Jonathon Swift, a 1700s author, coined the phrase “Everything old is new again.”
And members of St. Michael the Archangel in Suttons Bay are taking this to heart.
The parish has just released a collection of recipes that dates back 100 years.
“The Suttons Bay Home Tested Cookbook” was published by the Ladies’ Altar Society of the St. Michaels in 1924.
The re-release was spearheaded by lifelong resident Linda (Kohler) Mork.
“I was going through some things and found the cookbook my grandma had,” she said. “I thought it would be great to print again.”
The 100-page book is prefaced with the following message: ‘This book contains only (receipts) that have been tested by the ladies and pronounced good.”
They are all within the means of the ordinary purse and all good enough to tempt mans of the ordinary purse and all good enough to tempt the most fastidious appetite.”
It was reproduced as found. “I wanted to make it as authentic as possible so it includes the stains, notes and torn pages of the well-worn book,” Mork said.
The 100-page book features recipes handed down from generation to generation and includes: soups; salads and salad dressings; “catsup” and relishes; meat (wild and domestic); fish; puddings; pies; cakes; fillings and icing for cakes; cookies; doughnuts and fried cakes; ice cream and candies.
It also contains recipes for food that may not make it to today’s tables such as Savory Roast Beef Heart and white and brown Hasenpfeffer.
“It’s dated 1924, but many of the recipes go back to the 1800s,” Mork said.
Given this, measurements aren’t exact. Neither are cooking temperatures as they predate the development of stoves/ ovens.
Mrs. Jacob M. Korson included a piece of butter “the size of an egg” to finish her recipe for chili “concarne.”
Mrs. James Horton’s recipe for pork sausage calls for “10 cents worth white mustard seed.”
And other recipes include ingredients that may not be complementary by today’s standards. A recipe for “Jenny Lind Salad” calls for six diced bananas, one cucumber, one cup seeded white grapes, walnuts and mayonnaise served on crisp lettuce leaves.
Perhaps just as interesting, women who contributed to the cookbook, were not always recognized by name.
For instance, what were the given names of Mrs. Korson and Mrs. Horton?
Also found are advertisements that shed light on the goods and services available through advertisements placed by businesses in Suttons Bay and Traverse City.
The Suttons Bay Courier encouraged readers to patronize their home paper that “circulates from the liveliest community in Leelanau County.”
The newspaper opened in March 1921 and closed in November 1960. A 1-year subscription was available for $1.50 a year.
O.L. Bahle offered “the best values in dry goods; men’s and boys’ clothing; ladies’ and children’s coats, dress, skirts … sweaters and aprons. And as an added bonus, “a rest room for ladies.”
The book sells for $15 and is available at Hansen Foods, Chimosky Bakery and from the St. Michael office.
Proceeds from the sales will go to the church committee that provides funeral luncheons.
Mustard pickles
3 quarts fresh cucumbers 1 quart onions 1/4 cup salt 1 quart vinegar 1/2 cup water 1 heaping Tbl. white mustard seed 1/2 tsp. turmeric 1/2 cup sugar 1 tsp. pepper 1/2 tsp. celery seed Peel and slice cucumbers. Put salt over both and let stand for one hour.
Combine vinegar and water with other ingredients and mix well. Boil up and can.
Mrs. H. Livingston
Potato pancakes
(Old Country Style) Grate three raw potatoes into a dish, add flour until batter will pour. One eggs, salt as for bread; stir well and pour into well greased hot griddle and bake until they area rich, brown color. Put lard in griddle as needed. These cakes are best when made the size of the griddle; serve hot with jelly or syrup.
Mrs. P.K.
