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Category: Miscellaneous

Fresh and dry yeast, yeast starter
Making Fresh Home-Made Yeast for Bread

Making Fresh Home-Made Yeast for Bread

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Until the mid-1800s, people made their own yeasts to use in baking bread. They made fresh yeast from hops, potatoes, pumpkin, and more. In 1868, Charles and Max Fleischmann created a compressed yeast cake and began selling it commercially.  This was certainly easier than making your own! INFORMATION BELOW COMPILED FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS ON YEASTGood yeast is indispensable to good bread. Every housekeeper should make sure by her own personal attention, that the yeast is properly made and the jar well…

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A nourishing hot drink
Nourishing Drinks for Invalids and Convalescents

Nourishing Drinks for Invalids and Convalescents

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In the 1800s, people often lived far from a doctor or couldn’t afford to pay one. So they treated illnesses by following advice from neighbors and family members, or by reading cookbooks or medical books. If a patient didn’t feel like eating, it was important to offer a variety of nourishing drinks. INFORMATION BELOW COMPILED FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS: The preparation of food and drink for the sick and convalescent person is even more important than the preparation for the strong…

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Different types of sugar on a wooden background
About Sugars and Syrups

About Sugars and Syrups

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Sugar cane was first planted in the United States in Louisiana in 1751. But sugar beets weren’t planted until 1836, near Philadelphia. (source) Until the sugar industry in the U.S. became established, sugar had to be imported and was scarce and expensive. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS Granulated sugar is made either from the sugar cane or sugar beet. The juice is pressed or soaked out of these plants, then purified, refined, and crystallized.  ~ Powdered sugar is prepared by…

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Cooking with Suet (Tallow)

Cooking with Suet (Tallow)

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Suet or the fat from around the kidneys and loin of beef and mutton. It has a high smoke point, and usually used for making pies and pastries. Suet is usually rendered to remove the impurities from the fat. It’s then called tallow, but the 1800s cookbooks I’ve gone through just call it suet. Additionally, suet can be used to make soap and candles, as well as seed cakes to feed wild birds. SUETChoose the firmest part as soon as…

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bowl of soup with dumplings
A Variety of Savory Dumpling Recipes

A Variety of Savory Dumpling Recipes

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Most of the dumpling recipes from 1800s cookbooks are for rounded dumplings. Some recipes say to wrap the dumplings in cloth, like when boiling a pudding. Others say to roll the dumplings in a ball or drop the dumpling mixture from a spoon into hot liquid. The only dumplings I’ve ever eaten were ones rolled out flat and cut into small rectangular strips before being dropped into a soup.   INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS: FINE SUET DUMPLINGS Grate the…

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Bowl of pumpkin soup on a wooden cutting board.
Pumpkin Mush, Pudding, Chips, Parmesan, Soup

Pumpkin Mush, Pudding, Chips, Parmesan, Soup

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Pumpkin is a common term for mature winter squash, of which there are many varieties and sizes. They are a hot weather crop and need a long growing season.  Commercially canned pumpkin puree is usually made from different varieties than those used for jack-o’-lanterns. Pumpkins grown for food in the 1800s were the smaller sized ones. Did you know a pumpkin is not actually a vegetable, but a fruit? Anything that starts from a flower is botanically a fruit and…

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canning sauerkraut
How to Make Homemade Sauerkraut

How to Make Homemade Sauerkraut

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If you’ve never eaten sauerkraut before, you may not like the taste or texture. But as with any new food, you can get used to it, especially if you use it in recipes rather than eating it plain. I especially like raw sauerkraut over the canned variety. It’s easy to make yourself and you can make a small batch or enough to preserve. All you need  is cabbage and salt (kosher or pickling). That’s it! INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS:…

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Three bottles of homemade vinegars
Make Homemade Flavored Vinegars

Make Homemade Flavored Vinegars

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“These vinegars will be found very useful, at times when the articles with which they are flavored cannot be conveniently procured. Care should be taken to have the bottles that contain them accurately labeled, very tightly corked, and kept in a dry place. The vinegar used for these purposes should be of the very best sort.” (quote from an 1800s cookbook) INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS TARRAGON VINEGAR Tarragon should be gathered on a dry day, just before the plant…

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