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MAKING
DO WITH OLD TIME
HOUSEHOLD
RECIPES & HOME
REMEDIES
LYE
SOAP
Get
the famous "wash kettle" out again and we will make lye soap! You will
see the "wash kettle" many times doing many things. I had my families
wash
kettle until a cousin stole and I do mean stole it from me this past
year!
If he can live with himself, I guess I can live without it but sure
don't
want to! Now lye soap can be made two ways and I will tell
you about both ways. You can even make lye soap today! The way pioneers
made their lye soap was to save their cook stove wood, ash wood, and
place
it in a "ash hopper", hang it outside and when it rained this would
drain
it and what was left was lye. Now before putting your ash ashes in the
"ash hopper" you would strain them getting anything out that would harm
the final soap. You have to drain the ash with the rainwater so your
soap
will be pretty and white when it is finished, this is also called
leaching
wood ashes. After the rainwater draining you need to strain the left
over
product one more time. When you have enough lye to make a batch of soap
(this would be about the same amount as a box of Merrywar lye that you
would buy in the store today), get the fire going under the kettle. You
use old skins and fats to cook out about 5 pounds of grease, when it is
all cooked out you strain the grease and throw away the skins and
cooked
out fat pieces. Put your lye and grease in the "wash kettle" and cook
over
the fire stirring with the same paddle that we rendered lard with in
the
hog killing. This soap when finished cooking will be snow white, now if
you want it to smell pretty you add a few drops of your favorite good
smelling
perfume or herb such as rosemary, jasmine or which ever one is your
favorite.
The more modern way to make lye soap is to buy a box of Merrywar Lye,
the
Merrywar was a brand name but the only brand I ever heard of. You use
five
pounds grease (regular bacon grease as long as it isn't burnt works
fine)
and a box of store bought Merrywar Lye in the "wash kettle" over a just
right temperature fire and the finished product is lye soap. There
again
you can add a scent or leave it as is. Lye soap was used back yonder
when
to wash clothes in the "wash kettle" and it sure made them pretty and
clean.
STARCH
This
stuff was awful! One of my jobs was to do the ironing! I hated that
job!
Told you that I was not spoiled, that I had to work. To make starch you
used flour, bluing, and water and made a mixture that was not too thick
but sort of a little lumpy. When you got through washing the clothes
you
would have a wash tub with clear water in it and you would put your
clothes
in it and dump in the starch, swish it around real good so when dried
the
clothes would be stiff as a board! Hang's on the line to dry, when you
went to take down the wash it would be a miracle that didn't break
right
into. Well come ironing day, for me always Saturday morning, Mama
started
sprinkling the clothes down and rolling them up in a ball. There I am,
hating the job. Now I loved Mama Jones dearly, she was my grandmother,
my mother, my playmate and my best friend but I hated to iron them old
house dresses. Of course back then you starched and ironed every thing
in site, sheets, pillow slips, tablecloths and you name it and I had to
iron it. Now going to town day was Saturday morning, I didn't like to
go
to town, just wanted to stay home and pilfer around but no I had to
iron.
Well I would get some of the ironing done and then I would hid some of
the things just so I wouldn't have so much to iron that day, kid like
not
realizing it would still be there next Saturday. I finally figured out
after I was grown why I had to do the ironing, Mama hated it to!
WALL
PAPER PASTE
You
used flour and water to make your wall paper paste in the old days, you
couldn't make it too stiff so it would spread on even and smooth. My
Mama
papered every thing in site! Mama would mix up her paste, get that wild
flowered paper out, set up 2 cain bottom chairs and lay a board across
the backs of these chairs, that was her work table and away she would
go.
To this day if you were to take down the paneling you would find Mama's
wall paper. The designs would blind a blind man, when I was about 12 I
got my own room. By this time I was grown up but really deep down
didn't
want to leave Mama Jones's room, I was still sleeping on that OLD iron
bedstead that I got when my baby bed left home. Of course, my room got
papered (this room was on the back of the house and had not been used
for
a long time). I didn't go to town to pick out the paper so guess what I
got? Big, bold flowers! I slept with them flowers for years to come, no
wonder I left home the day I graduated. You know if I could have my
Mama,
Daddy and Mama Jones back I wouldn't give a hoot what that wall paper
looked
like.
WHITE
WASH
You
ever see trunks of trees painted white in the old days? The old timers
would mix lime and water to make paint (you used enough lime and water
to make a liquid that would stay on wood when it was painted, no
recipe,
just hit or miss). White Wash was used for many purposes back then,
such
as, house paint, tree trunks, fences, barns and whatever anybody wanted
to slap a little paint on. You know everybody even in the country
wanted
"to keep up with the Joneses", we were (at least part) the Joneses. My
Uncle Allen Jones would make this statement and a long time friend of
his
would say, "You can't keep up with the Joneses they just refinance and
go again"! Oh well we white washed every thing in site.
BROOM
CORN
Did
you ever wonder where the straws for brooms came from? It comes from
broom
corn. Broom corn is really a grain sorghum that you raised in your
garden
every year about two rows 60 feet long each would produce enough straw
to make about a dozen brooms. Now this type corn did not have a tassel,
it had a head with seeds in it (sort of like milo maze). The seeds were
produced on long straws the plants started drying up, you would
cut
the seed head out, take it home, put it under the big oak tree. If you
didn't already had a board to strip your seed out then you had to make
one. To make a board (something like a 1 x 10 or 1 x 12) about 3 1/2
feet
long, one end was cut similar to an ironing board which means the
corners
had been cut off at an angle and in the center there is a strip that
has
no cutting on it, this is about 4 inches wide. Now you take a hand saw
and cut down in the center of this 4 inches of board making a strip on
top
that
was about 1/8 inch wide and 10 to 12 inches deep. Again get a cain back
chair and set under the shade tree by the pile of seed heads (I still
have
the old cain back chairs). Now you put the board that you have made
between
your knees and you pick up 1 seed head back toward the butt of the seed
head and then pull back towards yourself, this will thread the seeds
off
the straw. Get all the seeds stripped from the seed heads. Now we are
ready
to make brooms! Gather up and bundle enough of the straws to make a
broom,
shape your straws in broom shape
fashion
and attach to a handle, tie a knot at the top, go down about 2 inches
below
the handle and flatten the straws to form your broom. Now take a big
needle
and some real coarse thread and sew up your broom, you take long
stitches
through the broom straws with about 1/4 inch between stitches. Go down
about an inch and repeat the sewing, go down another inch and repeat
the
sewing again. Now you lay your flatten broom on a table, take a very
sharp
knife and but straight across the bottom
of
the broom to have a straight edge. The first broom of the season is
made
and you only have about 11 more to go. At one time there was a blind
gentleman
that lived around Midway in Obion County, Tennessee that would make the
brooms on halfers. You had to have the seeds stripped out and take him
the straw. Times were hard and people had to make most of their own
items
that were needed for every day living. Of course, I have been whacked
with
these brooms a many of time. I guess you could say that I MIGHT have
been a little mischievous!
SARA
CLOTH
If
I had a dollar for every "sara cloth" that I have worn to bed, I would
be stinking rich! Bet you are wondering what a "sara cloth" is? Well I
can tell you in detail (but it works and I even used them on my
children
and grandchildren). The best thing to use was soft cotton fabric such
as
the old cotton stocking were made from. The cloth would be thick and
the
size of your chest (I used wash rags for my kids and gkids), on the
center
of the rag went camphor, vicks salve, or anything that would penetrate
the pours of your ski. After getting all this concoction put together,
you heated it just as hot as could be stood. When the "sara cloth" got
just the right temperature it was laid on your chest (it really did
feel
good) and pined to your gown, pajamas or what ever you had on to sleep
in. Straight to bed and under alot of quilts so no air could get to
you!
The very first thing you did in the morning was to take the "sara
cloth"
off and take a bath or wash the goup off your chest or the theory was
you
will
get
sicker, got to close those pours. I am sure this was called many things
but "sarah cloth" is what my
family
always called it! It works!
ASAFETIDA
BAG
Now
this one was a bomber! You ever go to bed with something hanging around
you neck that smelled like a skunk? An asafetida bag was WORST! I got
mostly
the sara cloth but have had this
thing.
Now asafetida is a plant resin that the old timers used to help you
breathe,
breakup a cold and for just general purposes to get you well. I'll take
a dose of castor oil or tonic any day over this stuff! I really know
know
if anything else was put in the bag except the resin, I didn't want to
know! The way it was done was to take a piece of flannel or soft like
material
and put this resin in it, tie a string around it and tie a long string
on the bag so it could hand around your neck!
MISS
JENNIE'S WART REMOVAL
Do
you remember Miss Jennie that I told you about? Well Miss Jennie (This
is Jennie Colley Johns of Weakley Co, Tn.) professed to being able to
take
warts off you. When I was a kid I had warts all over my hands. My Mama
told me that when she was a kid that she did too and Miss Jennie took
her
warts off. Well I hope on that trusty old bicycle and head down the
road.
She was in the yard washing clothes, I ran up to her as excited as I
could
be (I have these things BAD). "Miss Jennie, Miss Jennie, mama said you
took her warts off, will you take mine off?" Miss Jennie stopped
washing
and with her sweet smile and hug she said "You have to believe that I
can
take them off and don't look at your warts and worrying about them and
one day they will be gone". She rubbed over all my warts and acted
strange
and went back to the scrub board and wash kettle! That was that, of
course
I looked every morning for a few days and my warts were still there. A
couple of months passed and child like I forgot about the "great wart
removal"
but one morning I got up and looked at my hands and started yelling for
Mama, she came running thinking I was in to something else. "Mama, Mama
my warts are gone, Miss Jennie sore can take'm off". Don't ask me, I
have
no idea!
MERTHIOLATE
Have
you ever had your throat(inside) mopped with merthiolate? You don't
have
a clue to what you have missed. My Daddy believed in merthiolate, he
used
that red stuff to swap out my throat or anybody else's that complained
of a sore throat. Any skit place, whatever you got merthiolate. This
stuff
really worked. Let me tell you about a typical throat mopping, Daddy
would
get himself a stick and wind cotton onto it good and tight, then he
would
hollow for me (I was hid somewhere or 'nother), Mama would use the back
of a teaspoon to hold my tongue down while Daddy got in there with both
hands and feet and give me a good mopping. Now think about this you got
a small kid with two adults on top of you with a spoon and a stick with
cotton and merthiolate on it mopping your throat. You don't
know
what you missed! Back in them old days, Daddy also gave shots to
anybody
in the neighborhood that needed one, but guess who got the most? ME! I
was forever playing in a water hole or doing something stupid to get
hurt,
so out came the merthiolate and needle and syringes to doctor pj. One
of
the worst times with the merthiolate was when I was about 3 years old,
Daddy was taking me fishing. He told me not to go out to the smokehouse
and mess with the cane poles. Guess what, I did! Well I got to slinging
the poles around (had the line and hooks on them) and landed me a big
one,
right through my nose (the part in the center of your nostrils). Well
you
never heard such screaming and hollowing that I was doing (man I was a
pro at that). Well here comes Daddy, Mama, Mama Jones, and Doc
Johns
(he lived with us awhile and was the brother of Miss Allie and Mr.
Jesse
who was the husband of Miss Jennie). They grabbed me and held me down
so
Daddy could look at my nose. He got out his wire pliers out of his back
hip pocket and come at me telling the other 3 to hold me still! They
had
the worst job, Daddy snipped off the hook end of the hook and pulled it
back through my nose. Of course the first thing that happened after
that,
you guessed it, he told Mama to go get his merthiolate! Yes, got it on
the nose, burned like the devil but it didn't matter how loud I
screamed
and begged, I got it anyway! We won't even talk about the doses of
castor
oil I got growing up or how many english walnuts have been rubbed on me
and left stained for days.
Written
by Paula (pj) Howard Thompson
A
Native of Weakley County, Tennessee
c1998pjThompson
December
11, 1998
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