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Category: Mushrooms and Nuts

Mushroom Pie Recipes
Mushroom Pie Recipes

Mushroom Pie Recipes

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Many recipes in older cookbooks assume you know the basics. For instance, these recipes for mushroom pie assume you know how to make a crust. They also assume you know how long to bake a dish. They either just say “bake” or else give general information such as a slow, moderate or quick oven. Although some people did gather their own mushrooms, mushrooms were available in tin cans or bottles. INFORMATION BELOW COMPILED FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS MUSHROOM PIEIngredients—Puff, flaky, or…

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Dried Mushrooms in a Bowl
Dried Mushrooms, Mushroom Powder, and Mushroom Liquor

Dried Mushrooms, Mushroom Powder, and Mushroom Liquor

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I love mushrooms, but only buy them fresh. Of course, I have to use them fairly soon so they don’t get slimy. Having some dried mushrooms on hand would be handy for making soup. And the taste of mushrooms in powder or liquid form would enhance many other dishes. TO DRY MUSHROOMS Wipe mushrooms clean, take away the brown part, and peel off the skin. Lay them on sheets of paper to dry in a cool oven, when they will…

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bowls of various nuts
Nut Loaf as a Meat Substitute

Nut Loaf as a Meat Substitute

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These nut loaf recipes contain no flour. I’ve never eaten a nut loaf, but they seem to be a dense food. According to one 1800s cookbook, “A nut loaf can take the place of meat at dinner.” The first two recipes are written narrative style, which was normal during the first half of the century. Later, cookbooks began putting ingredients in a list. Since people cooked on wood burning stoves, cooking times are vague. You were supposed to know how…

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Roasted chestnut on a towel on a wooden table
Chestnuts and Ways to Cook Them

Chestnuts and Ways to Cook Them

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Chestnuts are not actually nuts, but  are the edible fruit of trees in the family Castanea. These type of chestnuts grow in North America, Europe, and Asia. The chestnut usually sold to be eaten during the winter holidays is the European chestnut, also called the Spanish or sweet chestnut. Horse chestnuts, also called buckeyes or conkers, are a different species and quite toxic. When you buy chestnuts in the store, they’ll be the sweet variety. But if you forage, make…

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White Mushrooms in Wicker Basket
Delicious Ways to Use Mushrooms

Delicious Ways to Use Mushrooms

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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,…

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Whole coconut flakes, milk, and oil
Using Coconuts for Cooking

Using Coconuts for Cooking

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Coconuts were used to produce a variety of interesting dishes. But you couldn’t buy coconut already shredded in grocery stores. You bought the whole coconut, cracked it, and shredded it yourself.

Raw peanuts in the shell
Peanut Recipes / Soups, Croquettes, Macaroons, and more

Peanut Recipes / Soups, Croquettes, Macaroons, and more

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Peanuts are the cheapest nuts to buy, for the reason that they are not really nuts but legumes. Peanuts contain a good deal of oil, and for this reason are recommended for consumptives. The peanut is also recommended as a cure for indigestion. Almost any kind of nut will cure the habitual indigestion induced by “bolting” the food, if only it be chewed until it is liquid.  INFORMATION FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS TO BLANCH PEANUTS To blanch Spanish peanuts the usual…

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gathering fresh mushrooms
Making Mushroom Ketchup (Catsup)

Making Mushroom Ketchup (Catsup)

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Many recipes from old cookbooks called for mushroom ketchup – especially meat recipes.  I had never heard of mushroom ketchup before and haven’t found it in any health food or specialty food stores. I did discover that the Geo Watkins Company makes Mushroom Ketchup  and you can order it online.   INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS TO MAKE MUSHROOM KETCHUP Look out for mushrooms from the beginning of September. Choose full-grown mushroom-flaps and take care they are perfectly fresh-gathered when the weather…

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