Blog - Vintage Recipes and Cookery

Spinach Recipes – Spinach Balls, Cream, Fried, Dumplings….

Angela Johnson Comments 6 comments

INFORMATION FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS “Spinach requires close examination and picking, as insects are frequently found among it and it is often gritty. Nothing is worse than spinach when gritty, so likewise there is nothing more troublesome to get quite clean, from its growing so near the earth. Spinach should be picked a leaf at a time, and washed in three or four waters. Then drain it and put it in boiling water. Fifteen to twenty minutes is generally sufficient time…

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Gelatin Dessert Recipes

Angela Johnson Comments 8 comments

In 1894, Charles Knox saw how much work his wife had to do to make gelatin, and decided to find an easier way. The gelatin he created was made into dried sheets and Knox hired salesmen to show women how to use them. In 1896, his wife, Rose, published Dainty Desserts, a recipe book using Knox gelatin. Then in 1897, Pearle Bixby Wait trademarked a gelatin dessert, called Jell-O. He and his wife added fruit flavoring to granulated gelatin and…

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Pumpkin Loaf, Indian Cakes, Marmalade, Pie, and Tart

Angela Johnson Comments 5 comments

Pumpkins were a popular crop in the 1800s. They were easy to grow and if stored properly in a warm, dry place, could be kept all winter. Recipes from old cookbooks used fresh pumpkins, but if one called for stewed pumpkin, it’s like the plain canned pumpkin we buy today. Recipes often did not include baking times or how hot to make your oven. You were supposed to know or learn through experience. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS Deep colored…

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A variety of pumpkins and winter squashes

Winter Squash Recipes

Angela Johnson Comments 2 comments

I never ate any kind of squash when I was a child, but I’ve eaten summer squashes like green zucchini and yellow squash as an adult. It’s only been in the last couple of years that I’ve tried any of the winter squashes: Butternut Squash, Spaghetti Squash, and Delicata Squash. When people in the 1800s cooked foods in their wood burning stoves, there were no thermometers. So recipes referred to the oven temperature as a slow, moderate, or hot oven. The cook…

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Fresh Summer Squash in Baskets at Farmer's Market

Cooking Summer Squash

Angela Johnson Comments 6 comments

Summer squashes are picked before they’re mature. The rind is thin and edible, and you can also eat the seeds. But summer squashes can’t be stored like winter squashes. Some summer squashes in the U.S. are: Pattypan squash Crookneck squash Straightneck squash Zucchini (courgette) INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS: Summer Squash is a fruit vegetable belonging to the same class as eggplant, peppers, etc. and occurring in many varieties. The different kinds of this vegetable vary greatly in size, shape, and…

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Recipes for Savory Fritters

Angela Johnson Comments 6 comments

FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS: Fritters are served for luncheon, dinner or supper, as an entree, a vegetable or a sweet, according to the ingredients used. The foundation batter is much the same for all fritters. They should be fried in deep fat, hot enough to brown a piece of bread in 60 seconds. BATTER FOR SAVORY FRITTERS Put six ounces of flour into a basin, with a pinch of salt, the yolk of one egg, and one-fourth pint of warm water….

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Recipes for Sweet Fritters

Angela Johnson Comments 2 comments

Even though these recipes are from cookbooks published in the 1800s, they can easily be followed today. If you don’t have access to lard or don’t care to use it, there are many other cooking oils you can use. Fritters can be pan fried or deep fried, and you’ll want to use an oil with a high smoking point (refer to article from “Serious Eats)”. Also, don’t put too many fritters in the oil at once; it’ll lower the temperature…

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Recipes Using Sweet and Bitter Almonds

Angela Johnson Comments 8 comments

Sweet almonds are the kind we eat today in the U.S. But old cookbooks include bitter almonds in recipes. Bitter almonds can be poisonous if you eat too many. Selling bitter almonds is prohibited in the United States, although you can buy European-grown bitter almonds on Amazon. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS: There are two varieties, known as the bitter and the sweet almond. The kernel of the almond yields a fixed oil. That produced from the bitter almond is much esteemed for flavoring…

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