Hoopskirts

Many apologies for the amount of elapsed time since my last post!  It has been a busy, exciting summer.  Let's start current and work our way backward, shall we? Today's endeavor is Candied Ginger, from The Housekeeper's Instructor by William Henderson (sixth edition, 1793, London, W. and J. Stratford, Printers). Candied ginger, or more accurately, ginger candy.   I struggled quite a bit with this recipe, but I think I finally have it worked out. A SIDE NOTE ON GINGER Ginger, from Medical  Botany,   R. Griffith, MD; 1847 Philadelphia Then, as now, people were aware of the medicinal qualities of ginger.  If you ever drank ginger ale to calm an upset stomach, you are drawing on ginger's long-proven ability to calm digestive issues.  People also enjoyed candied ginger as a sweetmeat. THE RECIPE The ingredients are simple enough: Webster's American Dictionary of the English Language (1828 edition) defines "ra...

Ginger was one of the most popular flavors for baked goods in the 19-century. Recipes for gingerbread and ginger cookies abound.  This recipe for "No. 1 Ginger Snaps" is a lovely example. The Recipe Add caption This recipe comes from  The Practical Cookbook , by Mrs. Bliss (Philadelphia, 1860),  The recipe is titled "Number 1" simply because it is immediately followed by Number 2 Ginger Snaps, Sources and Differences The Southern Gardener and Receipt Boo k, third edition, by Mrs. Mary L. Edgeworth (Philadelphia, 1860) provides an identical recipe, instructing the baker to add "enough flour to make a soft dough."  The New Family Book or Ladies' Indispensable Companion and Housekeepers' Guide  (New York, 1854) and The Improved Housewife  (Hartford, Conn, 1844) also include the recipe, but with a significant difference - the instructions are "to add as much flour as can be rolled into the mixture."  The amount of...