This recipe for making homemade ice cream was found in an 1865 issue of the New Castle Democrat. This was during the Civil war and food was in short supply on the home front. It would probably be too high in cholesterol for today's standards.
How to Make Ice Cream
Ice cream is usually considered a luxury not to be indulged in by farmer's families. It is set down as a city dish, though most of the articles used in the preparation are obtained from the country. It is not generally known that the best ice cream can be made without a costly freezer, in any family where ice and milk are at hand. To make it proceed thus:
Take two quarts of fresh milk--- if a little cream be added, all the better, though ice cream, as ordinarily made, is innocent of cream. Scald the milk, stirring in three tablespoons of cornstarch or arrowroot, to give it body. These may be omitted, if not at hand. Stir well to keep from burning. Beat up four or eight eggs according to convenience or as rich a dish as wanted, and pour the scalded milk on the eggs, stirring well. When cold add sugar and essence of peach or lemon or extract of vanilla to suit. A very little salt improves it. Pour the cooled contents into a deep tin pan or pail, holding about three quarts, put on the cover and set it in an ordinary wooden water pail. Pound up the ice to the size of a small hen's egg and less--- some of course will be quite fine--- pack it in around the tin can mixing in about one pint of medium or fine salt. Pack it till it reaches near to the top of the can, but be careful none enters the can. Now, move the tin can or pull around by means of it's bail, lifting the cove occasionally to scrape off the frozen cream on the inside, so that other portions may come in contact with the freezing surface. From fifteen to twenty minutes will be sufficient, and the dish may be either served up at once or set away, without removing it from the wooden pail, in a cool place for several hours, covered with flannel cloth. Try it and see if you need hereafter any foreign ice cream because no freezer is at hand.
Now to find an old wooden bucket and a deep tin pan or pail, I scream for ice cream.....
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