I wanted to share something with you out of my great grandmother’s 120 year old cook book.
As I gently turned the tattered, yellowed pages looking for inspiration, something caught my eye in the “Meats” section. It was a suggestion on how to “Keep Meat From Flies”. I have copied it word for word for you:
“Put in sacks with enough straw around it so the flies cannot reach through. Three-Fourths of a yard of yard-wide muslin is the right size for the sack.
Put a little straw in the bottom, then put in the ham and lay straw in all around it; tie it tightly and hang it in a cool dark place.
Be sure the straw is all around the meat so the flies cannot deposit the eggs. (The sacking must be done early in the season before the fly appears). Muslin lets the air in and is much better than paper. Thin muslin is as good as thick, and will last for years if washed when laid away when emptied.”
Ok, that was quite the education on how they kept meat back then. My head is still spinning! We have come so far since then. I’m so glad! Aren’t you?
I’m going into the kitchen to kiss my refrigerator! I will never take it for granted again!
Ewwww!!!! Gross. Gross. Gross. that reminds me of the recipe for “Hog’s Head Cheese” from my grandma that’s on my In the Kitchen blog. Let’s just say there is no cheese but there IS a hog’s head and leave it at that!
I am so glad we are living NOW, aren’t you?
Oh wow… I cannot even imagine what life was like back then.
Ok I think I just totally lost any interest in ever eating meat again. YUCK! GROSS! EEEEWWWW! I can’t even imagine that. Certainly makes me happy that we’ve come so far in this day-n-age. Yuck now I’m never going to get this out of my head. LOL
I SO Want to read through that book. I love to turn back the clock like that. We have gotten so spoiled and I’ve forgotten that we are.
Oh my goodness, I would have to have been a vegetarian back then!! I wonder how long they kept it like that?? Gag!! Thanks for teaching us something new today
I will be sharing other parts of this 120 year old cook book as we go along. I won’t get so gross though. It was a shock to realize what methods they used over 100 years ago. It explains why disease went unchecked also.