18th century – Abby Murphy

18th century, american cookery, baking, farmers market, vegetables

Carrot pudding

June 25, 2014November 11, 2014 Abby Murphy

This summer we're trying out a CSA, or "Community Supported Agriculture." Each week we pick up a manageable amount of fresh vegetables (and sometimes a potted plant!) from a nearby farm. Having paid the farm in advance for the season, we receive a certain amount of credit that can go towards any of the produce available… Continue reading Carrot pudding

18th century, activities, childhood, crafts, holidays, vacation, winter

Colonial Craft: Pomanders

January 6, 2014February 16, 2014 Abby Murphy

Happy New Year! I hope you had a wonderful holiday season and that you're settling into 2014. I spent Christmas with my family in Ohio, listening to my dad's beloved Ray Conniff Singers and cooking up a storm. We spent many an evening by the fire and even processed maple syrup in one long day… Continue reading Colonial Craft: Pomanders

18th century, confusing recipes, dessert, disaster, fruit, hannah glasse, lessons learned

Apple pie

December 14, 2013February 16, 2014 Abby Murphy

Sometimes you get old recipes right the first time: you decipher the flowery language, you make the right substitutions, you determine the correct proportions. And sometimes, well, you don't.This is a story of when I got it wrong.We begin in apple season. I've been buying apples nonstop at the farmers' market every Saturday, and sometimes… Continue reading Apple pie

18th century, 19th century, books, britain, hannah glasse, history lesson

Colonial Cookbook: The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy

November 22, 2013February 16, 2014 Abby Murphy

Meet Mrs. Hannah Glasse. By day, she is a plain English housewife, struggling to scrape by in the mid-1700s. By night, however, she works on her revolutionary new idea: a cookbook designed for the masses of untrained servants working in fine English homes.source: WikipediaBy 1746, when Glasse began to write The Art of Cookery Made Plain… Continue reading Colonial Cookbook: The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy

18th century, fall, family, fruit, hannah glasse

Spiced, stewed pears

November 4, 2013February 16, 2014 Abby Murphy

Thank you for all your wonderful comments on our news! It can be scary to put big announcements out into this void of the internet, so it meant a lot to read your good wishes.We're knee-deep in fall over here in New England. Leaves turning color, crisp and clear afternoons, days growing shorter. Sometimes I… Continue reading Spiced, stewed pears

18th century, 19th century, activities, american frugal housewife, health, homesteading, how-to, lessons learned, little house cookbook, thrift

How to render suet for cooking

May 29, 2013February 16, 2014 Abby Murphy

Back when I first started this blog, I learned a few things right away about historical cooking. First, some old recipes are very similar to their modern counterparts (like pie). Second, animal fat is wonderful. From salt pork to lard, it's all delicious.Lard may have fallen out of favor with the onset of fat-free food,… Continue reading How to render suet for cooking

18th century, american cookery, college, honesty, meat, vacation

Boiled ham (or, a foray into Eastern Europe)

May 10, 2013February 16, 2014 Abby Murphy

Sometimes I think way too hard about how to use up leftovers. The potential for waste bothers me. If we have half a head of red cabbage sitting in the crisper because Josh realized he really, really hates cabbage after a disastrous night of fish tacos, I have this deep-seated urge to use it up.… Continue reading Boiled ham (or, a foray into Eastern Europe)