"Warshing Clothes Recipe" -- imagine having a recipe for this ! ! !
Years ago a Bisbee grandmother gave the new bride the following recipe:
this is an exact copy as written and found in an old scrapbook -
with spelling errors and all.
WARSHING CLOTHESBuild fire in backyard to heat kettle of rain water. Set tubs so smoke wont blow in eyes if wind is pert. Shave one hole cake of lie soap in boilin water.
Sort things, make 3 piles
1 pile white,
1 pile colored,
1 pile work britches and rags.
To make starch, stir flour in cool water to smooth, then thin down with boiling water.
Take white things, rub dirty spots on board, scrub hard, and boil, then rub colored don't boil just wrench and starch.
Hang old rags on fence.
Spread tea towels on grass.
Pore wrench water in flower bed. Scrub porch with hot soapy water.
Turn tubs upside down.
Go put on clean dress, smooth hair with hair combs.. Brew cup of tea, sit and rock a spell and count your blessings.
5 comments:
Now isn't that precious...only thing is we got rid of our dresses recently at a tag sale...darn! Still the recipe will come in handy for sure. ;-)
I remember my grandmother using a mangle
My turn! As kids I remember my Mom and grandmother using a 'scrub board' to get out those stubborn stains!!!
What a great find Stew. Waste not, want not attitude back then, eh? Love it! As for the dresses, don't believe a word he says! lol
Jim
In a time when everyone is trying to reduce, reuse and recylcle, this is an eye opener that even our new high efficiency washers are more wasteful than the practices of the past. I wonder if the man of the house came home and asked her what she did all day?
I guess I'm just young enough that the worst I can remember is hanging the cloths on the line at my grandmothers. At home, we always had all the modern conviences.(My stepgrandma worked for White-Westinghouse) We had a microwave oven in 1975! The lights would dim in the whole house when we used it and nothing took more than a minute or two to cook. Spoiled, I know.
Sounds like some elbow grease was needed to warsh them thar clothes! We really have become spoiled in today's times.
Post a Comment