Heritage Gateways

Food

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Cooking: Vegetables

"The Lord is blessing us and such a time of blessing I never saw. Go to the north, to the south, to the east and to the west and you will see the earth matted with vegetation. Go to our gardens and our orchards and you will see our trees even breaking down with fruit and the harvest of vegetables is plentiful."

Such were the words of Heber C. Kimball delivered in a discourse in 1857. All vegetables seemed to thrive in this land of the Saints. They sensed the value of vegetables in their daily diet and were not content until the harvest had been gathered ready for winter use. Nearly every pioneer home had its pit where potatoes, carrots, apples and other produce were stored. Some vegetables were dried such as corn and squash. Everyone had dried fruits.

Greens. In Lehi, near the childhood home of Mary E. Fox Hales was a large apple tree, under which a volunteer patch of lettuce, and a small plot of perennial onions came up each year. These were gathered to make greens for the table. The pioneers gathered pig weeds, mustard, dandelions and sometimes even thistles for this purpose.

Shredded Lettuce. 1 cup cream; 1/4 cup vinegar; 1 tsp. sugar; 1/4 tsp. salt. Whip and pour over shredded lettuce, or shredded lettuce covered with whipped cream and sugar.

Lettuce at its Best. Shredded lettuce; 1 cup onions chopped fine; 1/2 cup home-made vinegar; 1/4 cup water; tsp. sugar; pepper and salt to taste.

Wilted Lettuce. Place in a vegetable dish lettuce and dandelions picked and washed, each leaf by itself to remove all insects. Cut across the dish four or five times and sprinkle with salt. Fry a small piece of fat ham or bacon until brown, cut it in small pieces; when very hot add a cup of vinegar and pour it boiling hot over the greens. Mix it well with a fork and garnish with slices of hard boiled eggs. Be sure to have the fat so hot that when the vinegar is poured in, it will boil immediately. Add half a cup or a cup of vinegar according to the strength of vinegar and quality of lettuce.

Cabbage Salad. A small head of shredded cabbage; 1/2 cup homemade vinegar diluted with 1/4 cup water; 1 tbs. sugar. Pour over cabbage.

Cabbage Coleslaw. 1 head cabbage, shredded; 1 carrot, shredded; 1 cup vinegar; 1 tsp. mustard; 1 tsp. sugar; 1/4 tsp. salt; 1 egg; 1 tbs. flour. Heat vinegar, thicken with flour, mustard, sugar and salt. Beat egg well. Cool and pour over shredded cabbage.

Dressing for Coleslaw. To well-beaten yolk of one egg, add a little milk, 2 or 3 tbs. of vinegar and a small piece of butter. Stir it over the fire until it reaches the boiling point. Pour over shredded cabbage.

Red Cabbage. Shred red cabbage fine, place on low heat and simmer. Add salt, pepper, butter and vinegar to suit taste. Simmer until tender.

Ladies Cabbage. 1 medium-sized head cabbage; 2 well beaten eggs; 1 tbs. butter; melted; 3 tbs. cream; salt and pepper. Wash and quarter the cabbage and cover with boiling water; continue cooking until tender. Drain and set aside until cold, then chop the cabbage very fine and add the eggs, butter, cream and seasoning to taste. Bake in well buttered dish in moderate oven.

Mrs. Strebel's Red Spiced Cabbage. Her husband's grandmother brought this recipe from Germany many years ago. 1 qt. cabbage, shredded (preferably red); 2 tbs. vinegar; 1/2 cup sugar; 1/2 tsp. cloves; 2 onions, shredded; 1 med. apple; 1 small potato, sliced; 1/2 tsp. salt; 1/2 tsp. pepper; 1 tbs. shortening. Put cabbage, onion, apple and potato in boiling water and simmer until tender. Drain and add remaining ingredients.

Green Beans. Select well developed fresh, green beans, wash and break into short lengths. Place in a kettle to boil with a generous amount of water. Lay required amount of salt pork strips on top and cook for at least 11/2 hours. If pork does not supply enough flavor, add salt to taste.

Mary Alice Widdison's Baked Beans. 4 cups dried white beans; 1/2 cup chopped onions; 1/2 to 3/4 cup brown sugar or molasses; 2 tsp. salt; 1 cup boiling water; 1/4 lb. diced pork; 1 tsp. dry mustard; 1/2 cup catsup. Cover beans with water and soak for 12 hours, drain and cover again with water and simmer slowly. Place a few beans in a spoon, blow on them and if the skins burst they are sufficiently cooked. Drain and add the remaining ingredients. Blend well and place in a greased dish or bean pot. Bake in a slow oven from 6 to 8 hours. If they become dry add a little water or stock. Uncover last hour of baking.

Jennie Cowley's Old Fashioned Salad Dressing. 4 eggs, beaten; 1 cup sugar; 1 tbs. salt; 1 tbs. mustard; 1 tsp. pepper; 1/2 cup cream; 1 1/2 cup vinegar; 1/2 cup butter. Combine eggs, sugar, salt, mustard, pepper and cream. Bring vinegar to a boil, add butter and heat to boiling again. Pour into egg mixture and stir well. Seal in glass bottles and put in cool place. Will keep for weeks and may be used on any but fruit salad.

Grandma's Chili Sauce. 36 large tomatoes; 8 large onions; 6 green peppers; 3 cups vinegar; 2 cups sugar; 1 tbs. cinnamon; 1 tbs. cloves; 4 tbs. salt; 1 tbs. ginger. Peel and slice tomatoes. Add peppers and onions that have been chopped fine. Cook for 30 minutes then add vinegar and spices and cook until of desired consistency. Seal in sterilized bottles. Makes 5 quarts.

Source: Our Pioneer Heritage © Carter, Kate B., ed. 20 vols. Salt Lake City: International Society, Daughters of Utah Pioneers, 1958-1977. All rights reserved. No part of this material may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher. Documents and images are exerpted by permission from the LDS Family History Suite CDROM from Ancestry.