Depression Era Remedies

[Kitchen Witch]

It had to be serious before you went to a doctor. After all, how was one to pay for those enormous bills when there was little money??

A ruptured appendix which required hospitalization would result in a bill of $53.50 in 1934. And if a family member had surgery in the same year you may have gotten a discount of $13.50 resulting in the final bill being $40.00.

And a tonsillectomy for a child with a full day of hospitalization would total $6.00.

Doctor bills could really set you back for years.



THE CURE ALL

SALERATUS, that's what they called it. Soda at one time was called saleratus, but this medical potion went by that name and was used for upset stomachs or anything else hurting that came from the inside. You just poured down a glass of bubbles, concentrated hard on feeling better, and everything wa all right, or would be shortly.

There was a method of putting it together, however. It took a juggling act to get the lively punch consumed at exactly the right time. If you failed the first time, you had to do it over.

Proportions were:
1 tablespoon of water in a large glass
No substitute here, the glass had to be large and you'd be sorry if you took a small glass.
Add:
1 tablespoon of vinegar
Then with the patient standing close by, you would add:
1 teaspoon of soda to the glass
Briskly stir for a second, and hand it over to be gulped down before the fizz had spent itself.

As a rule, this was excitement enough to forget about previous complaints.

For the little ones, one teaspoon of sugar was added to the water/vinegar mixture. The privilege of being singled out for this tasty concoction made them feel better instantly.



WHITE LINAMENT

1 pt. cider vinegar
1 pt. turpentine
1 T. salt

Use to take the swelling down.




REMEDY FOR ECZEMA

This was used in hospitals.

Mix well:

3 T. lard
1 T. suphur
2 drops iodine




FOR CHRONIC COUGH

Particularly for a persistent cough after eating.

Chew one clove raw garlic on a jelly cracker in between meals and before bedtime. Three each da and do not let up until relief is obtained.




CHRONIC CRONCHITIS

Same as above keeping it up for several months if necessary.

Suspect parasites?

Raw cloves of garlic before bedtime and through the day.

[Kitchen Witch]

DEPRESSION ERA REMEDIES:

Tie a string around a wart for a few days, bury the string and the wart would disappear.

Prone to styes as a child - apply fat meat and sit on the back porch with it over your eye so no one would see you.

Rubbing alcohol would sooth aches and pains.

Sore throat - rub mentholatum on it and wrap your neck with a sock.

Vaseline was used to cure cold sores.

Not feeling well?? Tea and toast. (we still use that today in our family!!)

If you had a felon on your finger you would wrap a piece of bacon around it for a cure.

Hot salt water for a queasy stomach would either bring it up or settle your tummy.

Septic sticks were used on the inside of the mouth for canker sores.

Tobacco juice spit on a pitch fork stab to the body would make it heal.

Mud or soda was appied to bee stings.

A poltice made of soap (like P & G Soap) and sugar applied to the area of a splinter and wrapped for a couple days, would draw the splinter out.



TOE NAIL FUNGUS

Twice a week, take a warm or hot soaking bath. With the blunt end of a toothpick, clean away all the dead tissue from around and especially under the nail. Dry foot and apply Hilex with a cotton swab, lifting the nail and getting the whole area. In a few weeks healthy new beds will appear.


FUNGUS OF THE LUNGS

Bronchitis?? Chew a clove of garlic between meals three times a day and before bedtime. Try not to miss a day, breathing in the medicinal effects while the blood carries it to the lungs.........from Farm and Home Health Journal dated 1874

[Kitchen Witch]

The best remedy - good home cooking!



Wholesome food using buttermilk in preparation was exceptionally popular in the 1930's for a good reason.

Butter was often churned at home and the by-product was too good to discard; you never threw anything away. The buttermilk was chilling in the cellar or hung in a pail in the well pit and serves as the beverage with a meal. If you didn't churn butter yourself, you went to the creamery with a bucket and a coin, but they generally gave it away. Farmers took it home in tanks for livestock feed. Buttermilk baking made just about everything lighter and more moist. It also gave a delicious flavor to anything it was added to. Nutritionally buttermilk compares to lowfat yogurt and can be purchased in food markets in powder form.

When using baking powder in a recipe and wishing to substitute the liquid with buttermilk, use specified amount of baking powder PLUS 1/3 t. soda. Regular pie crusts turn into gourmet fare when substituting buttermilk for water.

Buttermilk was considered a staple food item in the larder. Grandma made everything from breakfast pancakes to biscuits for lunch and soup for supper with this wonderful food product.

It is no wonder that those who used buttermilk were so healthy and lived so long. Now we know that the enzymes in cultured buttermilk and buttermilk were in part responsible for longevity in the pioneers who consumed it daily.



HOMEMADE BUTTERMILK

Heat one quart of low fat milk until bubbles appear on the side of the pan, but do not boil. Cool to lukewarm. Add one cup cultured commercial buttermilk and mix well. Rest on cabinet overnight and you have beautiful buttermilk the next morning for pancakes, cakes or drinking.

ALWAYS RESERVE A CUP FOR THE NEXT BATCH!



BUTTERMILK PANCAKES

1 c. buttermilk
1/2 t. salt
1 t. soda
1 t. sugar (optional)
Mix and add:
2 eggs
1 t. shortening
Flour - to make a thin batter.

In many households - these were made everyday.



BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

Sift together:
1 3/4 c. flour
1/2 t. salt
2 T. baking powder
1 t. sugar
1/3 t. soda
Cut in 5 T. oleo (margarine) or butter until mealy
Add 3/4 c. buttermilk and mix lightly

Turn onto floured board, knead gently, pat into 1/3-inch thickness, cut into shape and bake in moderate oven (350* F) for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned.



BUTTERMILK WHITE BREAD

Sift together:
6 c. bread flour
1 1/4 t. salt
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 t. soda
1 1/2 t. baking powder
Cut in (like for a pie crust) 1/2 c. soft lard
Dissolve 1 envelope dry yeast in 1/2 c. warm water
Add along with 1 3/4 c. buttermilk
Beat until well mixed

Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Next day bring out and warm to room temperature.
On floured board, knead until blistery, divide in two. Roll out flat and roll into loaf sizes. Place in grease bread pans. Brush with melted oleo or butter. Let rise until double. Bake at 375* F. for 40 minutes.

If commercially dried buttermilk is used, 7 T. to 1 /34 c. water equals the liquid.

[Kitchen Witch]

HOW ABOUT SOME BUTTERMILK SOUP RECIPES??

3 or 4 large potatoes
1 onion
water to cover
salt and pepper
1 qt. buttermilk
1 pt. half and half
2 eggs

Peel, dice and cook potatoes and onion in salt water until done. Mash the potatoes slightly in the water they were cooked in. Beat 2 eggs, add a little cream; mix. Add buttermilk and the rest of the cream to the potato mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste. Heat BUT DO NOT BOIL.


an old Danish way -

Cook over medium heat:
1 qt. buttermilk
1/4 c. minute tapioca (presoak for 5 minutes)
1/4 c. sugar
Cinnamon to taste
Stir well, remove from heat and add 1/4 c. cooked raisins


another:

Using a heavy pan:
Combine 1 qt. buttermilk
1/2 c. cream of wheat
raisins to taste
Cook until thick on medium heat
Remove from burner

Then:
Beat 3 egg yolks
Add:
1/4 c. sugar
1 T. vinegar
Heat 3 to 4 minutes stirring constantly
Whip 3 egg whites
Fold in 1/2 c. sugar
Fold into milk mixture and refrigerate.




TASTY BUTTERMILK HORSERADISH DRESSING

Combine 3/4 c. cultured buttermilk
2 T. prepared horseradish
1 T. honey
1/4 t. salt
1 T. vinegar
1/2 t. prepared mustard

Use with any salad or cabbage. Keep covered in refrigerator.
Makes about 1 cup.

[Kitchen Witch]

Because "Cheesy Pizza" had no franchise in the days of the Great Depression, supper was most likely biscuits and milk gravy or big bowls of "Mehl zuppe", an authentic flour-thickened milk soup, or possibly raw fried potatoes with homemade cottage cheese and bread 'n butter pickles.

All of it was exceptionally delicious, partly, no doubt because everyone came to the table hungry. Cooks prepared these simple yet tasty meals making the most out of what they had.

Meat flavored drippings from frying fresh pork flavored many a biscuit, johnny cake or meatless dish. Flour was browned golden and seasoning became an art.

Bread dough rose high and elastic, with the finished product light on the inside and crusty brown on the outside. It tasted of a delicious yeasty flavor not know today. Having no serrated knives, bread was sliced thick and fresh with a loaf disappearing on the first pass at the table.


WHITE BREAD

Dissolve 2 pkgs. dry yeast in
1/2 c. warm water
1 t. sugar

Into another bowl add:
1/2 c. melted lard
2 T. salt
1/2 c. sugar
1 c. hot water

Sift 16 c. bread flour into a generous size bowl. Push flour to sides of bowl to make a cavity in the center.

Stir and blend until all is dissolved, Add 5 c. cool water. When this is lukewarm add the yeast mixture. Reserve 1/4 c. flour to add while kneading. Mix well, kneading in the reserved 1/4 c. flour. Cover with a towel, set in a warm place out of a draft. Allow to rise until double in bulk. Knead down very well. (This is the secret to the light elastic texture.) It's hard to overdo it because the gluten needs to be activated. Allow to rise again. Form into 8 loaves or 7 loaves and rolls. Grease tops and pans.

Let rise again until all corners of the pans are filled and the bread is nicely rounded. Preheat oven to 350* F. Place plans carefully in oven so air can circulate. Bake 45 minutes without opening the door. Bread is done when tapping top of loaves produces a hollow sound. Remove from pans as soon as they come out of the oven and cool loaves on a rack.

[Kitchen Witch]

COUNTRY SPOOK YEAST

This is a perpetual yeast recipe which can be kept for years and was used in breads in the 30's. It made the light, high, delicious white bread which was so well known in those days. This bread was consumed heavily, not only because one had to fill up on something, but because it was unbelievably delicious.

This recipe for yeast is easy; a novice can handle it. The trick is to use it once a week or at least rejuvenate the starter to keep it lively and active.


To begin starter:


Boil potatoes in water to cover. Using 3 quarts lukewarm potato water (some can be saved from the day before) plus 2 or 3 mashed potatoes, 1/4 c. sugar, 1 t. salt and a cake of yeast. Always use a glass jar and a wooden spoon.

Let this stand overnight in a cool area. Next day use 2 quarts to make bread. Save one quart for next baking, adding potato water again and 1/4 c. sugar. Always store in a cool place until it is used again, which should be in several days or not longer than a week. Otherwise rejuvenate your starter as you would if you used it for baking.


BREAD FROM STARTER

To bake bread with the 2 quarts of starter, make a sponge, beat down vigorously after it has bubbled and raised. Add flour, 2 T. salt and 3 T. melted lard. Mix well again and add enough flour to be able to knead the bread. Dust with flour and let rise until double in size. Knead down vigourously; this is important. When doubled again put into well greased pans while vigorously slapping the dough as you handle it. Use bacon grease for the pans and tops of the loaves to lend a marvelous flavor.

Bake at 350* F. for 40 to 45 minutes. Should be nice and brown. Remove from pans immediately and cool. Bread for freezing should be allowed to cool for several hours.

[Kitchen Witch]

Depression tidbits from my files -

"We did not always have butter but Mother would beat an egg as stiff as possible, add a little sugar and put that on our bread. It was wonderful."



Further use of eggs was made by beating the whites as stiff as possible, sugar to taste, put a generous dab on soda crackers, sprinkle with coconut or nuts and brown in the oven. It was a delicious quick dessert for afternoons or if someone dropped in. These are good just plain as well.



A BUTTER STRETCHER

Soften a pound of butter and add 1 can of evaporated milk and whipping with the egg beater until well mixed. A pound of butter could last a whole month. And with no refrigeration at that time - it never spoiled.

[Kitchen Witch]

LEFT OVER BISCUIT LUNCHES

In many homes biscuits were made daily and left oer biscuits were carefully put aside for the elegant, quick lunches they produced. Some of the sauces are:


VINEGAR SAUCE

Mix 1/2 c. sugar with 2 T. cornstarch
Add 1/2 c. cold water and mix
Add another 1 1/2 c. boiling water stirring continually and cook for 8 to 10 minutes. Add 1/4 c. vinegar and 2 T. butter. More vinegar may be added to taste.

Crumble biscuits into sauce while still on stove to moisten well. Serve in bowls.


For a lemon sauce to be used over cake, the vinegar sauce recipe was used but lemon was substituted for the vinegar and sometimes more sugar was added. The zest of lemon was grated in and it was served over leftover unfrosted cake.


and to be poured over gingerbread with a dollop of whipped cream, this was popular:

LEMON SAUCE

In quart size pan, mix:
1/2 c. sugar
1 t. cornstarch
gradually stir in:
1 c. water
Cook over medium heat until it thickens and boils. Boil and stir one minute more.
Remove from heat and add:
1 T. butter
2 t. grated lemon rind
1 T. lemon juice
Can be served warm or cold.



GRAVY SAUCE FOR DRY BISCUITS

Left over gravy of any kind was heated in the pan, thinned with milk and the biscuits were crumbled into it, stirred well to soften, and served.

This sauce was also used for over leftover corn bread.



This delicious sauce was used for leftovers as well as for a fresh pan of baking powder biscuits.

HAMBURGER GRAVY

Bronw hamburger and pour off almost all grease. Add 2 T. flour, cook a few minutes to brown lightly, then stir in 2 c. cold milk gradually. Season to taste with salt, pepper and light sausage or poultry seasoning. Use over toast, mashed potatoes or rice.

[artist]

Brings back the good ole days, and alot of this stuff works. Thanks.

[Kitchen Witch]

Thank you - I have more I will be sharing.

Things were tough in those days - but the people were surviors and they helped one another. I think the Depression brought families, friends and neighbors closer together.

KW

[Margie2]

These are just wonderful! Thank you very much. Herbal remedies that were used would be appreciated, too!

[horselover]

From my mother's 1927 home economics book

If you step on a rusty nail or thorn, soak your foot in kerosene. For a boil make a poultice of Scrapped potato or place a piece of fat meat over boil and let stay overnight. For pneumonia a mustard plaster should be used on chest. Make from dry mustard mixe with very hot water. For a burn gather mussle shells from a creek bed, dry in oven and mash into a powder. Dust over burn. For a chest cold rub with camporated oil and cover with a hot flannel cloth. For a red ant sting paint with laundry blueing.

[Kitchen Witch]

There are many other "Depression Era" recipes and stories that I have posted here at RSN. You can type "Depression Era" into the SEARCH and find much, much more for those that are interested.

Also - more will be posted here.

Kitchen Witch

[Kitchen Witch]

CLIPS AND QUOTES FROM MY FILES:

The Depression taught me to appreciate the things that we have. I think anyone benefits from having to go without things. Then when you get something, why you really appreciate it and you really learn how to spend your money. Just a little advice to younger generations; I would say they better start saving as soon as they get married so they'll have something to fall back on if there ever comes a depression. Savings is one of the best things you can do, save a little bit out of your pay check each month, so you always have a nest egg.

Living through the Great Depression has caused me to be tight. I don't ever want to throw anything away. My old coats, dresses and pant suits hang in the closet; well, we might need to use them again. I guess I'm not so bad that way now, but I used to be.
My advice for the future: don't splurge; be economical with everything.

I think the only way it affected our children is that we have had to work hard, and we taught them all to work hard, and to be thrifty. And maybe we taught them too much of the work ethic, to live in this day and age, because they all feel they have to accomplish so much. But we lived a good life and had a good family; they all went through school and graduated, and they all have good jobs, and I think we are quite successful. Or they were successful with us, one of the two. We've been a real close family. And I think there are a lot of lessons to be learned by the obstacles that we have to overcome and that's what a depression amounts to.
The thing that living through the Depression has done for me is to feel bad for the young people now that they don't know how to appreciate what they have, and to get along. I think they're not disciplined enough so that they don't have their own way so much that it's sad. And people just say I'm gonna have it or else, and you can't tell me no because I won't take no , you know; it's just a different . . . attitude. And in that day and age you were just supposed to help your neighbor. If he was having problems, you were supposed to be over there helping, take their horses and machinery and go and help them put in their crops, or whatever needed to be done they did. You were neighbors; and if you went to town, you yelled at your neighbor or stopped and asked them if there was anything they needed and you would get it while you were over there or whatever you could do to help them, much more than we are now. We are too self-centered now days.

If we had another Depression, I would say if you could, learn a craft that you could use even if you weren't able to go to school. Anything that would be interesting to you, like sewing or cooking. I think it's good for young people to learn how to take care of the home, how to do those things that they kind of like to get out of now-a-days.

At my age I can see that a lot of the old remedies and things that we did, for instance, like making our soap, and the young kids today would have no idea how to handle things. So I think it would be a good thing if the young kids would learn a few of these old time recipes or whatever you want to call it. Learn to do a few of these things like use herbs and what-not; people didn't have chance to go to the doctor and so I think young people can learn from a lot of these things. I think this is a great idea, to have these young kids interview us older people because they can sort of get an insight of what our life was like. I am grateful to have been able to live in that era, and today. What a difference, and I'm sure the next fifty years will bring us as many changes as the past fifty have.

If we have another depression, I have said this two or three times, maybe that's what we need to bring us back to the ground. It would be hard on the children; it would be hard on the young people. It would be hard on our family, a lot of them. You need storage in both food and clothing. Even in my day when we got married, my mother said to me I want you to buy one sheet every year. If you buy one sheet every year, you will never run out of sheets. Always buy a hundred pounds of sugar in February; of course, that is when sugar was on sale. She said never buy anything that you can't pay for. I think that would be the best advice you could give anyone. If you can't pay for it, go without. As mother would say if you get that hungry, you come home and have something to eat (laughs). Don't charge in the store for something to eat. There are big things that you have to go in debt for, but you don't need to go in debt for food

I appreciate life more because of the depression. Life can be wonderful. You make it what it is. Don't expect somebody else to do it for you. You have to do it yourself. I love life, I'm grateful for my family. I think you have to have hardships to appreciate the good. I think if we hadn't had that, we wouldn't appreciate what we have; you don't, unless you have something to work for. We had to work for it all our lives, I had to work for it all my married life. Things didn't come easy. I think it was good for us.

It frightens me now when I see the conditions we're in 'cause I think we're ready for another crash. I don't know whether we'll be able to handle it or not. If we faced a depression today my advice would be to stay close to the Lord. I don't know what we'd have done if we didn't have the church. To know what it is to kneel and pray, that's what gets you through. Just stay close to the Lord.
Work! Don't be afraid of work. Don't expect somebody else to do it for you. Get out and do it yourself. It will make you. If you know how to work, you'll be all right. Stay close to your parents, they're wise.
They were hard times, people were hungry. They took care of themselves. They didn't depend on the government. Now the government takes care of us a lot. In those days we took care of ourselves. We are very fortunate to have a government that takes care of us. We have to remember what the government gives us we're giving to the government, in the long run, and not to expect the government to do everything for us. We need to depend on ourselves more.

[Kitchen Witch]

Herbal Medicines in Early America

Early pioneers in America could not bring rare chemicals with them on their travels, and thus focused their medicinal efforts on plant seeds and folk remedies. Slowly, the new settlers began to realize that the Native Americans had a significant knowledge of medicinal plants as well. Once they had gotten over their initial distrust, the settlers eagerly shared in the new knowledge that the natives offered. Much of that knowledge has been passed down through today. Such herbal medicines as Echinacea, Goldenseal, Yellow Root and Wild Yam were products of the medicinal efforts of Native Americans.

Samuel Thomson was an individual critically influential in spreading and accumulating the herbal knowledge of the Native Americans. He was known as one of the most influential herbalists during his lifetime, 1769-1843. As a sick child, he had been effectively treated by the herbal medicines of the Natives. Thomson was never formally trained as a doctor, but his practice as an herbalist and practitioner grew quite successful. He set up the first multi-level marketing program. He had agents in different towns who worked on commission to sell memberships in the Friendly Botanic Society. Members all received educational materials and access to medicines.



The Flexner Report

Medical practitioners were appalled that the "irregulars", or herbal healers, had achieved such success. They were especially infuriated by the success of the Thomsonians. The foundation of the American Medical Association (AMA) in 1847 was the focal point for efforts to end the use of natural remedies in favor of the new drug remedies becoming more readily available. In the early 1900's, the AMA began a study of the available medical education establishments, and as a requirement for license approval they began looking for laboratories and texts that were neither used nor needed by the herbalists. The AMA ran out of money to complete the study, but the Carnegie Foundation appointed Abraham Flexner to complete it. In 1910 the Flexner Report was released and devastated the herbal community. Herbal medicine died down for the next 60 years in America, prior to its recent revival.

[Kitchen Witch]

Essiac is an herbal remedy given by native North American Indians to Nurse Rene Caisse whose name spelled backwards is the name of the preparation.

"The original recipe is said to have been formulated in northern Ontario by an Ojibwa healer "to purify the body and place in balance the great spirit".

Proponent / Advocate Claims
"Proponents of Essiac claim that it strengthens the immune system, improves appetite, relieves pain and improves overall 'quality of life'. They also claim that it may reduce tumour size and may prolong the lives of people with many types of cancer."

"Caisse believed that Essiac worked by attacking the tumor directly, first hardening it, then causing it ot soften and break up, and finally discharging it from the body."




Home Remedies


Ever have a bee sting? Try rubbing an aspirin on it. Gum in hair? Soak the gum-coated hair in Coke? and it should wipe out easily. While not being a replacement for medical attention, and you should always seek your doctor when you feel you have to and please take these home remedies with a grain of salt.Here you go and enjoy

ACNE, BLACKHEADS, AND PIMPLES:
Dab a small amount of toothpaste (paste, not gel) on pimples before bed; this helps dry out the pimples. Apply fresh lemon juice on the affected area overnight. Wash off with warm water next morning. For acne that hasn't seemed to respond to anything, brew 2-3 tsp. dried basil leaves in 1 cup boiling water for 10-20 minutes, cool, and apply to affected area with a cotton ball. Garlic has been used successfully in the treatment of acne. Pimples disappear without scars when rubbed with raw garlic several times a day.

BLADDER INFECTION
Take a bag of fresh or frozen cranberries and boil them in water (they will fall apart). Cool and drink. Don't add sugar! This remedy is also useful for people with kidney problems.

DARK CIRCLES AROUND EYES
Make a paste out of 1 tsp. tomato juice, 1/2 tsp. lemon juice, a pinch of turmeric powder, and 1 tsp. of flour. Apply around eyes. Leave on for 10 minutes before rinsing.

ENERGIZER
Simmer 1 cup honey and 3 cup water together slowly. Allow 1 cup of the water to evaporate. Strain off the top surface, and put the remaining liquid into a stoneware crock or dark bottle. Put a towel over it so it can breathe, yet be free of dirt. Place in a cool place. You can add cinnamon, clove, or the juice of 2 lemons, if you like.Take a glass of grapefruit and lemon juice in equal parts to dispel fatigue and general tiredness after a day's work.

GUM IN HAIR
Soak the gum-coated hair in Coke? and it should wipe out easily.

MOSQUITO BITES
Apply lime juice diluted with water on bites with cotton ball. Apply one of the following to bites or stings to reduce pain and swelling:aloe Vera gel, garlic oil, baking soda and water, vinegar, honey, plantain tea, aspirin.

Hangover
Eat Crackers and honey. Honey has a high source of fructose and will be helpful in removing the remainder of the alcohol in your system. Aspirin for a headache or you can chew on some willow bark, willow bark contains a substance used in aspirin and will help your headache. You can find it in a health food store if you want to try an alternative to aspirin. Plenty of water, it will help flush out the alcohol, also too much alcohol leaves the body dehydrated, so have a drink of water.

Heartburn
Don't lie flat on your back. Heartburn is caused by the acid in your stomach moving upward to your esophagus. Try having a bowl of rice pudding, made with milk, this should help absorb stomach acid. Coffee and chocolate can inflame heartburn, so avoid them if you can. If you heartburn is a regular problem, you should think about going to the doctor.

Warts
Rubbing liquid vitamin A on the wart everyday will eventually take it away, but it's a slow process. Use castor oil on the wart and then wrap the offending area up tightly with a bandage. Repeat this 2 times a day.

Bad Breath
Try some parsley. This food garnish is rich in chlorophyll, a green plant compound that kills the bacteria that cause bad odor.

Chapped Lips
Try using castor oil. Carry a small squeeze bottle of the oil and apply it with your finger often throughout the day. Popular lip balms contain petroleum and alcohol, both of which may dry the skin on your lips.

I'm sure this is the tip of the iceberg, but these are the ones I know of.These home remedies are in no way a replacement to a Doctors care so if you feel that you might need to see a Physician, please do so.

[Kitchen Witch]

To Destroy Warts: Dissolve as much common washing soda as the water will take up, wash the warts with this for a minute or two, and let them dry without wiping. Keep the water in a bottle and repeat the sashing often, and it will take away the largest of warts.


LIGHTNING, STRUCK BY #1 - When a person is struck by lightning, dash cold water over the neck, face, and breast. As they recover, they should be kept quiet. If the feet are cold, apply hot jugs of water.

LIGHTNING #2 - When a person has been struck by lightning, there is a general paleness of the whole body, with the exception of the part struck, which is often blackened, or even scorched. Treatment: Same as for drowning. It is not, however, or much use; for when death takes place at all, it is generally instantaneous

SNAKEBITE - Catch a toad and tie it on the wound, to cure snake bite. If the toad dies, repeat the operation until the toad remains alive. Some believe that a toad, supposed to be poisonous in itself, if applied to cancer, will suck out the poison of the disease and thus cause a cure. (During the World War it was discovered that wounded men left for dead on the battlefield, often were covered with maggots, and recovering, too. Science has now come to develop the art of curing certain diseases, by letting the maggots do the work. Science, we will note, is often but the development of here-tofore silly and simple home remedies and analogies.

ST VITUS DANCE - Pour cold water, from the height of four or five feet on the patient's head, three or four times a day; at the same time, take of ether one ounce: oil of lavender, one drachm; mix and rub on the wrists and back of the neck a teaspoonful night and morning.

INGROWN TOENAIL #1 - Heat a small piece of tallow in an iron spoon; drop two or three drops between the nail and outside flesh. It will not be necessary to repeat this if proper pains is taken to so apply this liquid cautery that it will insinuate itself in every interstice under the nail. Repeat, if necessary.

INGROWN TOENAIL #2 - Tie a lizard's liver to a leather string. Take the leather string and tie it around your left ankle. The ingrown toenail will disappear in nine days.

HEADACHE #1 - For a sick headache. One teaspoonful of pulverized charcoal and one-third of a teaspoon of soda mixed in very warm water.

HEADACHE #2 - The feminine sufferer from headache should wear a snake rattle in her hair, or plait her front hair in four plaits, or carry one of her teeth on a string around her neck.

HEADACHE #3 - If you would prevent headache, or toothache, you must form the habit of putting on your right stocking, first; your right shoe, etc.

DROWNING #4 - If the body of a drowned person cannot be found, throw a loaf of bread into the water. If the body is anywhere nearby, the bread will hover about.

DROWNING #2 - To Recover A Person Apparently Drowned - Strip the body; rub it dry; wrap it in warm blankets; use every means to heat the body by hot applications and friction. Wipe the mouth on the inside, should it be necessary; turn the head on the side, slightly elevated, to allow the water to run out of the mouth. Inflate the lungs, by introducing into one of the nostrils the pipe of a hand bellows; close the mouth and nostril; press lightly on the chest to eject the air. Repeat this process. Never cease using remedies for at least six hours. When the patient is able to swallow, give small quantities of warm wine, or brandy and water.

CONSTIPATION - Get a chicken, nice or otherwise, kill it without shedding blood; boil it, feathers and all - make soup out of it - this, when eaten, will cure constipation.



Cough Syrup

Take the inner bark of American Elm Tree (Red), cutup and boil into
a thick mass. Drain off and mix with pure honey, lemon juice and
brandy. Add a pinch of garlic and add sugar to taste.

[Kitchen Witch]

OLD TIME REMEDIES


ACNE: Juice from the leaves of a rose hip bush applied daily over
the affected area.

APPETITE: LOSS OF: Boil two cups of dogwood bark with 2 cups of
water and drink 3 times a day.

ARTHRITIS: Two tsps. of powder from a creek willow bark in a cup of
water,drink morning & night.

ASTHMA: Make a pillow, about * inch thick and fill with rabbit
tobacco. This helps night attacks. Or take a stick the exact length
of the sufferer, store it in the attic and the asthma would go away.
Or wear amber-colored beads.

BALDNESS: Rub cow dung over scalp.

BED WETTING: Make a tea out of corn silks.

BIRTH PAINS: Put a knife between the straw-tick and the feather bed.

BITES - INSECT: Place a small amount of turpentine on the bite or
hold a chaw of tobacco over it. (this is still used).

BITES - SNAKE: Slice open a live chicken and leave the intestines
inside. Place over the bite to draw out the poison.

BLEEDING: Put chimney soot over the wound as needed; also cobwebs,
this is something my family and myself have used for years and it
does work, for deep cuts it is very effective, leave the cobweb and
dress the cut. Mushrooms were also used.

BLISTERS: Scrape two carrots, add 2 tbls. lard and 2 plaintain
leaves. Stew& strain, apply to blister.

BLISTERS : Put cucumber juice on them.

BLOOD - TONICS: The powdered red roots of a sassafrass bush, drink
2tablespoons a day.

BLOOD - POISONING: Use green berries from bullnettle and boil in a
quart of water; drink daily.

BLOOD - PRESSURE: Chop several onions fine and place in a quart of
water fora day. Drink a cup a day for a week.

BOILS: Take out the inner skin of a raw egg and place on boil. (Used
thatone many times!).

BRONCHITIS: Drink a mixture of honey, lemon juice and alum. (Never
heard of the alum).

BRUISES: One egg (shell included), 1 tbl. salt, * pint turpentine;
one large cake of shredded camphor Gum, one tbl. coal oil or
kerosene; one pint apple vinegar. Fill a bottle 2/3rds full, cork
and Shake. Spread over bruise, do not bandage.

BURNS: Scrape the inside of an "arsh" potato until it is a pulp and
rub on the burn.

CHIGGER BITES: Rub bacon rind over them.

COLDS: * cup molasses, 1 tbl. butter, 2 tbls. White vinegar cooked
10 minutes. Take 1 tbl. Every hour. OR 1 tbl coal oil, one tsp.
turpentine, 1tbl. lard. Heat and apply on chest as needed. Only wear
red flannel underwear. Or, catch a sow bug and put in a bag and wear
around the neck.

COLIC: 1 drop peppermint and 6 tsps hot water. Give 1 tbls. every
two hours.

CONSTIPATION: 1 tbl. white mustard seed and 1/4th pint syrup; take 1
tbl. aday.

COUGHS: * pint whiskey, 2 boxes rock candy; 1 tbl. glycerine. Put in
bottleand shake, 1 tbl. at a time.

CROUP: One piece of pine and wrap a piece of old bacon around it.
Hold over coals and catch the Drippings. Give to baby as needed.

CUTS: Rub cow dung over the cut. (I've had that used on bee stings
when I was a child.)

DIARRHEA: Boil the smallest roots of the blackberry bush in a quart
of water until it boils down to 1 pint. Cool and strain, take 1-2
tbls 3 times daily. (Note, I know those who will just chew on the
roots of the blackberry bush).

EARACHE: Cut a twig from a hickory tree, hold over a stove until the
sweet oil runs out. Use in ear. Or: Pour warm urine in the sore ear.

EYES - BLACK: A peeled raw potato will draw the black out.

EYEWASH: Bottle March snow - save for use during rest of year.

FRECKLES: Locate a stump that has rain water standing in it and wash
the face with the water.

HAIR - LOSS: One bottle of alcohol, one chopped onion, 20 white
birch leaves. Bring to boil, let it Sit overnight, then rub into
scal for 15 minutes.

HEADACHE: Put camphor on a dry cloth and tie around the head.

HIVES: Mix 2 cups of sheep manure to * gallon of water to make a tea
and drink a cup 3 times a day!

INDIGESTION: * ounce rhubard, * oz. Gentian root, * oz. Orange peel,
1 qt. Brandy. Drink as needed.

INFECTION: * cup epsom salts in a pan of water, soak.

INSOMNIA: 2" onion sliced up and boiled in a pint of water, strain
and drinkas a tea.

ITCHING: Sulphur powder mixed with lard. Cover affected area.

MEASLES. To break out use a 8 oz. Glass of whiskey and add 2-3 tbls.
sugar,fill rest of glass with water. Or: use sheep dung and make a
tea, drink tea.Chicken dung could be used also.

MOLES: Squeeze juice from a milkweed plant and apply to mole.

MUMPS: Mix 1 lb. Oatmeal and * pint yeast, heat and apply to
swelling.

NAUSEA: Chew mint leafs.

NERVES: 1 piece rock candy in a jig of whiskey. Drink.

NOSEBLEEDS: Pour a gallon of milk on the back of the victim's neck.
Or fold a piece of paper over and Place on the upper lip; a bean
will also work; or soak feet in cold water.

PNEUMONIA: Mash cooked onions and put between two cloths, fasten to
victim's chest.

POISON IVY: Put washed leaves of a sweet fern in boiling water and
apply to affected area.

RHEUMATISM: Boil dried apple peelings, strain, drink hot 4 times
daily. Or: Wear the front foot of a mole in a bag - a rabbit foot
would also work. Or: turn your shoes upside down at night. Or put a
Copper wire around the join (sound familiar?), or carry sulfur in
your pocket. Or break the ice and Jump into the river. Or get stung
by bees. Or blind a live toad and hold it over the aching place. Or
put the entrails of a chicken on your feet. Or rub with raccoon
grease, bacon grease, fishing worm oil, goat grease or skunk grease.
Or: sleep with a dog or cat as the animal will take your pains away.

SHINGLES: Kill a black chicken by wringing its head off and while
the body is still warm, rub over the affected area.

SINUS: 1 tsp salt and 1 cup warm water - sniff through nasal
passages.

SORE THROAT: 1 cup vinegar, 2 tbls. sugar and a sprinkle of black
pepper. Gargle.

SPRAINS: Soak brown paper in vinegar and wrap around affected joint.

STOMACH ACHE: 2 mint leaves in 8 oz. glass cold water, drink as
needed.

SUNBURN: Cider vinegar to affected areas.

TEETHING: Boil catnip, steep, 1 tsp. at bedtime.

THRUSH Let an old woman (preferably a witch) blow in the child's
mouth. Or ,let the seventh son or daughter blow. Even the breath of
a jilted lover would work.

TOOTHACHE: Wad of tobacco on sore tools or two cloves (the latter
I've always used!)

WARTS: Rub castor oil over wart. Or take 9 grains of corn and rub
them over the wart. Feed the corn to one old hen. OR: Steal a
dishrag, rub it over the wart, bury the rag and when the rag is
rotted, wart will disappear.

MILD SEDATIVE: Pour 1 pint boiling water over 1 tsp. dried catnip.
Cover and steep until cool. Strain and sweeten. Start with 2 Tlb.
increase by 1 Tlb. until you find the right amount. Store in the
fridge.

HOP SEDATIVE: Pour 1 pint boiling water over 1 1/2 tsp. dried hops
flowers. Let steep, covered,10 minutes. Strain and sweeten. Add
lemon juice. Drink the entire pint.

FEVERFEW TEA: Pour 1 pint boiling water over 1 ounce of fever few
flowers. Cover and steep until cool. Strain and sweeten with honey.
Drink cool.

TO INDUCE SLEEP: Mix 2Tlb dried peppermint with 1Tlb each of
rosemary and sage. Pour 1pint boiling water over the herbs, steep
for 5 to 10 minutes, strain and sweeten with honey.
Please try to remember these are here for information purpose only,
and for all some are effective, some aren't ie: the killing of a
black chicken etc.

[Kitchen Witch]

Cure For A Burn: Wheat flour and cold water, mixed to the consistency of soft paste, is an almost instantaneous cure for a burn. Renew before the first gets so dry as to stick.


Cure For Camp Itch: Take iodide of potassium, sixty grains, lard, two ounces, mix well, and after washing the body well with warm soap suds rub the ointment over the person three times a week. In seven or eight days the acarus or itch insect will be destroyed. In the recipe the horrible effects of the old sulphur ointment are obviated.

Cure For Toothache: Powdered alum will not only relieve the toothache, but prevent the decay of the tooth. Salt may advantageously be mixed with the alum.

Gargle For Sore Throat, Diptheria or Scarlet Fever: Mix in a common size cup of milk two teaspoonfuls of pulverized charcoal and ten drops of spirits of turpentine. Soften the charcoal with a few drops of milk before putting into the cup. Gargle frequently, according to the violence of the symptoms.

For Dysentery: Dissolve as much salt in pure vinegar as will ferment and work clear. When the foam is discharged cork it up in a bottle, and put it away for use. A large spoonful of this in a gill of boiling water is efficacious in cases of dysentery.

Cure For Chills: The plant, commonly called hoarhound, is said to afford a certain cure. Boil it in water, and drink freely of the tea.

Bistort root is one of the strongest astringent medicines in the vegetable kingdom and highly styptic and may be used to advantage for all bleedings, whether external or internal and wherever astringency is required. Although its use has greatly been superseded by other astringents of foreign origin, it is of proved excellence in diarrhoea, dysentery, cholera and all bowel complaints and in haemorrhages from the lungs and stomach, and is a most effectual remedy for bleeding from the nose and exceedingly useful in dealing with haemorrhoids. It is used - as a medicine, injection and gargle - in mucous discharges, as well as for haemorrhages.

A teaspoonful of the powdered root, in a cupful of boiling water, may be drunk freely as required.

The decoction, often also used, is made from 1 OZ. of the bruised root boiled in 1 pint of water. One tablespoonful of this is given every two hours in passive bleedings and for simple diarrhoea. The decoction is also useful as an injection in profuse menstruation and in leucorrhoea and is a useful wash in ulcerated mouth and gums, and as a gargle. It is also used as a lotion to ulcers attended with a discharge.

Bistort is considered valuable for diabetes, given in conjunction with tonics, and has itself tonic action.

The older herbalists considered both the leaves and roots to have 'a powerful faculty to resist poison.' Combined with the bitter flag root (calamus), the root was used to cure intermittent fever and ague. Green cites its frequent use in intermittent fever, both alone and with gentian, 3 drachms daily being administered.

It was used, dried, and powdered on cuts and wounds to stop bleeding. The decoction in wine, made from the powder, was drunk freely 'to stay internal bleedings and fluxes,' and was considered 'available against ruptures, burstings and bluises from falls and blows'- also to 'help jaundice, expel the venom of the plague, smallpox, measles or other infectious disease, driving it out by sweating.' A distilled water of the leaves and roots was used to wash any part stung or bitten by a venomous creature, or to wash running sores or ulcers; also as a gargle in sore throat and to harden spongy gums, attended with looseness of teeth and soreness of the mouth. Gerard stated that the root would have this effect, 'being holden in the mouth for a certaine space and at sundry times.' He also states that 'the juice of Bistort put into the nose prevaileth much against the disease called Polybus.'

The root was also employed externally as a poultice.

The powdered leaves were employed to kill worms in children.

In Salmon's Herbal the following preparations are given, with their uses:
1. A liquid juice of the whole plant.
2. A distilled water of the roots and leaves.
3. A powder of the leaves (good to killworms and for other things.)
4. A powder of the root. (Prevails against malignity of measles and small-pox and expels the poyson of the Plague or Pestilence or of any other infectious disease, driving it out by sweating.)
5. A compound powder of the root (made of equal quantities of Bistort, Pellitory of Spain and burnt Allum made into a paste with a little honey and put in hollow of a tooth or at the side, eases their pain and stops the defluxion of rheum on the part cleanses the head and brain and causes evacuation of abundance of rheumatic matter.
6. A decoction of the root in wine or water.
7. A decoction compound of the root. (6 oz. Bistort root, 4 oz. Angelica, 4 oz. of Zedoary, 1 oz. of Winter's Cinnamon, all being bruised, infuse in red port wine or Canary, 5 quarts, for 6 hours, then giving it 2 or 3 boils, take it from the fire, strain out the wine from the ingredients, which let settle, then decant the clear from the rest sweeten with syrup of lemons or syrup of vinegar. This is a notable medicament against Measles, Small-Pox Calenture, Spotted Fever and even the Plague. It also prevails against any vegetable poison, which is taken inwardly, if timely given.)
8. The diet drink, made of the roots, leaves and seeds.
9. The spiritous tincture.
10. The acid tincture.
11. The oily tincture.
12. The saline tincture.
13. The fixed salt (resists putrefaction).
14. The essence.

---Dosage---The root is generally administered in powder, the dose being from 1/4 to 1/2drachm in water.

A fluid extract is also prepared from the root, the dose being 1/2 to 1 drachm.

A decoction is also much employed.

[Kitchen Witch]

CORNMEAL AND MUSH

Everyone "tried" to keep buckwheat flour for pancakes and cornmeal for mush on hand. With these two items in the house you were still eating.

However, some pantires were not always so well stocked.

Almost everyone used cornmeal as one of the staple foods during the hard times. Some relied on it more and became experts at preparations and variations.


BUTTERMILK JOHNNY CAKE

Sift together:
1 c. flour, sifted
1 t. salt
3/4 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder

Mix with:
1 c. cornmeal

Combine:
1/4 c. lard, melted
2 eggs, well beaten

Add to:
1 1/2 c. buttermilk (sour milk was also used)

Combine with flour mixture and beat only until smooth. Fill well greased shallow pan. Bake at 425* F. for 25 minutes.

Serve with syrup and fried pork or sausages. It was also eaten with sugar and milk - or milk only. This was often served for supper.

NOTE: 2 T. brown sugar can be added to the above recipe for those who like sweet Johnny Cakes. A real die-hard Johnny Cake eater rarely used a sweetener in their recipes.


POPULAR JOHNNY CAKE

Another favorite recipe using no white flour is:

Melt:
2 T. fat

Add:
2 eggs, well beaten
1 t. salt

Add:
2 c. sour milk

Add:
2 c. cornmeal
1 t. baking soda

Mix only to moisten. Bake at 400* F. for 20 to 25 minutes.

Instead of using shortening in the corn bread batter, cracklings were sometimes used. Cracklings were the crisp brown bits left from frying out the lard on hog butchering days.

[Kitchen Witch]

CORNBREAD USING SUGAR

1 egg
3 T. sugar
1 c. sour milk
4 T. lard
1 c. flour
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. soda
1/2 t. salt
1 c. cornmeal

Bake at 425* F.



The leanest breakfast of those days was a water pudding made out of flour and water cooked to porridge consistency. Anything that filled the stomach was better than nothing.


CORNMEAL MUSH

This often-used dish was prepared for breakfast and the leftovers, packed in bread tins and cooled in the pantry were sliced and fried for supper, or the evening meal. It was dipped in flour and fried crisp and delicious in fat. It was generally served with syrup which was plentiful.

To cook mush with no lumps:
Mix 1 c. cornmeal with 4 c. water. Bring to boil; add 1 t. salt and cook gently for at least 30 minutes, to get the best flavor out of the cornmeal. Serve with top milk (half and half) and sugar. Or mix 1 c. cornmeal with 1 c. water. Add to 3 c. boiling water with salt added, stirring coninuously.


If you ladle two tablespoons of milk over sliced beef liver and let it stand for 10 minutes, it will take any strong taste away.


A construction worker was paid 26 1/2 cents per hour. His job was swinging a 16-pound sledge all day long.


A letter to be mailed might sit on a buffet for two or three weeks before there was 2 cents to buy a stamp to mail it.


As tough as it was, peace and happiness and a family love and respect that is nearly gone these days. They learned how to work in those days.


Women invented their own favorite dishes making meals out of practically nothing.

GLAZE: You take enough flour for the amount of dough you want, 2 eggs, and salt to taste. Milk to thin the dough a little so you can spoon it into a kettle of hot boiling water. Spoon so you have the size of a tablespoon. Cook till done. Drain off water and put into serving dish. In the meantime, have prepared 2 medium onions sliced and fried in bacon grease. Then while still very hot, pour over the Glaze for a very tasty and fulfilling meal.


Handed down from 1856 - the year of the gravy. How do you make gravy without meat or butter or milk???
"Well, put the spider on the stove, then put some water in the spider, then put some flour in a cup, put some water over it and mix it up together, when the water boils, stir in the mixture, put some salt and pepper in to season it.
(a spider is a cast iron pot with legs)


Another meal was potatoes cooked and served as is on a dinner plate. Thick, cool clabbered milk was served in bowls into which the potatoes were dipped before eating. Today we use sour cream on our baked potatoes but no doubt ar no tastier than were the potatoes and clabbered milk of those days gone by.

[Kitchen Witch]

BAKED MACARONI AND TOMATOES

Add:
2 T. fat, melted (bacon fat is good)
1/2 t. salt
1 qt. tomatoes

Arrange in layers with:
2 c. cooked macaroni

Cover generously with buttered crumbs. Bake in hot oven till heated through and crumbs are brown.


SCALLOPED TOMATOES

Fill a well-oiled baking dish with:
2 c. tomatoes, alternating with
1 c. bread crumbs, seasoned between layers and dot with butter.

Cover with crumbs and bake for 35 minutes or until nicely browned.

When gardens grew everyone had home canned tomatoes. these side dishes wer a tasty addition to any table.


GRIT WURST

From the German community comes this everlasting favorite. This recipe calls for a hogs head.

Boil one hog's head in water to cover until meat falls off bones. This takes a canner as a cooking vessel. Remove to large platter to cool. Remove fat parts and use lean only. Grind meat and add a lot of allspice, salt and pepper to taste. Add equal parts of cooked oatmeal. Pack in bread tins and freeze or store in refrigerator. Slice and fry for lunches or a nourishing breakfast.

The Bohemian version calls for barley cooked and used in placed of the oatmeal. Dry bread was added and salt, pepper and garlic flavored this dish. Still others like the cornmeal mush base. All these dishes were staples in the 1930's because they stretched the meat and were satisfying.


CORNMEAL MUSH AND PORK

To make a more filling meal out of the fried cornmeal mush and to vary the menu since it was served so often, the following recipe was used.

Simmer 1 lb. pork with bones or any meat and bones left over until very tender. Remove meat and bones and boil broth down to 1 qt. (or add water). Add 1 t. salt and 1/2 t. sage. Add 1 c. cornmeal dissolved in 1 c. cold water. Add to broth and cook until it thickens, stirring frequently. Add shredded meat. Pour into greased bread loaf pans; chill; slice, dip in flour and fry in fat till brown and crispy. Serve hot with syrup or apple breakfast topping.


HEAD CHEESE

Cook till meat falls offf bones in salted water, one hog's head and one hog's tongue. Shred and season with salt and pepper, or with chili powder. Pack tightly in a bowl, cover and weigh it down. Let stand 3 days in a cold place. Slice and serve.


Some liked bread and milk and head cheese for Sunday supper. Head cheese was made from cooiking the bones and any meat from the freshly butchered pig's head. Sage, salt and pepper were the seasonings used.

[Kitchen Witch]

CLIPS AND QUOTES

"There were many cotton tail rabbits on our farm. They were dressed and frozen and were ready when needed. Mother dipped the cut pieces in flour and fried them in bacon fat until golden brown. She made cream gravy with pan drippings and always served it with Johnny Cake (cornbread)."

HOMINY

Each fall children chose the choicest ear corn from the crib and helped shell it. The kernels were boiled in lye water in the big copper boiler on the kitchen wood range. When the hard outer shell of each kernel loosened, the white inside kernels were washed many times. Salt was added. They were packed in sterile jars and cold pack processes. Pork chops, hominy and rich pork chop cream gravy made a tummy filling meal.


HUNTER'S PARTRIDGE

Using 4 dressed and washed partridges, sprinkle inside and out with salt and pepper. Mix 4 cups shredded cabbage and 4 slices fried and crumbled bacon. Spoon 1/4 mixture into each bird. Wrap each with 4 cabbage leaves and tie with string. Place in large skillet. Mix 3 T. butter, 1 c. chicken stock or bouillon cube, 4 slices carrots, 1/4 t. each of thyme, tarragon and pepper and 1 t. salt. Pour over partridges. Bring to boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes, or until done. Serve with pan sauce.

CREAMED FRIED PARTRIDGES

Using 2 birds, cut into serving pieces and dredge with seasoned flour. Fry salt pork until crisp. Remove from pan and fry partidges in fat. When brown, add crisp pork. Pour 1 c. thick cream or evaporated milk over all. Cover and simmer until done.


WILD GREENS

Children gathered springtime dandelions and cowslip greens to be cooked and served with vinegar.

[Kitchen Witch]

DANDELION DINNER

No meal was more eagerly awaited for and enjoyed with more relish than the springtime dandelion dinner. The best dandelions were found partially under leaves. They were gathered by the dishpan full as soon as they made their appearance. To clean them the top leaves were held together while the bottom root part was cut away. After shaking out the very inner growth and discarding it, the tender stems were put into another large pan and were thoroughly washed.

Bacon or side pork was fried and removed to a serving dish. Vinegar was added to an equal part of drippings in the pan. Several hard boiled eggs were sliced over the cut up greens, a potato was crushed into it, hot from the boiled potato kettle, and the vinegar dressing was poured hot from the stove. The large salad was tossed lightly and served with the boiled potatoes and side pork or bacon. No gravy was needed or ever wanted with this dinner. The unique piquant flavor of the greens blended just right with the plain mealy potatoes. Very large bowls of this salad were consumed as long as the dandelions were in season. Today we use fresh endive.

Dandelions were also prepared by steaming them and adding a similar dressing. They were popular in most communities as were another green called lambs quarters. These were always steamed and prepared like spinach. By the time the dandelion season came to an end the young beets were sprouting their tender leaves, except through the drought, when only weeds grew. These greens survived the dry weather longer than the gardens and grains did. They were used as long as they could be found.

The drought was a climatic disaster lasting from 1933 to 1937.

[Kitchen Witch]

COTTAGE CHEESE OR DUTCH CHEESE

Cottage chese was made by placing a large pan of clabbered sour milk at the side back of the wood range where it would heat slowly. When the milk separated, it was drained through a cloth. The whey was fed to the pigs. Nothing was wasted. Salt and fresh cream were added to the cheese curds and it was ready to use.

A typical supper was fresh cottage cheese, raw fried potatoes, bread and butter pickles and bread. It was a very good meal.

Even though food was scarce and times were bad - "there was always room for one more" at meal time should any itinerant salesman, horse trader or tramp arrive at mealtime.


COTTAGE CHEESE DRESSING

Beat together:
1/2 c. milk
1/2 t. salt
3/4 t. dry mustard
1/2 c. cottage cheese
1/4 c. honey or sugar
1/2 c. vinegar
1/2 t. paprika

Dressing may reach desired thickening by chillling. Dab of whipped cream on top of individual plates may top salad.




Weeks before berry picking time, even blossoms were used as a means of adding variety to meals. Elderberries were plentiful in some areas; they were picked and fried crispy as an added treat!

The blossoms with stems left on them were dipped in beaten egg and dipped in flour before frying to a golden crunchy brown in a big ol' fry pan using lard. Sometimes a flour egg batter was used. You took them by the stem to eat them and they were marvelous.

[Kitchen Witch]

GARDEN CASSEROLE

This was often made by the roaster-full!

Grease a casserole very well.
Slice 2 onions into it.
Add:
4 potatoes, sliced thin
2 c. corn, canned or fresh
1 lb. pork sausage, fried and drained
1 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper

2 c. canned or fresh tomatoes poured over all. Buttered crumbs as topping. Bake with cover on 30 minutes; finish baking till done and a crusty brown.


LAYERED GARDEN CASSEROLE

In a large casserole arrange a layer of each. Season lightly between each layer.

1 layer potatoes
1 layer onion rings
1 layer dry rice (3/4 c.)
1 layer peas
1 lb. fried hamburger, drained
1 qt. tomatoes (or 1 can)
3 slices bacon

Bake for 2 hours in slow oven or until done. Cover first half hour.



SO GOOD CASSEROLE

1 lb. ground beef, browned with:
1/3 c. onions, chopped
Add:
1 qt. tomatoes (or 1 can)
2 t. salt
Cook:
1 1/2 lb. spaghetti

Arrange in casserole dish with 1 c. corn and beef tomato mixture. Bake at 350* F. for 1 hour.



POTATO CASSEROLE

Saute 1/4 c. butter with 1 medium chopped onion
Add:
2 1/2 T. flour in fry pan
Add gradually:
2 c. milk
Salt and pepper

In greased casserole dish alternate above with 3 c. cubed cooked potatoes and 1/2 c. shredded milk cheese. Shred some cheese on top. Bake at 350* F. for 25 to 35 minutes.

FISH CASSEROLE

Any filleted fish can be used for this. Fresh water pan fish filleted are very nice for this dish.
Butter casserole dish well. Arrange fish in it and cover lightly with cream (half and half). Cover with fine bread crumbs. Bake till fish flakes and crust is brown and bubbly. Serve with cooked fresh peas arranged around dish.

[Kitchen Witch]

BOILED HAM DINNER

Simmer a picnic or ham hock with a lot of ham left on it.
Add no salt.

Add:
6 small carrots
6 turnips, cut into quarters
6 small onions
6 potatoes, peeled

Cook till vegetables are done. Meanwhile steam one small head of cabbage; cut into eighths. With slotted spoon arrange vegetables in center of serving platter. Arrange cabbage around edge. Place ham overall. Drizzle butter over cabbage and vegetables.



COUNTRY HAM AND POTATO SUPPER

Alternate:
8 sliced potatoes
1/2 lb. ham, cut up
2 T. flour
1 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
2 T. onion, grated
2 t. butter

Pour scalded milk to almost cover. Bake in covered dish for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake till brown and done.

[Kitchen Witch]

OLD TIME BAKED BEANS

No meal planning was complete without a good recipe for baked beans. Recipes varied but they were all good and very nourishing. Men needed something to stay with them in their physical work and it did replace meat when that was not in plentiful supply.

Cook beans by adding cold water to 2 c. washed beans to stand an inch above the beans. Put on simmer and bring to a boil slowly. This will take several hours but will be worth it. Beans will be whole and tender. Do not ever add soda for quick coloring. It destroys the vitamins and will result in mushy beans.


Put in a large bean cooker or raoster:

the precooked beans
1/4 lb. slat pork or bacon or ham hock
2 1/2 c. water
1 t. salt (except when using ham)
1 t. dry mustard
2 T. molasses or more
2 t. brown sugar
1 T. vinegar
1/2 onion, grated

Salt pork or bacon should be browned and grease poured off. Combine everything. Bake in hot oven at 450* F. for 15 minutes covered. Uncover and bake at least 45 minutes longer or until brown but not dry. Water can be added to keep the dish moist.



On Sunday a special treat for a family would be to add 2 or 3 cooked prunes per sersonto the beans.





With no refrigeration available in the 1930's, it was necessary to preserve the hams and deliciously cured bacon by burying them in the granary oatbin. When seeding time came and the oatbins became lean and bare, ham was cold-packed for summer use. Also fresh hams were cold-packed which made meal preparations simple in the busy summer season. The meat and gravy was all prepared in the jars and it didn't take long to get the rest of the meal on.

[Kitchen Witch]

HAMBURGER STRETCH

1 lb. hamburger
2 c. oatmeal
some grated onion
1 egg

Mix and season to taste. This was a popular dish when meat was rationed through the war.




SHKUBANKY

This is a simple meal in itself. It is Czech in origin but similar forms of Potato Cakes were also favorites of other areas. These called for mashed potatoes, flour and enough potato water to make a stiff dough. Lard was heated in the big fry pan and these cakes were dipped in flour, egg and bread crumbs and fried a crispy brown on both sides. Ground poppy seed or grated cottage cheese was served with this meal.



HOMEMADE NOODLES

Combine:
1 egg, beaten
1/2 t. salt
2 T. milk
1 c. flour or enough to make a stiff dough

Roll very thin on floured board; let stand 20 minutes. Roll up loosely; cut into strips. Spread out and let dry for 2 hours. Cook or freeze. To dry freshely made noodles hand over the back of a towel covered chair. (depression style)

[Ohiojude]

KW where do you get the time to type all this!

Thank you, some of this my Mom still swears by!!

[Kitchen Witch]

I will let you in on a secret - most of this is already on disks and cd's or stored in one of my hard drives - so I get to cheat at times!!! Don't tell anyone - it's our secret!!! LOL

KW

[Kitchen Witch]

POTATO DUMPLINGS

Not to be outdone by other ethnic dishes, the potato dumpling can hold it's own. Equally popular with the German and Norwegian people this is a carryover from the immigrants. It is loved almost as much today by people that have become familiar with it as it was then. However, the long preparation does not adapt to our life style now and is generally served only at ethnic church suppers. Even there, it is becoming hard to find women who remember the very touch it takes to duplicate the exquisite finished product.

The potato dumpling in it's variations was very popular through the Great Depression because of it's available ingredients. Again, the combination of flour and potatoes and bread, assembled in a unique method to arrive at such a delicious popular dish, is nothing short of genuine art.

Lefsa belongs in the same category requiring a skill not everyone can emulate.

Crusty brown potato pancakes were everyone's favorite. They were served regularly because they provided a delicious, inexpensive meal everyone looked forward to. Served with syrup or applesauce, little else was needed at this meal.

Another good recipe:

TASTY POTATO PANCAKES


Grate 6 medium potatoes and 1 small onion. Drain. Add 1 slightly beaten egg and 1/2 c. milk. Stir. Add 1 c. flour and 1 t. salt. Cook on hot griddle till crisp and brown.


GERMAN RAW POTATO DUMPLINGS

Grind raw potatoes to make 2 c. Put in colander to drain. Press out some of the liquid and keep covered with plastic to keep it from turning dark.

Add:
1 c. heel of bread cubes
3/4 t. salt
1 egg

Mix very well. Add 1 c. flour or less mixing in very well and form into golf ball size. Roll in flour before adding to ham broth. A bit of cooked ham inside the dumpling is worth the effort.

A ham bone with lots of meat left on makes a good base for this dish. Chicken is also used in some kitchens and should be a stewing chicken, browned, and cooked gently for several hours with water to cover. Success of the potato dumpling is in using as little flour as possible and still have the mixture hold together. The finished product should be rather light although most often it will be solid.

This recipe should be tested using 3/4 c. flour before adding more. If a small round comes up from the broth intact without losing a lot of the mixture it will hold up while boiling. Simmer for 35 minutes or until done. To serve, ladle with slotted spoon onto a platter and drizzle with melted butter. Arrange ham around the dumplings.

The double recipe calls for:
4 c. potato, ground and drained
2 c. cubes of bread
1 1/2 t. salt
1 egg
1 1/2 c. flour, test and add more up to 1/2 c. if they don't hold together.

Coleslaw or a large cream dressing salad or sauerkraut is served with this meal. Leftover dumplings provide another delicacy the next day, sliced thick and fried in butter until golden.

[Kitchen Witch]

DEPRESSION KRAUT

Drain 1 qt. sauerkraut, reserve juice; add enough water to cover. In a fry pan, saute 1/2 lb. bacon halfway through. Drain 1/2 the grease; add 1 lg. chopped onion. Saute with bacon; add kraut and
1/4 t. caraway seekd
2 T. brown sugar
1 c. cabbage, shredded
1 sm. can mushrooms
1 potato cooked and mashed
some salt
pepper

Cook on low, heat till tender; adding kraut juice if desired, to taste.

[Kitchen Witch]

ORIGIN OF NOODLE DISHES

When weather was too dry for crops to grow, the chickens still fared fairly well. They'd scratch all day for seeds and bugs and kept right on laying eggs. When egg prices dropped to 10 cents a dozen, then nine and even eight cents, women learned to use them in every imaginable way in their cooking. Besides making the life saving Schmarren, noodles were made for soups, or as a maindish with bacon grease or butter poured over, garnished with bread croutons, or baked with apples sliced in-between with a bit of butter, sugar and cinnamon added. Out of this was born the yummy hot dishes which became the vogue when the potato crop had dried up.

None of the hot dishes used soups, as in today's recipes, but it didn't delete from the good flavor. So good in fact, that the recipes are still in use, and are family favorites today. A recipe for extra good noodles follows. These were made so often, even young girls became experts at quickly mixing, rolling ever so thin and cutting them in exactly even strips, ready to hang and dry.


NOODLES

Beat 6 egg yolks with 6 T. water.
Add: 1 t. salt to approx. 3 c. flour

Make a stiff dough. Cut into four pieces. Roll very thin. Let dry on dish towels for a few minutes. Cut into even strips. Hang over the back of a chair which has been covered with a fresh, clean dish towel.

The left over egg whites were used in some of the finest desserts.


SCHMARREN (A/K/A SCHMORN OR KRATSER)

Made from any number of eggs, a little more milk than you'd use for scrambled eggs, a little sugar, salt and baking powder and enough flour to make a thin batter, like a very thin pancake batter. Fry in butter in hot iron skillet, stirring and turning until golden brown.

Sometimes bread crumbs were added to the egg-milk mixture, with a pinch of salt, sugar and no baking powder, until all the liquid was absorbed.

KRATSER

Fry bacon cut into small pieces. Pour over it a batter made of 3 eggs, 1/2 c. milk, and 1/2 c. flour and seasoning. Stir and turn until golden brown like omelets. Pork cracklings were also added to this dish.

[Kitchen Witch]

HAM NOODLE CASSEROLE

Cut lean ham into small cubes and fry in saute pan. Push aside and add flour. Stir to brown gently, using moderate heat. Add cold milk to make a gravy. Season with pepper only. Place in layers in casserole with cooked noodles. Bake until golden brown.
This dish is still prepared today in many families.




CHICKEN NOODLE CASSEROLE

Cook noodles until tender. Drain and rinse. Melt 1/2 c. oleo, add 1 T. flour, 1 t. salt and 1/4 t. pepper. Stir well. Add 2 c. cold milk slowly and stir until smooth. Alternate noodles, gravy and 3 c. diced cooked chicken, adding a cup of sliced celery if desired. Bake at 350* F. for 1 hour.



Another filling dish was steamed cabbage and cooked noodles with onion and celery; seasoned to taste.

[Kitchen Witch]

VEGETABLES DURING THE GREAT DEPRESSION

Gardens were relied on heavily during the Great Depression to supply a large amount of their food for the whole year. There was much canning done for preserving foods for the remainder of the year.

In 1933 a drought began and ravaged on to create the great dust bowl of the century. Through this time the crops and gardens dried up or never had enough moisture to even allow the seeds to germinate. Even wells dried up at this time. Cattle were slaughtered for lack of feed and water to drink. Some were taken to Wisconsin where they fed on leaves. Even the berry bushes and orchards became casualties at this time.

Before and after the drought, gardens grew and delicious meals were prepared also providing food for cattle bringing dairy products to the table.

Cream, eggs, lard, bacon fat and butter were added to the recipes.

Times were tough and many landlords would take potatoes and canned goods for back rent. This forced many to eat cornmeal 3 times a day all winter long.

Cornmeal was prepared for breakfast, warmed up for dinner and fried for supper every day.

[Kitchen Witch]

CREAMED PEAS AND POTATOES

The first peas and potatoes from the gardens were always celebrated with this:

Cook:
1 pint new peas until just tender - do not overcook

In separate pan cook:
4 med. new potatoes, scraped with a scouring pad to remove skins and cut into 1-inch pieces

Drain vegetables and combine; add 1 pt. light cream brought to a boil with 1 T. cornstarch. Season and serve hot. Parsley or paprika made a good garnish.

This can also be thickened by mixing 1 T. flour with 1 T. butter and adding to cream, bring to boil and add to vegetables.