Foodways

Smoked hams should be soaked in fresh water for twelve hours before they are boiled, and if very dry, twenty-four hours will still be better. Put the ham in a large pot of cold water, and boil it slowly till it is done, which will take several hours, carefully removing the scum as it rises to the top. When sufficiently tender, (which you may tell by trying it with a fork,) draw off the skin carefully and smoothly, so as to preserve the skin whole, and not tear the ham, to make it look ragged. Trim it nicely, and spot it over at intervals with red pepper; wrap a bunch of curled parsley round the shank bone, which should be sawed short. Accompany it with stewed fruit and green vegetables. After dinner skewer on the skin again, to prevent its getting dry.
(Mrs. Lettuce Bryan, Kentucky Housewife)

After your ducks are cleaned, lay them in milk and water for at least three hours before they are cooked, which will in a great measure draw out the strong taste. Wipe them dry with a cloth, season them sufficiently with salt and pepper, and put into each a minced onion, with two or three minced sage leaves, some mace, and nutmeg; mix these together and put into you your fowl and roast it. The best way of doing it is to tie around the breast bone under the wing securely and then take twine around the legs to roast with a string, and baste it with butter.
(Hannah Glasse, 1747 & 1796)

Of course meats other than poultry may be successfully roasted in this manner. One word of caution: place skewers through the body under the wings and behind the legs of your duck take you twine and tie securely around the fowl and then tie around each end of skewers leaving enough twine to suspend the duck over the fire at your tripod or hearth.

Put 1/4 pound of butter in pan and melt but not brown. Add 3 cups of light cream and heat. Drop slices of 10 large cold boiled potatoes into cream. Salt and pepper. Add fresh peas. Cook slowly until milk soaks unto the potatoes.
(Conner Prairie Cookbook)

Make a hot dressing of three slices of cut up bacon that has fried crisp, 1/4 cup of vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 2 Tablespoons sugar, cook for a few minutes. Pour the dressing, hot over a pound of lettuce that has been pulled apart and washed.
(Conner Prairie Cookbook)

Beets should not be sliced or skinned until after they are cooked. boil them briskly 1 hour until done. then cut them in thin slices, lay them in spiced vinegar, and after several days, they will be ready to use. To spice vinegar: To 1 cup of vinegar add 3 cups sugar, 3 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of clove and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil. Add more vinegar if needed. The recipe here, was usually improved to suit Pennsylvania-dutch taste by adding hard-boiled eggs.
(William Woys Weaver, Sauerkraut Yankees)

Sift two and a half cups of flour, and then sift it together with a tablespoon of baking powder and a teaspoon of salt. Cream a cup of butter with a cup of sugar. Beat in six eggs, blend flour into the creamed mixture. bake in a greased pan. Cool ten minutes before removing from pan. sprinkle with powdered sugar. (Kentucky Housewife)

Cherry sauce : 1 cup fresh or frozen cherries, 1 1/4 cups sugar and 1 cup water. Mix 1 cup water and 1 1/4 cups sugar, stir into the cherries. Heat to a boil let simmer 1 minute Serve over the pound cake.
(Kentucky Housewife)

1 cup butter, 3 eggs, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup milk, 1 cup molasses, 4 cups flour 1 teaspoon soda, 1 teaspoon salt. Bake as any cake Pour 1/2 inch deep into 6 pans. bake 325 degrees for 20 minutes. Cool each cake. Spread 1st layer with strawberry jam stack the second layer continue to to spread strawberry jam between each layer of cake.
(Genesee Farmer)

1 1/2 cups flour, 1 1/2 cups cornmeal, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon soda, 3/4 teaspoon salt, add 1 tablespoon vinegar to 1 cup of milk, 1/2 cup of melted lard. Add liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until moist. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
(Conner Prairie Cookbook)

Sift 2 cups of flour through hair sieve and put 1 teaspoon of soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cut in 1/2 cup of butter. Make sour milk ( 1 Tablespoon vinegar in 1 cup milk). Moisten with the milk. Knead with as few strokes as possible, working rapidly, Pat out to 1/2 inch thick and cut into biscuit shapes. Bake in a quick oven.
(Conner Prairie Cookbook)

The Conner Prairie Cookbook edited by Margaret A. Hoffman, Conner Prairie Press

Kentucky Housewife by Mrs. Lettuce Bryan, Cincinnati, 1839. Reprint: Arno Press, New York, 1972

Sauerkraut Yankees by William Woys Weaver, University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia, 1983

Selected Recipes from Genesee Farmer. 1831 to 1856 Complied and edited by Lynne J. Belluscio LeRoy, New York, Copyright 1981