Searching for historical references of Clam Chowder; we found this 1929 Department of Agriculture. Radio Service; Housekeeper's Chat. Not only do we get a decent chowder recipe but we also get a Ginger Pears recipe and some cooking tips. Do not assume content reflects current scientific knowledge, policies, or practices.
Subject: "Clam Chowder and Corn Bread." From Bureau of Home Economics, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Bulletins available: "Corn and Its Uses in the Home."
Let's begin with the menu this morning, and get it off our minds so we can answer questions. The best thing on today's bill of fare is Clam Chowder. Ever make Clam Chowder? It's mighty good with crisp corn bread and a fresh green salad.
Take your pencils, please, and we'll write the last September menu: Clam Chowder; Crisp Corn Bread; Lettuce Salad with Russian Dressing; Baked Apples and Ginger Cookies.
I'll tell you how to make the Clam Chowder, first. There are nine ingredients in this Clam Chowder.
| 1 quart shucked clams, or 2 dozen clams | 1 cup diced potatoes |
| 4 tablespoons diced salt pork | 1 pint milk |
| 1 onion chopped | l/2 teaspoon salt |
| 2 tablespoons flour | Few drops Tabasco sauce, and |
| Chopped parsley |
Nine ingredients, for the Clam Chowder: (Repeat)
Drain the clams from the liquor, and chop or grind them fine. Strain the liquor through cheesecloth, or a very fine wire strainer, to remove any small pieces of shell. Crisp the finely diced salt pork and remove from the fat. Cook the onion in the fat until yellow, add the flour, and stir until well blended. Then add the clam liquor and the potatoes. Place this mixture in the upper part of a double boiler, and allow it to cook until the potatoes are almost done. Then add the milk and the chopped clams and crisped pork. Cook for a few minutes, add the salt and the Tabasco. Sprinkle finely chopped parsley over the top, and serve with crackers.
With the Clam Chowder we'll serve Crisp Corn Bread, made according to your favorite recipe; Lettuce Salad with Russian Dressing; Baked Apples and Ginger Cookies.
By the way, if you'd like a lot of good corn recipes, including the one for Corn Bread, send for the bulletin: "Corn and Its Uses as Food." This bulletin contains a variety of good recipes — corn-meal mush, corn-meal breads and cakes and so forth. It also includes recipes for corn soup and corn chowder and corn fritters. The bulletin is free.
Now for the questions:
First question: "I have heard that the water in which spinach is cooked is harmful, and should not be served with the spinach. Is this true?"
Answer: It is not true. Food specialists recommend that spinach he cooked with as little water as possible so that it can be served with the spinach. Some of the important minerals are soluble, and unless the liquor in which they are cooked is served with the vegetables, these minerals are lost.
Second question: "Please tell me what causes bread to spoil after it is a couple of days old. The center of the bread turns sour, then gets like paste."
Answer: Very likely the trouble you are having is what is called "ropey bread," caused by bacteria which get into the dough. This is likely to happen in warm and damp weather, when these bacteria sometimes cling to the utensils and bread box, spoiling batch after batch of bread. The best way to get rid of them is to scald everything possible with boiling water, to which vinegar has been added in the proportion of l/4 vinegar to 3/4 water. The utensils should also be aired and sunned, or put in the oven to dry out thoroughly. If there are any cracks or seams in any of the utensils, the bacteria will get in, and they will be very difficult to kill. If you find any bread affected in this way, dispose of it at once, for it contains the invisible bacteria which cause the trouble.
Third question: "What kinds of apples are best for jelly-making?"
Answer: The best apples for jelly-making are the tart apples. Crab-apples are especially good for jelly. As most of you know, partly green fruits usually make more jelly per pound than do ripe fruits.
The next question is from a listener who wants to know how to make dill pickles from the cucumbers which come from the vines just before frost, and also how to pickle green tomatoes in brine. Both of these questions are answered in the pickle bulletin* This bulletin, called "Making Fermented Pickles," is an excellent guide for the housewife who puts up lots of pickles in the fall.
The last question we'll answer today is from a housewife who says she'd like a recipe for Ginger Pears. She has a lot of small, hard pears, which are no good raw. They should be excellent, as ginger pears.
Take your pencils again please, and we'll write the recipe. Pour ingredients, for Ginger Pears:
| 8 pounds pears, not too ripe | 2 lemons, and |
| 4 pounds sugar | 5 or 6 pieces of ginger root, 1 to 2 inches long. |
Let's repeat the four ingredients, for Ginger pears: (Repeat)
Wipe the pears, remove the stems, quarter, and core. Cut the pears into small pieces. Add the sugar and the ginger. Let stand overnight In the morning, add the lemons cut in small pieces, rejecting the seeds, and cook until thick. Watch the mixture carefully lest it stick and scorch. Do not let it cook down so long that the rich amber color is lost. Remove the fruit when it becomes clear. Then concentrate the juice. An asbestos mat under the kettle will prevent sticking. When the juice is thick, replace the fruit, heat it thoroughly, pour into hot clean jars, seal, and store in a cool place.
This concludes the recipe for Ginger Pears.