A glimpse into the past [View all]

I’m browsing my late husband’s grandmother’s recipe book. She was born in the late 19th century and lived most of her life on a farm in West Virginia. For decades, she wrote everything down in a little black notebook. There were a great many pie and cake recipes,, as well as a fair number of cookies and custards. Some canning and pickle recipes. The main dishes were largely hearty fare with hamburger, chicken, macaroni, and canned tomatoes. So many canned tomatoes.

Some of the recipes were vague—no more than a few quick notes:

Straw Berry Pie
1 box strawberry jello
2 cups sugar
2 quarts water
6 tablespoons cornstarch
Mix everything together

But most interesting was a note detailing the cost of butchering one of their cows:
Butchering $5.00
Paper $1.65
Cut Beef up $14.00