HOMEMAKING HANDBOOK

Historical wisdom for modern life

Decade

1800s

A person writing notes in a notebook at a desk with coffee

Building a Household Handbook: Routines, Menus, and Records

4 min read

Photo by Alehandra on Unsplash

Ice cubes dropped into a clear glass of water

Ice, Iceboxes, and Keeping Food Cold in Summer

4 min read

Photo by Lanju Fotografie on Unsplash

An open window with a curtain and a plant catching daylight

Keeping a House Cool Before Air Conditioning

3 min read

Photo by eduard on Unsplash

A wooden shelf lined with jars of home canned food

The History of Home Canning and What Safety Requires Today

5 min read

Photo by Ray Shrewsberry on Unsplash

A neat stack of folded towels in warm natural light

The Linen Closet: Storing and Rotating Textiles

3 min read

Photo by Anton Ryazanov on Unsplash

A stiff bristled brush on a wooden floor

Floors and Rugs Before and After the Vacuum

3 min read

Photo by Neal E. Johnson on Unsplash

Daylight reflecting on a large pane of clean glass

Glass and Mirrors: Historical Methods That Still Work

3 min read

Photo by Jessica Lenihan on Unsplash

Hands planting young seedlings into garden soil

Planning a Kitchen Garden by the Historical Calendar

3 min read

Photo by Sandie Clarke on Unsplash

A row of glass jars filled with preserved pantry foods on a shelf

The Household Inventory and Why Homes Kept One

3 min read

Photo by Steven Ungermann on Unsplash

An open antique book filled with handwritten text

Keeping a Household Book: Menus, Accounts, and Records

4 min read

Photo by James Lee on Unsplash

Recipes