Health and Household Hints from Chowan Homemaker

“Helpful Hints” by Hilda Goodwin as printed in Special Memories: A collection of stories by Chowan County Extension Homemakers

Cure for:

   --Chicken Pox: Children squatted down in front of chicken house door and let chickens fly over them as they came out

   --Wasp & Bee Sting: Put some juice from chewing tobacco on the bite

   --Cuts—Tape a slice of fat salt pork on the cut to draw out infection

   --Chest Cold—Put Vicks Vapor Rub on cloth and place on chest overnight

To keep milk fresh, put in jars and put in well bucket and drop it to bottom of well.

To keep vegetables fresh overnight, hang pot up tree in cool air.

To keep sweet potatoes through winter, place potatoes in a pile of straw and then bank straw thick all over potatoes.

To make butter from cream, put cream in butter churn and hold between legs and crank by hand until it turns into butter. Then press in butter mold.

I remember molasses being made on the farm and stored in a wooden keg under shelter. It was fun to sneak the corn cob plug out and get a taste.