century:

Rice and Strawberry Dessert.

Soak a cup of rice in one and a half cups of new milk; place all in an earthen dish, and steam an hour, or until dry and tender, stirring occasionally for the first fifteen minutes. When the rice is done, place in the bottom of cups previously moistened with cold water, five nice hulled strawberries in the shape of a star. Carefully fill the interstices between the berries with the cooked rice, and put in a layer of rice. Add next a layer of strawberries, then another of rice. Press firmly into the coups, and set away to cool. When well molded, turn into saucers, and pile whipped cream around each mold; sprinkle with sugar and serve.

A little care in forming the stars and filling in the molds makes this a delicious and pretty dessert. If preferred, the dessert may be prepared in one large mold, and a larger number of berries arranged in the form of a cross in the bottom of the dish, covering with rice, and adding as many alternate layers of berries and rice as desired.

From “Science in the Kitchen” by Mrs. E.E. Kellogg, A.M. Modern Medicine Publishing Co., Chicago, 1893.


Strawberry Sherbet.

-Mrs. W. W. Ross.-

One quart of strawberries, three pints of water, one lemon, the juice only, one tablespoonful of orange flower water, three-fourths of a pound of sugar. The strawberries should be very ripe, crush to a smooth paste, add the rest of the ingredients except the sugar, and let it stand for three hours; strain over the sugar, stir until sugar is dissolved, strain again; and set in a pail of ice for two hours or more before using. This is delicious.
From "Keesling's Book of Recipes and Household Hints" by B.F. Keesling, Wholesale and Retail Druggist. Wilson, Humphreys & Co, Logansport, Indiana, 1890.


Strawberry Sponge.

1/3 box gelatine or 1 2/3 tablespoons granulated gelatine.

1/3 cup cold water.

1/3 cup boiling water.

1 cup sugar.

1 tablespoon lemon juice.

1 cup strawberry juice.

Whites 3 eggs.

Whip from 2 cups cream.

Soak gelatine in cold water, dissolve in boiling water, strain, and add sugar, lemon juice, strawberry juice. Chill in pan of ice water; when quite thick, beat with wire spoon or whisk until frothy, then add whites of eggs beaten stiff, and fold in cream. Line a mould with sections of strawberries, turn in mixture, smooth evenly, and chill.

From "The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book" by Fannie Merritt Farmer, Principal of the Boston Cooking-School. Little, Brown, and Company, Boston, Massachusetts, 1896.

Source:

• A Brief History of the Strawberry, The Spruce Eats. https://www.thespruceeats.com/history-of-strawberry-1807668.
• “Science in the Kitchen” by Mrs. E.E. Kellogg, A.M. Modern Medicine Publishing Co., Chicago, 1893.

From the Garden of Historic Longstreet Farm: Lettuce

From the main ingredient of your average salad to a compliments of other dishes such as sandwiches, today we use lettuce in many different ways. But did you know that lettuce can be traced back to approximately 2700 B.C. through Egyptian wall murals portraying lettuce cultivation. At the time, Egyptians utilized oils of wild lettuce seeds for medicine, cooking and mummification. Originally a bitter vegetable, the Egyptians later bred their lettuce to be more palatable, the plants being tall with separate leaves.

Greeks learned of lettuce through the Egyptians and served salads at the beginning of their meals in order to aid digestion. They too continued to cultivate their varieties for more flavorful leaves and passed their knowledge onto the Romans who named the plant "lactuca," which meant "milk" for the plant's white sap. The Romans brought lettuce into western Europe as well as to China where the plants developed thicker stems and smaller leaves which is sometimes called asparagus lettuce.

It was in the 1400s that loose-heading lettuces like butterhead were developed in Europe. It is thought that Christopher Columbus may have brought lettuce seeds to the New World or that later settlers brought cultivars. Over the next 200 years, lettuce spread through both North and South America.

A wide variety of lettuce cultivars developed around the world over the years, from the stem lettuces of Rome's papal gardens (romaine) to "brown Dutch" from Holland, which was one of Thomas Jefferson's favorites. Silesia lettuce, which was developed in France and known for its crinkled leaf edges, was a favorite in the United States during the 1800s.

At Historic Longstreet Farm, Paris white and oak leaf lettuces are planted in early spring and are almost ready to be harvested. Both originally cultivated in Europe and brought to the United States, Paris white is a romaine variety with tall leaves and white ribs and oak leaf is a butter lettuce with leaves shaped like those of an oak tree.

Check out these traditional recipes and techniques for lettuce from cookbooks published in the late 19th century:

Lettuce Salad.
(No. 4) After the lettuce has been carefully picked, washed and drained, pour the following sauce over it, and mix up well with two silver forks. Rub the yolks of two hard-boiled eggs to a paste, adding a teaspoonful of best salad oil or melted butter, being careful to add only a few drops at a time. Add half a teaspoonful of salt, half a teaspoonful or prepared mustard, very little pepper, two tablespoonfuls of white sugar. Stir very vigorously, then pour in gradually half a teacup full of vinegar. If there is more sauce than required, put in the refrigerator; it will keep two or three days.
From “Aunt Babette’s Cook Book” by Aunt Babette. The Bloch Publishing and Printing Co., Cincinnati and Chicago, 1889.
Mixed Summer Salad.
Three heads of lettuce, two teaspoonfuls of green mustard leaves; a handful of water-cresses; five tender radishes; one cucumber; three hard-boiled eggs; two teaspoonfuls of white sugar; one teaspoonful of salt; one teaspoonful of pepper; one teaspoonful of made mustard; one teacupful of vinegar; half a teacupful of oil.
Mix all well together, and serve with a lump of ice in the middle.
From “White House Cook Book: A Selection of Choice Recipes Original and Selected, during a period of forty years” by Mrs. F.L. Gillette. R. S.. Peale & Company, Chicago, 1887.
Lettuce.
Wash well, put into cold water, and set on ice or on the cellar bottom for an hour or more before using. Dry the leaves with a soft towel and use whole or tear into convenient pieces with a silver fork; never cut with a knife. Serve with a dressing prepared of equal quantities of lemon juice and sugar, diluted with a little ice water; or, with a dressing of cream and sugar, in the proportion of three or four tablespoonfuls of thin cream to a teaspoonful of sugar. The dressing may be prepared, and after the sugar is dissolved, a very little lemon juice (just enough to thicken the cream slightly, but not sufficient to curdle it) may be added if desired.
From “Science in the Kitchen” by Mrs. E.E. Kellogg, A.M. Modern Medicine Publishing Co., Chicago, 1893.

Please Note: Historic Longstreet Farm is closed at this time. However, our interpretive staff continues to work daily to keep up with the daily farm chores and maintain this beautiful historic site.

Sources:

• The History of Lettuce, Mother Earth Gardener. https://www.motherearthgardener.com/plant-profiles/edible/the-history-of-lettuce-zm0z18szphe.
• Harvesting History: Seeding the Future. https://harvesting-history.com/.