James Wesley,
About 40 years ago I bought a copy of the book ”Dr. Chase’s Third, Last and Complete Receipt Book” printed in 1887 at an estate sale. It was written by Dr. Alvin Wood Chase and published after his death. It is a how-to jewel filled with general information about just about every aspect of Civil War era American life. Food preservation, storage and preparation in a pre-electrical time, along with animal husbandry and general farming and medicine make it a very interesting and potentially helpful read. It can be viewed online at www.archive.org [1]. The site is by Internet Archives. Unfortunately it cannot be copied. I did buy another original [hard copy bok] for backup a few years ago at Amazon for $18. Dr. Chase led an interesting life and was a promoter extraordinaire and his biography can be found online. God Bless and wishing you and yours a Blessed New Year. – Ken S.
JWR Replies: I love those old formulary books, too! But I must add this proviso: Keep in mind that 19th Century safety standards were considerably more relaxed than today’s, so old formularies and “farm knowledge” books often do not include any safety warnings. Use common sense around chemicals, flammables, unwarded gears and cutting blades, heavy objects, and so forth. Stay safe!