I find recipe books to be wonderful places to explore our ancestry.  My grandmother left a cookbook that contains many unusual recipes from days gone by.    Here are a couple of  quirky recipes left to us in her cookbook.

Meat Cure for 100 Pounds of meat

1 quart salt

10 tbsp sugar

4 tbsp black pepper

3 tbsp salt

1/2 cup water (warmed)

Dissolve salt in warm water.  Mix with the rest of the ingredients and rub into freshly butchered meat.

Modeling Clay

1 cup salt

1/2 cup flour

3/4 cup water

food coloring

Mix first 3 ingredients and cook slowly to a stiff paste.  As it cools it may be colored by working food coloring into the mixture.

Packages

When wrapping a package t send in the mail wet the cord first before wrapping.  As it dries ii will shrink leaving a more tightly wrapped package.

Coffee to Serve 100 people

1 1/2 pounds coffee

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp mustard

5 gallons of boiling water

Silver Cleaner

aluminum foil

1 tsp baking soda

1 quart of water

Cover bottom of pan with aluminum foil.  Add soda and water and heat to boiling.  Immerse silver in solution so that each piece touches the foil.  Tarnish will disappear quickly.  Rinse and dry with a soft cloth.

Tar Stains

Put butter or lard on stain.  Leave as long as possible.  Wash as usual.  The tar should now be removed.