Jude with my Dad's Mom, Naomi. She is an amazing cook and gardener, and is proud that I'm learning how to cook and am concerned about cooking naturally and healthfully.
A couple of days ago, I was opening a new package of sugar when I discovered that it had hardened into one solid brick. This particular brand of sugar comes in paper packaging, which I like better than the plastic that most of the other brands come in, but it does seem to make the sugar more prone to clumping. I wondered if there was an easier way to soften the lumps besides hacking away at it with a fork, which was what I had been doing, to little avail. So, I did what I do when I'm faced with any question... I googled it.
And that's when I came across a blog that I am now officially obsessed with: Things Your Grandmother Knew. I love her "About This Blog" blurb, so I'm just going to let her tell you about her blog in her own words:
Some of the best kitchen and household tips were published during World War II when recycling & rationing was vital not only for the nation's economy, but necessary for the survival of each family.
Some of these tips were handed-down from grandma, but were often they were dismissed as cute anecdotes, stories of 'hard times and hard work' which were not necessary in times of prosperity and a plethora of modern conveniences.
As a result, many of these kitchen and household tips have been lost to history -- unless you collect vintage magazines.
There, in the yellowing brittle pages, you'll find a slew of household tips that are amazingly still practical today.
Me on the far left sitting beside my Mom's mom, Ocie. Some of her recipes are still famous among those who remember her.
I just can't say enough how much I love this blog! She scans tips out of old magazines and posts them so that the rest of us can also glean wisdom from them. I couldn't find any contact information on the blog, so I hope she doesn't mind me doing this, but I love some of the too much not to share.
She has tips on everything from tenderizing tough meat:
To recycling tips like how to make an emergency sewing kit:
And laundry tips like this one that I'm going to need next month when we move back to camp:
And even recipes, like this one that was said to be from or used by Jackie Kennedy:
You seriously have to go browse around her blog for a while... or a few hours. I love it.
No comments:
Post a Comment