Browsed by
Category: Vegetables

pumpkins in grass
Pumpkin Loaf, Indian Cakes, Marmalade, Pie, and Tart

Pumpkin Loaf, Indian Cakes, Marmalade, Pie, and Tart

Comments 5 comments

Pumpkins were a popular crop in the 1800s. They were easy to grow and if stored properly in a warm, dry place, could be kept all winter. Recipes from old cookbooks used fresh pumpkins, but if one called for stewed pumpkin, it’s like the plain canned pumpkin we buy today. Recipes often did not include baking times or how hot to make your oven.  You were supposed to know or learn through experience.  INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS Deep colored…

Read More Read More

A variety of pumpkins and winter squashes
Winter Squash Recipes

Winter Squash Recipes

Comments 2 comments

I never ate any kind of squash when I was a child, but I’ve eaten summer squashes like green zucchini and yellow squash as an adult. It’s only been in the last couple of years that I’ve tried any of the winter squashes: Butternut Squash, Spaghetti Squash, and Delicata Squash. When people in the 1800s cooked foods in their wood burning stoves, there were no thermometers. So recipes referred to the oven temperature as a slow, moderate, or hot oven. The cook…

Read More Read More

Fresh Summer Squash in Baskets at Farmer's Market
Cooking Summer Squash

Cooking Summer Squash

Comments 6 comments

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) INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS: Summer Squash is a fruit vegetable belonging to the same class as eggplant, peppers, etc. and occurring in many varieties. The different kinds of this vegetable vary greatly in size, shape, and…

Read More Read More

Potato pumpkin fritters
Recipes for Savory Fritters

Recipes for Savory Fritters

Comments 6 comments

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 for all fritters. They should be fried in deep fat, hot enough to brown a piece of bread in 60 seconds. BATTER FOR SAVORY FRITTERS Put six ounces of flour into a basin, with a pinch of salt, the yolk of one egg, and one-fourth pint of warm water….

Read More Read More

Head of fresh cabbage
Cabbage Recipes – Pudding, Sour, Hash, Stuffed …

Cabbage Recipes – Pudding, Sour, Hash, Stuffed …

Comments 2 comments

When cabbage is cooked, the cover should be removed from the kettle. This plan permits of 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 to disagree with persons who eat it. If it is cooked in an open vessel and it is boiled just long enough to be tender, an easily digested…

Read More Read More

Young green leaves of sorrel on craft paper. Useful vegetable culture and medicinal plant Rumex acetosa, rich in vitamins and minerals. Close-up.
Using Common Garden Sorrel

Using Common Garden Sorrel

Comments 3 comments

Common or 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…

Read More Read More

fresh peas in pods
Many Ways to Cook Green Peas

Many Ways to Cook Green Peas

Comments 8 comments

INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS GREEN PEAS When green peas are purchased, they are always found in the pods. They should appear to be well filled. Flat-looking pods mean that the peas have not matured sufficiently. When very young, their original flavor is so fresh and delicate, that any addition, except a little very fresh butter, would be certain to destroy their aroma. BOILED GREEN PEAS Do not shell peas until ready to cook. Boil a pan of water and…

Read More Read More

fresh beetroot
Interesting Beet (Beetroot) Recipes

Interesting Beet (Beetroot) Recipes

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…

Read More Read More