More old ways to cope with summer heat

Max, you are so right. The effeminate younger generation does not know how to deal with the heat, except for turning up the air conditioner.

We also planned our kitchen use in the summer. We picked those vegetables at the crack of dawn so they were cool and wet from the dew. Our meals were almost entirely fresh vegetables and like you, we planned to eat a lot of leftovers for supper. When possible, we tried to can in the mornings before the kitchen reached triple digit figures.

Cool, hearty salads were a big part of every meal. Here is an example from an 1880’s cookbook of dealing with summer’s heat. Note that you can make this up hours, or a day in advance when it is cooler, and being served cold, it tricks the mind into thinking cooler. The difference with this potato salad is the pimientos. They are not there just for the red color, but if you have real, fresh pimientos, they add a rather different flavor. Cooling the potatoes in the oil and vinegar hints of a German Potato Salad, but then you add a little mayonnaise, which produces a rather traditional potato salad. I think you will enjoy this different salad.

I really don’t know why more people don’t raise their own pimientos. Canned pimientos are rather expensive and the fresh one taste so much better, and they are easy to prepare and freeze.

Potato and Pimiento Salad From the Victorian Period:

6 large potatoes
2 small cans pimientos, or 1 large red pepper (pimiento if possible)
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons parsley
2 tablespoons onion
2 hard-boiled eggs
salt and pepper to taste
4 tablespoons mayonnaise

In large pot like the KitchenAid Covered 3-Qt Pan, cover the potatoes with water, bring to a boil, and cook until just tender. Drain well and peel the potatoes. As soon as you can handle the potatoes, slice them and add the oil and vinegar. Stir and let stand for 1 hour.

Meanwhile in a food processor, mince the parsley, the onion, pimientos, and chop the eggs. After an hour, stir these ingredients into the potatoes along with the mayonnaise. Taste. You may want to add more onion, or mayonnaise. Store in refrigerator.