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Category: Miscellaneous

Variety of fresh garden vegetables
Ways to Preserve Vegetables for the Winter

Ways to Preserve Vegetables for the Winter

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During most of the 1800s, people ate fresh garden produce seasonally. People didn’t begin home canning until the invention of the Mason jar in 1858 and it took a while for canning to become popular. So they needed to preserve their produce to have during the winter months, and making sure it was as fresh tasting as possible. No one wanted mushy or rotten vegetables because they weren’t stored properly. RECIPES BELOW COMPILED FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS PROPER PLACE FOR PRESERVING…

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chopped vegetable in wooden bowl
A Good Cook Never Wastes

A Good Cook Never Wastes

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It’s always good to save time and money on kitchen chores and food. Today, we can find advice in physical books, ebooks, on blogs, and on social media. In the 1800s, people found advice in cookbooks and newspapers. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS “A good cook never wastes. It is her pride to make the most of everything in the shape of food entrusted to her care, and her pleasure to serve it in the most appetizing form. In no…

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pieces of stale bread
Never Waste Stale Bread

Never Waste Stale Bread

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Food in the 1800s was too precious to waste. When you consider the time and effort of making homemade bread, you can understand why cooks made use of bread that went stale. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS — Cut stale bread into small pieces, the size of dice. Brown in a hot oven (about 400-450 degrees Fahrenheit) and serve with soup instead of serving crackers. — Small pieces of bread that cannot be used otherwise should be spread over a…

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Roast goose with apples
Roast Goose and Christmas Goose Pie

Roast Goose and Christmas Goose Pie

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Although people in the 1800s did hunt wild geese, a Christmas or holiday goose was more often a barnyard bird raised on farms. Wild geese are leaner, more muscular, and often older birds than domestic ones. Therefore, they need to be cooked a little differently. Recipes in cookbooks, unless specifically a cookbook for game, are for cooking geese raised on farmland. In the mid to late 1800s, though, turkey began overtaking goose as the meat for winter holidays. It was…

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Gruel Recipes – Food For The Sick 

Gruel Recipes – Food For The Sick 

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Gruel is served as an easily digestible meal, especially for invalids or children. While similar to porridge, gruel is thinner and more liquid, sometimes being drunk rather than eaten with a spoon.  The nutritional value of gruel depends on the grain used. They contain carbohydrates and some essential nutrients but are not a good source of protein or fat. In history, gruel was commonly served in institutions like workhouses, hospitals, and orphanages. But gruel recipes in 1800s cookbooks depict them as…

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Homemade Curry Powder and Curry Recipes

Homemade Curry Powder and Curry Recipes

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Curry powder recipes and dishes were popular in 1800s cookbooks. Prepared curry powder could be purchased, but making it yourself was considered superior. However, ingredients  were often hard to find at the grocer’s or too expensive. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS CURRIES UNDER VARIOUS NAMES Curries can be made from anything. The ingredients indispensable to all curries is a very pungent powder called turmeric, which has a peculiar flavor of its own. In India there is always something acid in…

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canned pickled fruit
How to Pickle Fresh Fruit

How to Pickle Fresh Fruit

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Home canning wasn’t popular until the Mason jar was invented in 1858. It had a screw-on threaded rim and metal lid with a rubber seal. Now, rather than relying on the traditional method of pickling or salting food and storing it in large stone crocks, food could be canned and in smaller quantities. PLEASE NOTE: if any of the recipes below sound interesting, use a modern cookbook for canning directions. The instructions below are a bit vague and may not…

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homemade dumplings with strawberries
Making Boiled Fruit Dumplings

Making Boiled Fruit Dumplings

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I usually think of dumplings as an addition to soup, but fruit dumplings make a delicious dessert. Although dumplings can be baked (usually apple dumplings), these recipes are for boiled dumplings. INFORMATION BELOW COMPILED FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS ORANGE DUMPLINGSMix two cups prepared flour, two eggs, two teaspoons butter, one tablespoon sugar and one cup water into a thick batter. Pare three nice oranges and cut them into small pieces. Remove the pits and all the skin, so that there is…

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