World War I Cooking–An Overview

What do you know about World War I cooking? Probably very little. It’s not a highlight of culinary history. Go back to the simple life, be contented with simple food, simple pleasures, simple clothes. Work hard, pray hard, play hard. Work, eat, recreate, and sleep. Do it all courageously. ~Herbert Hoover, US Food Administration in…

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The Fireless Cooker, a Non-Electric Slow Cooker

fireless cooker

The fireless cooker. I came across the concept awhile ago and it had me curious. Basically, it’s the original slow cooker, a non-electric way to cook meals while conserving fuel. It was invented in the 1800s but reached the height of its popularity in the early 1900s, until it was replaced by electrical appliances. There…

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Juneberry (Saskatoon or Serviceberry) Jam, a 1924 recipe

I recently read an article in a 1924 issue of the Farmer’s Wife magazine on using wild fruits. At first glance, I didn’t think I had access to any of the wild fruits mentioned, like red haws, pin cherries, and chokecherries. But then I had a chance conversation with a fellow camper over the Memorial…

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Peanut Macaroons, a Gluten Free Recipe from 1918

This continues the thought introduced in my last post. I prefer using old cookbooks in my kitchen. One of the reasons is that the recipes use common ingredients, many of which I grow in my garden, just like the cookbooks’ readers would have. Another reason is that the recipes use those common ingredients in creative…

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