By Martha W. Davidson, 2006
The Framingham History Center boasts a special collection of cookbooks which trace the eating patterns of the city across more than one hundred and fifty years. From Mrs. Cornelius’s Young Housekeeper’s Friend of 1848 (owned by a Framingham resident) to the First Parish Church Tercentenary Cookbook of 2001 these books reveal changes in the different foods that were available and in the way food was prepared. When recipes are signed they also let us know a little about the women who were living and keeping house in town.
What were people eating in the 1840s? Fifteen-year-old George Newell, a Framingham boy who attended classes at the Academy, filled his diary with wonderful details of daily work in the fields and gardens of his father’s farm on Pleasant St. but wrote very little about his family’s meals. Some notable exceptions are these entries:
March 30, 1847: I got some wintergreen and checkerberry leaves to make beer.
June 11, 1847: Had a mess of peas.
July 31, 1847: Cherries are ripe. Had string beans.
August 25 1847: Had boiled corn.
March 20, 1848: It was proposed by one of the family that we should have some boiled corn tomorrow.
December 25, 1848: Had a splendid goose for dinner.
March 9, 1849: Kate, Fred and myself made molasses candy.
Wintergreen and checkerberry are creeping evergreen plants of the New England woods. They have aromatic leaves. Checkerberries themselves are bright points of red on the forest floor. George’s boiled corn in August could have been fresh corn on the cob; in March it was more apt to be hulled corn kernels. Was George dreaming of summer or making a joke?
Mrs. Cornelius’s “General Observations on Cooking Vegetables” seem basically sound today, though how many of us trip out into our gardens while the dew is still on the leaves?
After being well washed they should be laid in water; except corn and peas, which should be husked and shelled with clean hands, and not washed, as some of the sweetness is thereby extracted. Put all kinds, except peas and beans, into boiling water, with a little salt in it. Hard water spoils peas, and is not good for any vegetables; a very little saleratus or potash will rectify it. Peas are much the best when first gathered, and they should not be shelled long before boiling. If they are old, a salt spoon of saleratus in the water will make them tender. It is well also to use a little saleratus in cooking string beans, or asparagus which is not young…
Greens, lettuce, and cucumbers should be gathered before the dew is off in the morning, and put into fresh water (Young Housekeeper, p. 121).
(Potash (potassium carbonate), obtained from soaking wood ashes, was used primarily in soap making. Saleratus is baking soda (sodium bicarbonate). Its use in vegetable cookery is now discouraged. Fannie Farmer in The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book of 1951 says: “Use no soda in cooking vegetables. It destroys or reduces the value of some vitamins.”)
Mrs. Cornelius’s recipe for “Dorchester beer” would use George’s wintergreen and checkerberry leaves:
To five pails of water put one quart bowl of hops, and one large handful of sage; or if you can procure them about two quarts of sassafras roots and checkerberry, mixed, instead of the sage. Add a half a pint of rye meal, and let all boil together three hours. Strain it through a sieve, while it is scalding hot, upon two quarts of molasses. There should be about four pails of the liquor when it is done boiling; if the quantity should be reduced more than that, add a little more water. When it is lukewarm, put to it a half pint of good yeast; then turn it into a keg and let it ferment. In two days or less it will be ready to bottle (Young Housekeeper, p. 173-174).
The Christmas goose might well have been prepared according to Mrs. Cornelius’s recipe.
Boil it half an hour to take out the strong, oily taste, then stuff and roast it like a turkey. If it is a young one, three quarters of an hours roasting, after being boiled, will be sufficient.
[After directions for stuffing and trussing a turkey she says:] Put the spit through the length of the whole body, and fasten it with two skewers; put it to the fire with a little water in the roaster. It should be roasted rather slowly… When half done, flour it thickly; when this is browned, baste it often. If much fat roasts out, dip off most of it when the turkey is half done, and put a small piece of butter into the gravy and baste the turkey with it… (Young Housekeeper, p. 104-105)
The Newell’s of course kept a cow, and Mrs. Newell may well have approved of the advice Mrs. Cornelius gave to young housekeepers “on the care of milk, and making butter:”
No branch of household economy brings a better reward than the making of butter; and to one who takes an interest in domestic employment, it soon becomes a most pleasant occupation…
The first requisite is to have a good cow. One that has high hips, short forelegs and a large udder is to be preferred. The cream-colored and the mouse-colored cows generally give a large quantity and of rich quality…[she then goes into full details on the care and feeding of the cow]
The finest butter is made when the number of cows render it necessary to churn every day. The custom of churning once a week is not to be tolerated. Cream that is kept seven days, unless it be in the coldest weather, cannot be made into good butter…(Young Housekeeper, p. 159).
Mrs. Cornelius’ book was owned by Emily S. Warren, the daughter of Isaac, a tanner and currier (preparer of hides) in Framingham, according to Temple. The 1832 Nixon map shows the location of his tannery on the south side of the river not far from the Old Burying Ground.
Half a century later Mrs. E.L. Moore, whose husband owned a farm on Mill Street, contributed to the Plymouth Church Cook Book (1894) a recipe for traditional molasses candy, which surely had not changed much from George’s day.
Two cups of molasses, 1 cup of sugar, 1 tablespoonful of vinegar, a little butter. Boil until it becomes hard in cold water. Pull while still hot (Cook Book, p. 71).
After the Civil War, G.A.R. posts were set up to provide support and companionship for veterans. In South Framingham the John G. Foster Post 163 had a Ladies’ Relief Corps, which not only served the veterans, but decorated graves on Memorial Day, presented the post with a flag, and put together a cookbook, Tested Recipes for the Inexperienced Housewife, in 1887. In the preface to this volume the ladies wrote: “Good food, neatly prepared, and placed attractively upon the table, keeps many a man from the saloon or bar room.” E.F.T. provided a recipe for fresh pig’s feet which might have appealed to George Newell but would probably send a modern husband out in search of the nearest pub:
Pig’s feet, when properly cooked, become one of the most nutritious and digestible animal foods upon our tables. Wrap each one in a strip of linen or muslin twice around and tie closely, then boil them slowly for seven hours (longer time rather than less). When you wish to prepare them for the table, take off their wrapping, split them open and broil them. The bones will be found loose and easily removed, leaving a most delicious dish of food, chiefly gelatin. Some eat them with vinegar and mustard (Tested Recipes, p. 36).
At “Woodside” on Prospect Street, Dr. Frank Patch established a rest home for people with various mental and physical disorders. He was a homeopathic physician, believing, for example, that sick people should avoid eating meat. In the introduction to his Woodside Cook Book (1911) he wrote: “The non-meat diet is cleaner, introducing fewer elements of decay into the system; it is probably less stimulating to an already over-stimulated people; it is a step toward doing away with the horrors of the slaughter house and the moral degradation in which those employed in such pursuits are involuntarily held; and moreover, by eliminating the use of flesh foods we are advancing a little further toward that noble simplicity which thinking people should place foremost in life.” Thanksgiving dinner at Woodside featured a nut loaf, which might be molded into the shape of a turkey.
One pt. finely chopped nuts, 1 pt. cooked rice or hominy, 1 raw egg (unbeaten), 1 hard boiled egg chopped fine, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon chopped parsley, dash pepper. Mix, shape into a roll and wrap in oiled paper. Bake in a moderate oven half an hour. Put a piece of butter over paper before placing in the oven, to prevent burning. Serve with tomato sauce, cream sauce, or English drawn butter (Woodside, p.36-37).
In 1893 Mrs. Clarence I. Burr, whose husband had been associated with the Para Rubber Shoe Co., published a menu book, What Shall we have to Eat? The Question Answered; or, a Bill of Fare for every Day in the Entire Year, With Some Receipts. For Saturday in the fourth week of March she suggests:
Breakfast
Rolled oats with baked apple
Broiled bacon Scrambled eggs
Baked potatoes Bakers toast
Milk Coffee
Dinner
Consommé Macaroni
Squares of buttered toast
Cold meat Mashed potatoes
Asparagus Coleslaw Rusks
Worcestershire
Peach tapioca Cream
Supper
Dried sprats [small herring-like fish]
Raised biscuit Cheese
Plain cake Greengage [plums]
Cocoa Tea
(What Shall We Have, p. 31.)
In 1914 people still put up a great deal of produce, either raised in their own gardens or purchased from the many farms operating in Framingham. In the Woman’s Club Cook Book, Mrs. H.F. Twombly, wife of the prominent businessman and state representative, offers this recipe for canning string beans, one fears, to tastelessness.
13 cups of beans, strung and cut
1 cup salt
Cover with water and boil 10 minutes. Can hot. When opened for use boil 15 minutes and drain water. Boil until tender. (Framingham Woman’s Club, p. 82)
Contributions to the cookbook of the Framingham Catholic Women’s Club in the 1960s came from many different women and many different cuisines. It is curious that Mrs. Joseph Perini chose to offer this New England “Nobbly Apple Cake.”
1 c. sugar ½ tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp shortening ½ tsp nutmeg
1 egg ½ tsp salt
3 c. diced apples 1 tsp baking soda
¼ c. chopped walnuts 1 c. flour
1 tsp vanilla
Cream fat and sugar; add beaten egg and mix well. Add diced apples, nuts, vanilla, then add dry ingredients, which have been sifted together. Bake in 350 degree oven 35-40 minutes. Serve hot or cold, with or without spiced whipped cream or ice cream.
Spiced whipped cream: To 1 pt. whipped cream, fold in about ¼ c. sugar (more or less to taste), ½ tsp nutmeg, ½ tsp cinnamon and 1 tsp vanilla. (Best in Cooking, p. 30)
Most of the early recipes strike a reader, used to the international cuisine available since the time of the Second World War, as uniformly bland. Little use is made of onion, and garlic is unheard-of. In contrast here is a recipe from the Brandeis University Women’s Committee cookbook published in the 1970s which sounds delicious but would probably not have passed muster with the doctors of the Framingham Heart Study.
Chicken Livers with Barley
Tip: This is a different type of dish to serve. Once you make it, you will make it again and again. It is extremely rich, however, so keep anything else that you serve with it simple and light.
1 c. barley
¾ c. chicken stock
1 large onion
½ lb. sliced mushrooms
1 ¼ lb. cut-up chicken livers
Brown 1 c. barley in ¼ c. margarine. Add stock. Sauté one large onion, diced, in 8 Tbsp. butter. When lightly browned, add mushrooms and chicken livers. Sauté briefly on high heat, being careful not to overcook. Combine barley with livers and serve. (Cookbook Plus, p. 45)
Dewey Moody contributed to the Tercentenary Cookbook of First Parish in Framingham, (2001) an ultimate garlic recipe.
Garlic Soup for Garlic Lovers
1 cup peeled minced garlic
1 Tbsp. chopped onion
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2/3 cup canned tomatoes, drained
1 quart vegetable broth
Pepper
1 slightly beaten egg
Croutons
Combine onion and garlic in a bowl. Heat a large sauce pan and add garlic and onion and sauté until soft. Don’t brown. Add tomatoes and stir in. When they start to lose shape add vegetable broth and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in egg, adding it slowly.
Serve immediately with croutons. (Tercentenary, p. 45)
All these cookbooks are available for consultation in the library of FHC. Please make an appointment by calling (508) 872-3780 to see them and any other research materials.
Books used for This Article
The Best in Cooking in Framingham, Framingham Catholic Women’s Club, [c.1960]
Cook Book: Three Hundred Tested Recipes from the Ladies of Plymouth Church. South Framingham: Geo. L. Clapp, 1894.
Cookbook Plus: a Collection of 36 Menus and 167 Recipes for All Your Entertaining Needs, compiled and written by the members of the Framingham Natick Chapter of the Brandeis University National Women’s Committee [c.1975]
Farmer, Fannie M. The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book. 9th ed. Boston: Little, Brown, 1951.
Framingham Woman’s Club Cook Book, arranged by Iva E. Brown and Frances L. Jennings. Framingham, 1914.
Newell, George H. Journal of George H. Newell, transcribed by Martha W. Davidson. Manuscript at FHSM.
Resident and Business Directory of Framingham, Massachusetts, 1884, 1898, 1911.
Temple, Josiah H. History of Framingham, Massachusetts, 1640-1885. Somersworth, N.H.: New England History Press, in collaboration with the Framingham Historical & Natural History Society, 1988.
Tercentenary Cook Book of First Parish. Waverly, IA: G & R Publishing Co., [2001].
Tested Recipes for the Inexperienced Housewife, by the Ladies’ Relief Corps of South Framingham, Mass. South Framingham: Lakeview Press, 1887.
What Shall We Have to Eat? The Question Answered; or, A Bill of Fare for Every Day in the Entire Year, with some Receipts, by Mrs. Clarence I. Burr. South Framingham: Lakeview Press, 1893.
Woodside Cook Book. [New ed.] Framingham, Massachusetts, 1911.
The Young Housekeeper’s Friend; or, A Guide to Domestic Economy and Comfort, by Mrs. Cornelius. Boston: Tappan, 1846. (On flyleaf: Emily S. Warren, Framingham)
Other Cook Books in the Framingham History Center Collection
Best in Cooking in Framingham, Women’s Association, Grace Congregational Church. [Framingham, c.1900-50]
Book of Favorite Recipes, compiled by Framingham League of Women Voters. Kansas City, MO: Circulation Services, 1974.
Book of Favorite Recipes, compiled by Women’s Association of Plymouth Church, Framingham Centre, Massachusetts. Kansas City, MO: Circulation Services, 1968.
Book of Favorite Recipes, compiled by Women’s Association of Plymouth Church, Framingham Centre, Massachusetts. Kansas City, MO: Circulation Services, 1980.
Cook Book (Revised), by the Ladies of Plymouth Church, Framingham, Massachusetts. South Framingham: George L. Clapp, 1902.
Home Tested Recipes from the Women of the Women’s Association of Grace Congregational Church, Framingham, Massachusetts. [Framingham, 1941.]
Kitchen Secrets of the First Presbyterian Church, Framingham, Mass. Framingham, 1941.
Southborough Food Fact and Fancy. Southborough: Southborough Village Society, 1968.
Sudbury Cook Book. Sudbury: Public Health Nursing Association, 1950.
Tasty Recipes from Plymouth Church. [Framingham, date unknown]
275 Recipes, So. Middlesex News. [Framingham, c.1970]
What’s Cooking in Framingham? The Meddlers of First Universalist Church, Framingham, Massachusetts. Kansas City, MO: North American Press, [c.1950]