Tomato Catsup

Submitted by Donna Easto

Musings

My 1877 vintage cook book had much to say about the role of women in Canada in the late 1800s, a time when strong men and women were looking to build new lives in the frontier settlement of Lumby. Pioneer families faced hard times, erratic weather and endless labour both on their land and in their homes.  The purpose of this series is to highlight recipes from that era. However, before we present the first recipe, we share this quote from the 1877 Canadian Home Cookbook: “no matter how talented a woman may be, or how useful in the church or society, if she is an indifferent housekeeper it is fatal to her influence, a foil to her brilliance and a blemish in her garments.  There is no earthly reason why girls eight to eighteen…should not learn and practice housekeeping…from the first beating of eggs at the same time they go on with music, languages and philosophy.”  A friend and I found the quote both amusing and bemusing. If you have the excellent history: “Grassroots of Lumby 1877-1927 you’ll agree that most pioneer women had little time for the niceties of Canada’s established cities and towns.

Recipe

Take one bushel of ripe tomatoes, boil them until soft, squeeze through a fine wire sieve, add half a gallon of vinegar, one pint of salt, two ounces of cloves, a quarter pound allspice, two ounces cayenne pepper, three tablespoons ground peppers, five heads of skinned and separated garlic, mix together, and boil three hours or until reduced to one half. Bottle without straining.