Historic Cookery

If you’ll allow me to indulge just a little longer. I’ll return to historic foodways
with the next post. I promise. In fact, here’s a preview: Sandwich carrots.
With a capital “S.”
Now for a little trip down memory lane. Here are some of my favorite photos
of my now-gone beloved kitty:

I’m reminded of John Denver’s song “The [...]

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Seventeen years ago, when I was living in Indianapolis, Indiana,
I discovered a stray cat sleeping now and then in an unused dog
house in my back yard. As time went on, I saw him more frequently,
and I began to set out some food. Occasionally, I’d come home
from work, and there he’d be out on the patio. [...]

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Well, whadaya know?! The receipt for preserving whole mulberries
that’s in The Frugal Housewife and American Cookery is also
in Eliza Smith’s The Compleat Housewife (London, 1758). Eliza’s
version is exactly the same as Frugal’s, “pretty thick” segment
and all. Which makes me wonder even more about Simmons’
little, yet somewhat major, switch to “thin.”
In addition, I’ve found that there [...]

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I mentioned previously that there’s a receipt (recipe) for preserving
mulberries in Amelia Simmons’ American Cookery. Then later, while
looking for something else, I noticed yet another one in The Frugal
Housewife, by Susannah Carter. It’s also for preserving mulberries.
Thing is, it looked familiar.
I’d seen it somewhere.
Well, turns out that
the one in Carter’s
book is almost exactly
the same as [...]

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At this season’s first Fireside Feasts historic cooking workshop
a couple of weeks ago out at Wyckoff, I was asked if mulberries
were ever used in dishes of centuries past. The person who posed
the question was Dave Cook of EatingInTranslation.com. Seems
he’d found mulberries growing on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.
I told him that I hadn’t necessarily noticed any [...]

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Well, it finally happened. Yesterday’s Fireside Feasts workshop
out at Wyckoff was rained out. dagnabit. It’s the first time this
has happened. My historic cooking program has always been
blessed with excellent weather. And since it has to be done
outside at the firepit, that’s a major issue. I was disappointed,
for sure. I was so looking forward to sharing [...]

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wow. Guess I hit pay dirt last week when I purchased raspberries
with which to make raspberry shrub for this Thursday’s session of Fireside
Feasts out at Wyckoff. As I mentioned
previously, I was able to get two six-ounce
packages for only $4. Well, yesterday
while I was out obtaining a few last-
minute items for [...]

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While at the grocery store early last week, I noticed that raspberries
were abundant AND on sale. They were only $4 for two six-ounce
packages. HUZZAH! I’d been in another store earlier where they
were that amount just for one container. And having bought them
numerous times before, particularly in summers past, I am well
aware that the price can [...]

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Here’s another intriguing tidbit that I found while researching breakfasts
and suppers of centuries past for the first Fireside Feasts historic
cooking workshop:

Material in quotes from The America of 1750, Travels in North America,
by Peter Kalm, in two volumes; originally written/published
in Swedish, translated into English in 1770; reprint, Dover Publications,
New York, 1966.

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I’ve been nose-deep in historic cookbooks the past couple of days,
conducting research for my second Fireside Feasts workshop next
week out at Wyckoff. The topic of discussion and food preparation
will be “Let them eat cake.” Mmmmm, sweets! So, I’ve been busy
studying historic reference materials, hunting for receipts, selecting
those we’ll use, and so on. It’s an exciting [...]

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