Description
During the Civil War in Virginia, large demands for salt from the military, the government, and the citizenry meant that salt had to be rationed. In 1862, the Virginia General Assembly passed several laws allowing twenty pounds of salt per person per year A commissioner of the salt, appointed by the county court, controlled the salt distribution at the county level. The bulk of this 200-page volume records the distribution of salt to the citizens of Charlotte County, Virginia, from 1862 to 1864.
This salt distribution register was compiled in a notebook that was originally used to record recipes, which comprise the first 54 pages of the volume. The recipes for food and drink include peppermint essence and lemon syrup; dishes using cold potatoes; porter and spruce and ginger beer; several types of wine; good strong vinegar that can be flavored with raspberries; stewed fruit; baked tomatoes; and various baked goods such as gingerbread, soda bread, and tea cake. There are also many medical and household recipes, as well as gardening and farming advice. A complete list of the contents of the recipe book, with page numbers, is available
here.
