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Saturday, January 27, 2007

Old Fashioned Wisdom

I ran across a book in the library, just walking by and saw it on the shelf, which I think is very interesting. The title is Keeping Hearth and Home in Old Ohio by Carol Padgett, ISBN#0-89732-420-X This is a compilation of old recipes, advice, and instructions for women. The first section tells a girl what she should do while still in her father's house, and then it moves to being married and keeping a home of her own. Some of the medicinal advice may be folklore (I have not researched them) but much of it is very good advice, causing me to wonder when everyone became so haughty that they threw away the old wisdom for new ideas that don't work anyway.

There are a few quotes that I don't hold to agreeing with myself (such as not to marry a man who has more money than your own family) and much of the spiritual advice is very general, but this is altogether a very neat little book. I intend to put it in the Hope Chests. It also makes a great vocabulary book for a young woman, full of words which are hardly in use any more.

Here is a sampling of what's inside:

"Remember Cleanliness. The last thing you should do before beginning to cook is to wash your hands and clean your nails.

Prepare Ingredients. Prepare each ingredient for mixing, that the dish may not be delayed when half finished because the flour is not sifted, the "shortening" not warmed, the sugar and butter not creamed, the meat not cut up, or the herb not minced.

Save Failures for Yourself. Scorched soups and custards, sour bread, biscuit yellow with soda, and cake heavy as lead come under the head of "hopeless". They are absolutely unfit to be set before civilized beings and educated stomachs, Should such mishaps occur, lock the memory of the attempt in your own bosom, and do not vex or amuse your guests with the narration, still less with visible proof of the calamity." Padgett, Page 109

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

HI Amy,
I am also a foster/adoptive mom. We have four that are adopted and one that is in process. I am hoping that God isn't finished with us yet. We live in Eastern WA State. I love to see other "rainbow" families. It warms my heart.
Maree