When I was young, the only ways my mother served peas was fron a can. Although frozen vegetables were available, maybe they cost too much or we didn’t have the freezer space. Most of the recipes below are for fresh peas, although the last three are for dried peas. I especially like the recipes for Pea Griddle-Cakes and Oatmeal and Peas. RECIPES BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS GREEN PEAS When green peas are purchased, they are always found in the pods….
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) RECIPES BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS: BOILED SUMMER SQUASHIf the rind is tender, boil it whole in a little bag kept for the purpose. It should be put into boiling water. Three quarters of an hour is…
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 FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS PROPER PLACE FOR PRESERVING ROOTS…
The terms fritter and croquette are often used interchangeably, but there are differences. A fritter has a runny batter or dough that is dropped into hot fat and fried. A croquette has a thicker batter, often breaded, and is shaped into balls, patties, or logs before frying. RECIPES BELOW 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…
Cookbooks from the 1800s did include recipes for salads made from greens, but these salads were eaten seasonally until commercial refrigeration became available in the late 1800s. The following salad recipes are interesting and unusual. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS ITALIAN SALADTake six cold, cooked potatoes, cut in dice, six flaked sardines, three small cucumber pickles, chopped, and a stalk of celery cut fine. Add French dressing. PIMENTO SALADTake several hard-boiled eggs cut into eighths. Add half the quantity of…
Beets (also called beetroots) were an important root crop in the 1800s. They kept well during the winter, were nutritious, and provided color to a meal. Beet tops (greens) and stalks were also cooked, but only when fresh. I had only eaten canned pickled beets until recently. A friend baked some beets that were drizzled with olive oil and I liked them. The beet recipes below also sound interesting, especially the Beetroot Fritters. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS SELECTING BEETS…
Common garden sorrel has a tart, lemon flavor and was popular in the 1800s. The larger leaves were used for soups and sauces and the young leaves for salads. I haven’t been able to find out why people quit using it, but it now seems to be making a comeback. You probably won’t find sorrel in a grocery store because it doesn’t ship or store well, even when refrigerated. It doesn’t tolerate heat well, so try growing it as a…
From an 1800s cookbook ~ Cabbage is a succulent vegetable with a high flavor. In fact, its flavor is so strong that in many cases it disagrees with persons. When cabbage is cooked, the cover should be removed from the kettle. This plan permits the evaporation of much of the strong flavor which arises in the steam, which would otherwise be reabsorbed by the cabbage. It is the retention of this flavor, together with long cooking, that causes this vegetable…