THINGS MOTHER USED TO MAKE by Lydia Maria Gurney

THINGS MOTHER USED TO MAKE by Lydia Maria Gurney  -A Collection of Old Time Recipes, Some Nearly One Hundred Years Old and…is a compilation of information originally published in “Suburban Life”  and was complied to produce manuals. Originally published in 1914 it is now  public domain and I was able to download it as a FREE ebook via Amazon. 

I am drawn to “vintage” reading material, as well as historical re-enactments, thus I was drawn to this book. It is not that I excel in cooking or  housekeeping that I wanted to read this book but I just want to know how they did it.

The title of this book, THINGS MOTHER USED TO MAKE, may draw happy childhood memories to some and for those who desire to cook from scratch it may create a desire to hunt for those lost recipes. If you are one of these individuals then this book will serve as a motivator. 

THINGS MOTHER USED TO MAKE is not like todays detailed cookbooks, it assumes the reader has some culinary skills and needs just the basics. For example:

BREADS:Coffee Cakes

“When your dough for yeast bread is risen light and fluffy, cut off small pieces and roll as big as your ginger, four inches long. Fold and twist to two inches long and fry in deep fat. Serve hot with coffee.”

I did not find a “yeast bread” recipe but I did find a “White Bread” bread recipe. 

This book is more than just recipes, the  Appendix contains many tips on how to manage a household. In the section HOUSEHOLD HINTS OLD AND NEW FOR HOUSEKEEPERS YOUNG AND OLD, the first tip reads:

“Plan your work, then work your plan.”

When I read this I laughed out loud, really I did! My oldest sister is known for saying this, I thought she came up with that expression herself. 

This information was provided during a time in which women took great pride in maintaining there home with an understanding that we, women, were not born to know how to “Make Starch” or “The Proper Way to Sweep a Room”. 

From a historical perspective and a practical living viewpoint this book is a gym. It is a quick read with amusing antidotes. If the opportunity arises I might buy a print copy.

                                                              Written by Marsha L F Randolph