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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Developers donate 14 acres to Talent for open space ... Mail Tribune 100, Nov. 16,1915 ... Snow settles on passes as cold front hits Southern Oregon ... Developers donate 14 acres to Talent for open space ... Mail Tribune 100, Nov. 16,1915 ... Snow settles on passes as cold front hits Southern Oregon ... EAGLE POINT Dutch oven aficionados put on a feast in Eagle Point Annual event at Butte Creek Mill feeds hundreds Comment By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune Posted Nov. 15, 2015 at 12:01 AM By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune Posted Nov. 15, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News EAGLE POINT — The smells wafting around the historic Butte Creek Mill were hard to ignore Saturday morning. Combinations of baked ham and sweet potatoes with the occasional burst, at the cracking of a lid heavy cast iron lid, of butter drenched turkeys, apple Bundt cake and pioneer style breads, lured mill patrons outside to ogle the offerings. The Oregon Pacific Cookers set up camp in the mill parking lot shortly after 6:30 a.m. Within just a few hours, sensory overload was an understatement. "We call this 'Thanksgiving dinner to the hilt!' " declared Laura Lee. One half of competitive Dutch oven team, "Trailhead Kitchen" along with husband Charles, Laura Lee helped lift oven lids on a pair of turkeys for her counterpart to drizzle with melted butter. A group of some 20 Dutch oven enthusiasts, the Oregon Pacific Cookers, were invited by Mayor Bob Russell, owner of the historic mill, for a Saturday cook-fest. Russell's annual "Gobble Til' You Wobble," has a basic concept he and his wife, who passed away in September, started eight years ago. "We basically decided to find these Dutch oven enthusiasts and ask them to come out and cook some Thanksgiving dinners and we would give them away to the crowds," said Russell. "These groups trade recipes, they help scout groups. It's just a real fun deal." With the group members all cooking two to four pots of food, Laura and Charles Lee estimated being ready, just before noon, to feed 150-200 hungry visitors for the free event. To complement the turkeys under the charge of the couple, group member Janice Cantore, a newbie to Dutch oven cooking but already competing around the region, watched a baking ham and whipped up some pumpkin pies in other available ovens. Down the row of three-dozen heated ovens, sitting on beds of smoking charcoals, were an array of potatoes, cranberries, gravies, cakes, biscuits and even pizzas. "I'm a newbie but I already love it," Cantore said. "I did a competition with Charles and I was hooked. The ovens are really fun to take camping. This summer on a church campout, I did a big pot of beef stew that turned out so good." Admiring a perfectly baked apple Bundt cake, Trail resident Darnell Young explained her use of the Bundt pans for Saturday's event. "You can cook them in there without another pan, but the reason why i put them in the Bundt pans is I'm cooking potatoes for mashed potatoes in there and I wanted my pans to be clean for the potatoes," she said. "So now I can cook my cakes and my potatoes and move on to the next thing." Charles Lee, securing the lid on a newly purchased, sizeable cast-iron oven, affectionately identified as "number 23" in his collection, acknowledged a growing interest in foodies of all ages. Lee admitted as much interest in the historic appeal as the intense flavors obtained by cooking in the ovens. "They've really taken off the last few years and had a big comeback. You can cook anything in these things that you would cook in a conventional oven," he noted. For information about the Dutch oven group, and for recipes and cooking information from Trailhead Kitchen, visit online, http://trailheadkitchen.blogspot.com . To contact the Lees about the group, send an e-mail to [email protected]. Reach Medford freelance writer Buffy Pollock at [email protected]. By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune Posted Nov. 15, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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