1907 Chicken Broth

     While cleaning out my mother-in-law's house and looking through her 100s of cookbooks we ran across something very special, a 106 year old cookbook. It was published in 1907 by the Woman's Civic Betterment Club of Roanoke, VA.  The recipes are so unique, not necessarily in the ingredients, but in the descriptions and the "flavor" of the times that is given. I don't know about the taste of the food if you choose to follow the recipes, but I'm sure you will enjoy reading them.  Stay tuned for some fun. The following is a great example of what you will find in this blog. The recipes are quoted and punctuated exactly as written.

Chicken Broth

     "First select a nice fat, young chicken, and then carefully pick (getting out every pen-feather, as one will injure the flavor), then wash foul well in cold water before cutting it up but never allow the meat to remain in water after it is cut. When drawn, and all the joints separated into as small pieces as possible, let it cool thoroughly, then place from 4 to 6 pieces in 1 quart of cold water, and let simmer for 4 hours, or  until ready to fall from the bones, keeping as much as 1 pint for broth, adding a little salt when partly done.  Should the broth boil down below 1 pint replenish it with that amount of hot water. When done remove chicken,  and season to taste with salt and pepper. If patient has a fever or is very ill, set the broth aside until cold, and then remove the grease, after which heat and serve."

-Woman's Civic Betterment Club of Roanoke,The Roanoke Cookbook, The Stone Printing and Manufacturing Company, Roanoke Virginia, 1907.