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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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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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English walnuts in bowl and cup.
Black Walnut and English Walnut Recipes

Black Walnut and English Walnut Recipes

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There are basically two types of walnuts in the U.S. – English walnuts and black walnuts. Black walnuts grew wild in the southeast and midwest sections of the country and still do. Cracked black walnuts are expensive to buy because they are so labor-intensive to crack. They have a totally different taste from English walnuts, and are used mostly for candy and ice cream.  Read more about black walnuts here. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS CRACKING WALNUTS It is more…

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bunch of raw almonds
Recipes Using Sweet and Bitter Almonds

Recipes Using Sweet and Bitter Almonds

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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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