A friend asked me to post some of this info. We were talking about some of the recipes I had found in my Grandma's extensive hand-written recipe file after she had passed away. I wanted to try to get them together to pass on to my kids, grandkids and others who might need the knowledge later if TSHTF. I'm not sure where Grandma got the recipes - if they were hers or someone else's. I can remember butchering hogs, making, butter, lard, etc. at her house when I was young. As I got older she used more convenient items in cooking.
Grandma was one of 10 kids. She and her family lived through the Depression and it was hard to make ends meet. Her brothers worked in coal mines or farm laborers their farm included. She and her sisters worked the garden, helped with farm chores, and did household chores.
Grandma always loved to cook and people loved to eat her food. I really miss her cooking and never get some of the same recipes to taste like hers! As she got older and could afford to buy more ingredients she tried lots of newer recipes but she still cooked some of the tried and true recipes from the past.
So I will post the recipes I found in her file. Here are some for now. I'll post more later.
Sassafras Tea
Wash the sassafras root. Cut them in 2"-3" pieces. Place in a deep pan, cover with cold water and boil for about 15 minutes. Strain and serve hot. Add lemon and sugar (or honey) to taste.
Butter
Immediately after the cow is milked, strain milk into clean pans, and set over a moderate fire until it is scalding hot; do not let boil. then set it aside. When it is cool, skim off the cream from the top. The remaining milk will still be fit for ordinary use. When you have enough cream, put it into a clean churn. Churn vigorously until the butter is made, which will not be long. Dip the butter from the churn and pat into butter mold. What's left in the churn is most agreeable to the hogs!
Meat Brine for Wild Game
2 c. coarse pickling salt
2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp salt peter
1 c. brown sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
Combine all and mix well. Cut meat and sprinkle each piece lightly on all sides with mixture. Pack lightly in crock and weight down with lid. Store in cool place, watching to see that the meat is always covered with brine. In 5-7 days the meat is ready for cooking or whatever.
Preparing a Turtle for Cooking
First cut off the head and feet; turn upside down nailing the tail to a board. Use a very sharp thin knife and cut the skin from around the back. Cut off the belly plate, skin the neck, tail and other skin off. Remove the internal organs. Also remove the 2 tenderloin strips along the back. Cut the fatty tissue away and wash the turtle in cold water and you are ready to cook it. It tastes like chicken! (We fry it or make soup out of it, but it could be canned or treated like chicken in recipes.)
Additional note as to how we cut the head off:
The best way my husband and I have found to do this is: Take a piece of "farmer's wire" and wrap it tight around the turtle's tail while another person holds the turtle still ;-). Hang the wire over a post or clothes line. Stick a pair of large pliers in front of the turtle's mouth so he will bite the pliers - and he will! Hold the turtle still by using the pliers and cut the head off with a sharp knife if using the clothes line or an axe if using a post. We let the turtle bleed out so there's less mess. We also cut the feet off later.
Outdoor Woman
Grandma was one of 10 kids. She and her family lived through the Depression and it was hard to make ends meet. Her brothers worked in coal mines or farm laborers their farm included. She and her sisters worked the garden, helped with farm chores, and did household chores.
Grandma always loved to cook and people loved to eat her food. I really miss her cooking and never get some of the same recipes to taste like hers! As she got older and could afford to buy more ingredients she tried lots of newer recipes but she still cooked some of the tried and true recipes from the past.
So I will post the recipes I found in her file. Here are some for now. I'll post more later.
Sassafras Tea
Wash the sassafras root. Cut them in 2"-3" pieces. Place in a deep pan, cover with cold water and boil for about 15 minutes. Strain and serve hot. Add lemon and sugar (or honey) to taste.
Butter
Immediately after the cow is milked, strain milk into clean pans, and set over a moderate fire until it is scalding hot; do not let boil. then set it aside. When it is cool, skim off the cream from the top. The remaining milk will still be fit for ordinary use. When you have enough cream, put it into a clean churn. Churn vigorously until the butter is made, which will not be long. Dip the butter from the churn and pat into butter mold. What's left in the churn is most agreeable to the hogs!
Meat Brine for Wild Game
2 c. coarse pickling salt
2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp salt peter
1 c. brown sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
Combine all and mix well. Cut meat and sprinkle each piece lightly on all sides with mixture. Pack lightly in crock and weight down with lid. Store in cool place, watching to see that the meat is always covered with brine. In 5-7 days the meat is ready for cooking or whatever.
Preparing a Turtle for Cooking
First cut off the head and feet; turn upside down nailing the tail to a board. Use a very sharp thin knife and cut the skin from around the back. Cut off the belly plate, skin the neck, tail and other skin off. Remove the internal organs. Also remove the 2 tenderloin strips along the back. Cut the fatty tissue away and wash the turtle in cold water and you are ready to cook it. It tastes like chicken! (We fry it or make soup out of it, but it could be canned or treated like chicken in recipes.)
Additional note as to how we cut the head off:
The best way my husband and I have found to do this is: Take a piece of "farmer's wire" and wrap it tight around the turtle's tail while another person holds the turtle still ;-). Hang the wire over a post or clothes line. Stick a pair of large pliers in front of the turtle's mouth so he will bite the pliers - and he will! Hold the turtle still by using the pliers and cut the head off with a sharp knife if using the clothes line or an axe if using a post. We let the turtle bleed out so there's less mess. We also cut the feet off later.
Outdoor Woman