1877 Housekeeper’s ABCs

 

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Buckeye Cookery and Practical Housekeeping, written in 1877, is full of recipes and helpful advice to housekeepers. I found this wonderful list of “easy-to-remember” advice because it is written alphabetically.

  Apples—Keep in a dry, cool place without freezing.

Brooms—These will stay soft and pliant if kept in the cellar.

[image error]Cranberries—Store in water in the cellar. Change water monthly.

Dish—When baking cakes, set a dish of hot water in the oven to prevent cakes from scorching.

Economize—You’ll never beg if you economize health, time, and means.

Flour—Cover securely to keep flour cool and dry.

Glass—Stir 1 tablespoon of ammonia into 1 quart of water to clean glass.

Herbs—Gather herbs when they begin to blossom and store in paper bags.

Ink Stains—To remove ink stains, wet the stain with spirits turpentine. (Spirits of Turpentine is made by distilling resin form live trees.) Wait 3 hours and then rub.

Jars—“To prevent, coax ‘husband’ to buy ‘Buckeye Cookery.’”

[image error]Keep—Keep an account for all supplies with cost and date of purchase.

“Love lightens labor.”

Money—When someone gives you change, count it carefully.

Nutmeg—To find out if nutmeg is good, put a small hole in it with a pin. Oil will run out if it’s good.

Orange and Lemon Peel—Dry it, pound it, and then store in corked bottles.

[image error]Parsnips—Dig parsnips in the spring.

Quicksilver and an egg white destroys bedbugs.

Rice—Choose large, fresh rice. Old rice may have insects.

Sugar—Granulated sugar is best for general use.

Tea—”Equal parts of Japan and green are as good as English breakfast.”

Use—Make a cement of salt, ashes, and water to fix cracks in stove.

“Variety is the best culinary spice.”

“Watch your backyard for dirt and bones.”

Xantippe—Don’t be like her. (Xanthippe was the wife of Socrates. She had an argumentative spirit.)

Youth—Best kept by a cheerful spirit.

“Zinc-lined sinks are better than wooden ones.”

 What a list! Some of this advice is outdated but much is still useful today. A few of these were too precious not to quote directly, which is shown by the quotes.

I’ve not heard of the bedbug cure using quicksilver. Bedbugs aren’t a new problem. I wouldn’t be surprised if this works.

Hope you enjoy this blast from the past.

-Sandra Merville Hart

Sources

Compiled from Original Recipes. Buckeye Cookery and Practical Housekeeping, Applewood Books, 1877.

“Turpentine,” Wikipedia.org, 2018/07/24 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turpentine.

“Xanthippe,” Wikipedia.org, 2018/07/24

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xanthippe.