By Rita Redd
The Holidays are fast approaching. Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away and many of us will follow family traditions with a special cake or dish that the family has used for years.
My family will celebrate Thanksgiving at my Mothers home, Betty Redd. Everyone will bring a favorite dish or two. For years we celebrated Thanksgiving, then stayed home with our children on Christmas. Thanksgiving has always been a Tradition we love and carry on.
In looking up the word tradition I found:
1.) An inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action, or behavior (as a religious practice or
a social custom.
2.) The handing down of information, beliefs, and customs by word of mouth or example from one generation to another without written instruction.
These explanations hold true with the goals of US Legacies. In each issue of the magazine we are attempting to preserve the traditions and memories of families. We need your help. Traditions you send to US Legacies will be preserved for generations to come.
While reading US Legacies you will find words that are misspelled by today’s terms. Holding to tradition we publish recipes, stories, handwritten letters and abbreviations as they were done years ago. If you look at old books, letters and the pronunciation of words, it appears that the spelling changed over the years.
What food do you remember at family gatherings? If you have the old recipes we would like to share them. Old sayings, memories, legends, childhood days, war times, all of these are part of our heritage. A special elderly friend you might want to honor. Everyday items are lost because they were never written down.
Until I was an adult I took things for granted. Now I wish I had asked more, written down more. Our values seem to change with age.
My writing in US Legacies will allow generations to come to find information on my family. US Legacies is not just about my family. We want everyone to participate. Allow US Legacies to record your family.
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Comments and Request
The misspelled words in the following request are typical of many old cookbooks and recipes.
Measurements
From Stephanie
I have an old cookbook called The Everyday Cook-book, that was printed in the 1800s. Some of the measurements that are used are not found today. Can anyone help figure out what they would be in today’s measurements?
The measurements are: saltspoon (salt spoon), eggspoon (egg spoon), wineglass, breakfastglass (breakfast glass), and teacup.
I would appreciate any help I can get. Some of these recipes sound pretty good for old fashion cooking (with a open fire or fire box in a stove).
Response from Rita
All I can do is guess at the measurements. Maybe some of our readers can give correct measurements, for today’s use.
In the 1800s open salt containers were used on many tables. The spoon used for applying salt was small, almost like a spoon used to feed a baby today. I believe that might be close to the saltspoon (salt spoon).
Teacup probably would have been a small cup like the ones used in a set of china.
Eggspoon (egg spoon,) wineglass, breakfastglass (breakfast glass), could vary. Readers help us out on this question.
I also asked Stephanie to share some of the recipes.
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Apple Crisp
From Connie Dysart
Red Bluff, CA
I am trying to find the old recipe for apple crisp. The recipe has the crisp on the bottom and top.
Response from Rita
Connie, the only recipe I have is a simple one. I don’t know the origin of the recipe. I have listed it in the recipe section. If anyone has a recipe for Apple Crisp, please send it in.
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From T.K.
In this day and age when so many people seem to be eating at fast food takeouts and in front of the TV set, I wonder what a normal supper is like for the children of today.
Back in the 50s when we ate supper, we always ate together as a family. We used a tablecloth and cloth napkins. The empty plates and silverware were set in front of your chair the meat was placed on a platter in the center of the table. The potatoes and vegetables were in separate bowls and placed next to the meat. We also had a gravy bowl, sugar bowl, creamer, butter dish, breadbasket, a pitcher of milk, and salt and pepper on the table. We said a prayer before we ate.
That was a typical meal in our home. I would like to know what it was like in other homes.
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Our search continues.
The items listed below are items we are trying to find answers to. If you can answer any of these requests, please send us your response. We accept email and postal mail.
Patricia is looking for a 1940s recipe used by street vending carts. It is a whipped cream and sponge cake layered with fruits on a round cardboard cylinder.
Looking for old recipes
We need recipes from the 1930s and 1940s, Civil War recipes, candy and cookie recipes.
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Persimmon Pudding
This is an old handwritten recipe with no name added.
1 c. flour
1 c. persimmon pulp
1 c. chopped English walnuts
2 c. brown sugar
2 tsp. Baking powder
1 c. hot water
2 tbsp. Butter
Combine flour, persimmon pulp, nuts, 1 cup brown sugar and baking powder: pour into 8x8 inch pan. Combine remaining ingredients; pour over batter. Bake at 375 degree for 30 to 40 minutes. Serve with whipped cream. Yields 6 servings.
The above recipe I found interesting.
I will try to give some information. Persimmon trees were at one time plentiful in the south. But it seems there are less and less of them. The tree is slow growing.
The ripe fruit has a taste of its own, I can’t begin to describe it. When ripe it has a deep orange color. It is a very small fruit. I think it is almost a southern tradition to find someone who has never tasted the green fruit. It looks almost like a tiny green tomato. When bitten into in the green stage, it is so sour your teeth what to clamp together. The ability to remove the green fruit from your mouth is almost impossible. The person who has tasted the fruit then tries to find someone, to play the trick on.
U S Legacies Magazine November 2003
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