One of the things I have done that has graced my love of history and stoked my interest in the domestic arts was 23 years of reenacting. Through that avocation I learned soap making, baking, vegetable dyes, bobbin lace making, and so much more.
I am currently working on a cook book of recipes that I have collected from the 1800 and up until about 1920...this project will probably never reach publication, because it is such a big tasks...but I have decided to start sharing recipes and arts that I think are either interesting from a historical prospective....or those that can easily be incorporated into a homesteading life..as well as for those who just like to cook and/or bake.
This is the first one I am posting....could be used on puddings, cakes, meats, or fruit salads...or maybe you have other ideas I haven't thought about. Please share them with us!
Syrup of Rum Punch
Jamaica rum one quart
Juice of twelve or fourteen lemons,
sugar four pounds.
Rub off the yellow rind of half of the lemons on a piece of the sugar, and scrape it off with a knife into a basin as it imbibes the oil. clarify and boil the remaining portion to the crack stage[1] strain the juice into the rum, and add to it the sugar with that on which the peels were rubbed; mix together, and give it one boil. The yellow rind of the peels may be cut off very thin and infused in the spirit for some days before the syrup is made.
Brandy and Wine Syrups may be made in the same manner.
Hard Crack Stage: 300-310° Sugar concentration: 99% The syrup will form brittle threads in the water, and will crack if you try to mold it. Toffee, nut brittle, and lollipops are all cooked to the hard-crack stage. Caramel Stage: 320-350° sugar concentration: 100% The sugar syrup will turn golden at this stage.
All these recipes are from a cookbook I am working on, a treasure trove of recipes from the late 1700's to early 1900's. These recipes are perfect for homesteaders or people who just love to play with food. Subscribe to our list to keep updated on recipes.