Did you all know there is a civil war cookbook with authentic recipes on the net?

http://www.almshouse.com/cookbook.htm

-- Paula (chowbabe@pacbell.net), November 21, 1999

Answers

Thanks, for the great link. Seems we forget that life went on for innumerable generations without all the modern conveniences. It may be necessary again and we obviously need to get as much of this in our libraries as possible. I am sure you know this, but there are many old fashion recipes at Stan and Holly Deyo's website, Noah's Millenium Ark. There are also good insect recipes at Smithsonian. Good luck with preparations for you and yours. Speaking of prep, look into growing peanuts and pressing the oil from them, then mixing lye (simple to make from wood ash) and ethanol (simple to make from many plants)to make biodiesel. It runs our diesel tractor and trucks. Could be useful in the future. I have contact info.

-- Gary Bowman (bow@cyberhighway.net), November 21, 1999.

Paula,

Excellent link. You're the most.

If there's ever anything I can do for you, consider it done.

8-)

-- GoldReal (GoldReal@aol.com), November 21, 1999.

Paula--

Thanks for the great link! Can't wait to try the peach pie. :^)

-- Scarlett (ohara@tara.net), November 21, 1999.

Excellent site -- I saved all the pages -- but a few comments:

The distinction between "meat" and "meatless" are rather loose. Many of the recipies categorized as meatless do in fact use meat. They'd probably be more accurately described as recipies for vegetables.

The pigeon recipies look good. I saw one disclaimer saying that it was unknown how "city pigeons" would taste. I can attest that they taste delicious. My late Hungarian grandfather raised them on his rooftop in the Bronx in the 1950s, and some years back, I caught some pigeons in the airshaft behind my store (small town Central Michigan) and roasted them. In each case, absolutely delicious (when you can find "squab", you'll pay top dollar), and no ill effects.

The ersatz coffee recipies looked interesting, but I didn't see any for dandelion or chickory coffee. I've made dandelion coffee, and it was very delicious, and tasted very coffee-like. No caffein, of course, but *loaded* with vitamins (dandelion root was used as a medieval cure for various winter diseases, which were caused by lack of fresh vegetables). I think chickory coffee would be fairly similar.

To make dandelion coffee, use a dandelion "weed" digger tool (a long flat spike with a notched tip) to dig the roots in the fall after the plant has loaded the taproot with nutrients. Then wash, slowly bake until dry, crackly, and somewhat brown. Then grind and brew like coffee.

-- Ron Schwarz (rs@clubvb.com.delete.this), November 21, 1999.

Thanks Paula! Truly excellent find.

-- Gia (laureltree7@hotmail.com), November 22, 1999.