Henry David Thoreau was fond of foraging on his lengthy tramps through Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine. His favorite fruits were wild apples from trees randomly planted by animals or from neglected trees where the grafts had died and the root stock survived. In his natural history essay “Wild Apples,” he raves about the spicy …
Boiled cider pie is sometimes called Shaker cider pie. Shakers in New England and the Midwest certainly made cider pies and added boiled cider to the applesauce that they canned and sold commercially. However, this recipe came not from Shakers but from a Unitarian church group in Waterville, which published “Delectable Recipes, Tried and True” …
This recipe came from a Unitarian church group in Waterville, which published “Delectable Recipes, Tried and True” as a fundraiser in 1898.
Celia Thaxter grew up on tiny White Island in the Isles of Shoals, where her father, Thomas Laighton, was the lighthouse keeper in the 19th century. On those isolated, rock-bound isles, off the Maine and New Hampshire coasts, young Celia learned to observe natural phenomena closely and to make up stories to amuse herself and …
Adapted from “The Original Appledore Cook Book,” 1872
September brings the final flourish for the annual herbs in my garden. Thyme, lemon balm, chives, oregano and summer savory will overwinter, but the rest must be brought indoors before first frost or preserved in some fashion. So I have been investigating recipes that make liberal use of my annuals. Herbs were the subject of …
Grüne sosse is an uncooked sauce from the German state of Hesse that can be made with lactose-free sour cream and cottage cheese for those with lactose intolerance. Prepared without any salt or celery, it is also perfect for low-salt diets. It is wonderful on toasted bagels, boiled potatoes, and soups, especially black bean soup. I am indebted to Connie Knuppel for telling me about this use of herbs. — Merry Post
The fresh, local tomatoes finally available in the market deserve some special attention. You might want to try making tomato ketchup at home, which allows you to control the amount of salt and sugar and to eliminate corn syrup entirely. If you asked for ketchup in the early 19th century, Americans would not assume that …
In the following recipe, I relied on Lydia Maria Child’s cookbook for seasoning, but for method I referred to a recipe in “The Household Receipt Book for 1874,” published in Burlington, Vt., as a complimentary marketing piece.
