Michele Morris here on this amazing Tid-bit Tuesday!
I haven’t lived in Michigan in a long time, but I remember
well the anticipation that would easily turn into frustration while we waited for
spring to arrive.
Sunny days of sixty degrees followed by two inches of snow
falling overnight are not uncommon this time of year.
I often would think of the early settlers and how they dealt
with the finicky weather. Their food stores were low by now, and game still
scarce. Fresh vegetables and fruit were months away from being available. Folks
had to use what they had on hand.
Here are a few recipes using things people from the 1800’s
may have had at the end of a long winter.
Apple Snow Recipe
Makes 6 servings - prep time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 6 good-sized apples
- 1 cup of sugar
- Juice of one lemon
- Whites of six eggs
Pare, core and steam the apples until tender, then press
them through a sieve and put aside to cool; when cold, add the sugar and lemon
juice. Beat the whites of the eggs to a very stiff froth, and add the apples to
them by large spoonfuls, beating all the while. Serve immediately, in glasses.
Brown Bread
Into 3 ½ cups of
boiling water mix:
1 teaspoon each
soda, salt and molasses.
Mix in enough graham
flour to make a stiff batter.
When the mixture
cools down, stir in one pint of light sponge,
made from a cake of compressed yeast.
made from a cake of compressed yeast.
Put into buttered
bread tins, and set in a warm place until very light.
Then bake in a rather quick oven.
This will make two
medium sized loaves.
DOUGHNUTS (TWC Oct 27 1880) –
Heat one quart of
new milk, but do not let it boil; add two teacupfuls of lard and three cupfuls
the same size of sugar, either white or a light brown; when well melted, stir
in one cupful of yeast and enough flour to form a thick sponge. Beat long and
well, and when the mass seems light and full of bubbles stir into it the well-beaten
yolk and white of one egg. When light, work well and let it rise again; then
roll and cut into shape; boil in hot lard until brown.
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While you wait for
the inevitable “dog days of summer”, you may want to try something new or in
this case something old.
Enjoy, my friends
and remember to always choose HaPpY!
Blessings to you all,
Michele
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My mother used to make Apple Snow when I was a child. Talk about bringing back memories.
ReplyDeleteMary, I've never heard of Apple Snow before the research for this post. It's amazing how ingenious our moms and grandmas are/were. I love that this post brought back some good memories for you. Have a blessed day... Michele
DeleteWow. What recipes! And I can imagine how hard things would have been and how strong these people would have had to be. Interesting!
ReplyDeleteI agree, Caroline. I admire how folks made do with so little. Thank you for the comment, Michele
DeleteI am going to have to try Apple Snow. Enjoyed the post.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ann. Apple Snow looks interesting, doesn't it? :)
DeleteThese all sound good, especially the doughnuts, with all that lard :) You're so right about signs of spring interrupted by snow! That happened here last week (although I was down in Florida!)
ReplyDeletePeggy, I think the fickle, northern springs are something we Michiganders never forget! It's good hear from you. Thanks for the comment, Michele
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