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Hearth Cooking

Marlborough Pudding for Thanksgiving
By November 20, 2022 Read More →

Marlborough Pudding for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was THE holiday in the 1830s and Marlborough Pudding was THE perfect end to the feast. Several people have asked for the recipe after sampling Marlborough Pudding at last Saturday’s Hearth Cooking day or having seen the recipe prepared in our Holidays in the Mill House video. Marlborough Pudding is actually a custard pie […]

Holidays in the Mill House – Thanksgiving Recipes
By November 25, 2020 Read More →

Holidays in the Mill House – Thanksgiving Recipes

Here are some of the traditional recipes Nancy Prescott made in our Thanksgiving video. These have been adapted to your modern kitchen but you could try making them over an open hearth! If you haven’t seen the Thanksgiving episode of Holidays in the Mill House, watch it HERE.   Marlborough Pudding The most popular Thanksgiving […]

Holidays in the Mill House- Thanksgiving in the 1830s
By November 24, 2020 Read More →

Holidays in the Mill House- Thanksgiving in the 1830s

We are so excited to share with you our new series, Holidays in the Mill House! This first episode will take you back to the 1830s with the Prescott Family. See the preparations for the big day and learn about the foods and traditions that shaped the holiday we know today. Our next episode, Christmas […]

Nancy Prescott’s Diary- Rhubarb Cream Pie
By May 27, 2020 Read More →

Nancy Prescott’s Diary- Rhubarb Cream Pie

Nancy Prescott came to Peterborough with her husband Samuel and their children when he was hired as an overseer at the Phoenix Mill. Because of his position, they were able to rent one of four small mill houses. Their home was situated about 25 feet from the Nubanusit River on Samuel Smith’s downtown mill property. […]

Bird’s Nest Pudding- January 2018 Recipe of the Month
By January 27, 2018 Read More →

Bird’s Nest Pudding- January 2018 Recipe of the Month

Bird’s Nest Pudding Recipes for Bird’s Nest Pudding, or Crow’s Nest Pudding as it was sometimes called, were popular in the late 18th century. In the fall when apples would be readily available to housewives, they would make fresh apple pie, apple sauce, apple butter, and recipes like this one. Extra apples might be stored […]

Lemon Minced Pie- December 2017 Recipe of the Month
By December 28, 2017 Read More →

Lemon Minced Pie- December 2017 Recipe of the Month

This recipe for Lemon Minced Pie comes from Maria Rundell‘s 1808 cookbook, A New System of Domestic Cookery. This recipe makes a delicious pie with a bright taste. It’s easy to make as long as you can find the rendered suet (the beef tallow from the cow’s kidney area). I purchased some online from James Townsend & Sons. […]

Preparing for Hearth Cooking

Preparing for Hearth Cooking

This little garden outside the Phoenix Mill house is growing ingredients for our fall hearth cooking programs. Crops include onions, potatoes, celery, squash, and various herbs.

X-treme Hearth Cooking
By December 18, 2013 Read More →

X-treme Hearth Cooking

December 14th dawned cold with the first major storm of the year coming in the afternoon. John, Lorraine, Mary and I arrived dressed in warm layers prepared for a day of extreme hearth cooking. From the start, the temperature made for a very different day from our October and November Saturdays before the hearth. We […]

Hearth Cooking a Pie
By December 2, 2013 Read More →

Hearth Cooking a Pie

Each time we offer a Hearth Cooking Saturday, we try out some new recipes and techniques. At our November session, we experimented with a standing crust pie. Pies go back to ancient times but those ancient pies were different than the flaky crust, melt in your mouth pies that we make today. The pie crust […]

Hearth Cooking in the Phoenix Mill House
By November 25, 2013 Read More →

Hearth Cooking in the Phoenix Mill House

As you can see from the photo, we had a great day last Saturday cooking in the Phoenix Mill House. John Patterson (pictured in his 18th century duds) has become the caretaker of the mill house and graciously came in early that morning to get the fires going and to fire the bee hive oven. […]