As the Union blockade put a strangle hold on the South. The home folk had to make due or substitute to get by. They came up with some pretty ingenious ideas.
Salt was dug from the smokehouse floor, boiled and the sediment was used for a brownish salt.
Sweet potatoes dried in the sun were used in the place of sugar.
Wheat and rye was used for a coffee substitute, so were okra and chicory.
Dried blackberry leaves, sassafras, and other herbs were used for tea.
Paper was scarce, so they wrote on just about anything. They made envelopes from wall paper.
Ink was made from oak balls and walnut juice. Dye was made from butternut.
Candles were made from tallow, or pine knots were used to light the parlor.
Spinning wheels were brought out of storage to make clothes. Needles were made from thorns, buttons made from persimmon seeds.
The woman saved their urine to make niter for gunpowder.
You have to give them credit; they knew how to make do.
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