Blog

Ways to Prepare and Cook Oysters

Ways to Prepare and Cook Oysters

Oysters were plentiful along the U.S. east coast during the 1800s, and were cheap enough for the working class to buy. Over time, though, the demand for oysters depleted many of the beds. Their scarcity caused prices to rise and oysters became an expensive delicacy. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS Oysters must be fresh and fat to be good and are in season from September to May. They are sometimes eaten during the summer months, but are not so palatable and…

Read More Read More

Raspberry Drinks and Recipes

Raspberry Drinks and Recipes

Raspberries are a seasonal fruit and quite fragile. They won’t ripen after picking, so they can’t be stored fresh for very long. Back in the 1800s, with no electricity, berries had to be eaten quickly, bottled as drinks, or preserved as jelly. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS RASPBERRY ACID Dissolve five ounces of tartaric acid* in two quarts of water. Pour it on twelve pounds of red raspberries in a large bowl. Let it stand twenty-four hours and strain it…

Read More Read More

Homemade Cake Icing and Filling Recipes

Homemade Cake Icing and Filling Recipes

Today, some people just buy a can of ready-made frosting to ice a cake. But making your own frosting is not hard. You can try one of the many frosting and filling recipes listed below and perhaps be inspired to create one yourself. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS ~~  CAKE ICING RECIPES ~~ HOW TO USE ICING Over large cakes, pour the icing by spoonfuls near the center on the top of the cake. Spread it all over the cake…

Read More Read More

Delicious Ways to Use Mushrooms

Delicious Ways to Use Mushrooms

Mushrooms were a food people could forage for as long as they knew which ones were safe to eat. The flavor helped give variety to their meals.  INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS PICKLED MUSHROOMSTake the small round mushrooms that are pale pink underneath, with white tops, and peel them. Put them in a jar with a little mace, white mustard seed, and salt. Cover them with cold vinegar and tie them close. If you put in black pepper or cloves,…

Read More Read More

Keeping Unpasteurized (Raw) Milk Fresh

Keeping Unpasteurized (Raw) Milk Fresh

It was hard to keep food cool in the 1800s, especially during the summer. Refrigerators were cooled by large blocks of ice, but  were small and weren’t able to maintain a constant degree of coolness. In the United States, electricity didn’t become common in homes until the 1930s and electric refrigerators not until the late 1940s.   Refrigerated pasteurized milk stays fresh longer than raw milk, but it wasn’t until 1947 that states in the U.S. began enacting mandatory dairy…

Read More Read More

Lobster Recipes – Pudding, Deviled, Pickled, and more

Lobster Recipes – Pudding, Deviled, Pickled, and more

Lobsters used to be cheap and plentiful during the Colonial era in the U.S. They were often fed to prisoners, apprentices, slaves and children. Around the 1800s, though, lobster began to be acceptable for discriminating diners, which caused the price to rise. Information from History.com Today, lobster is still expensive and the cost continues to rise. INFORMATION BELOW COMPILED FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS ABOUT LOBSTERS Large lobsters are not as good as small ones. From about one to two and one-half…

Read More Read More

How to Make Essences to Flavor Food

How to Make Essences to Flavor Food

Herb, spice, and flower essences sold in stores are usually made by distilling. But the instructions below from 1800s cookbooks say to use alcohol to dissolve the plant oils and resins. Although not mentioned in these old cookbooks, you can also make essences with food grade liquid glycerine, although the process takes longer than using alcohol. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS ON ESSENCES The essences or essential oils sold for general use are, or ought to be, obtained by distillation….

Read More Read More

Sandwiches Made from Fruit and Nuts

Sandwiches Made from Fruit and Nuts

It took more time and work to make sandwiches in the 1800s. People often made their own bread but they could also buy it from markets and bakeries if they could afford it. However, it wasn’t until 1928 that bread was pre-sliced by machine. And although people sometimes used jelly and marmalade for sweet tasting sandwiches, they usually used dried or fresh fruit and nuts, which took more time to prepare. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS Sandwiches that have fruit…

Read More Read More