“Lemon-Aids”

I’m really pleased with the little cookery booklets I bought for £1:50 each, and I’m just looking in ‘Fruit and Health’ by Haydn Brown and Sylvia Wayne (1st Class Triple Diplomée, National Training School of Cookery, London), published by the The Fruit Trades’ Federation in about 1924. Mr Brown wrote the health aspect of eating fruit, Ms Wayne the recipes. As with many cookery books of the period, and before, in the back are household hints, in this case with using fruit other than eating it. Sylvia gives some “Lemon-Aids” – the first three are lemons as a household necessity, lemons for the organs, and lemons for the complexion. There follows ‘More “Lemon-Aids”‘ –

1. A little lemon juice added to fish sauces, white stews and rechauffés, etc., improves the flavour, counteracts the richness and aids digestion
2. A slice of lemon stewed with rhubarb or prunes improves the flavour
3. Hot lemon water taken last thing at night is very soothing for a sore throat or a cold
4. A few drops of lemon juice added to a rich pastry helps to counteract the richness
5. A few drops of lemon juice added to syrup or jam sauces helps to counteract sweetness
6. Some people like a slice of lemon in their tea instead of milk
7. Lemon juice whitens hands and removes stains. Always rub the cut side of the lemon on the hands and rinse in clear water before applying soap. After juice is removed from a lemon the remainder can be used for the hands
8. A little salt and a squeeze of lemon juice will remove an inkstain from white silk or cotton. Always wash carefully, using soap to remove all traces of acid
9. A little salt and lemon juice is useful for removing stains from neglected marble
10. Dry inkstains on polished wood can be removed by rubbing salt and lemon juice in well. Wash thoroughly in warm soapy water. Dry and polish with furniture polish
11. An inkstain can be removed from a carpet by utting a little salt on the stain and saturating it with lemon juice. Leave awhile, rub lightly. Repeat if necessary
12. Stains on copper and brass, such as verdigris, can be removed by rubbing with salt and lemon juice. Always remove all traces of acid by rubbing with soap and rinsing in warm water. Dry well before polishing

It might seem funny that people wee so obsessed with stains, but of course they didn’t have the detergents and products that we have, they didn’t live in a throw-away society, and they had to take care of their belongings. And of course there were no biros, László József Bíró didn’t invent the ballpoint pen until 1931!!