My recent cookbook reading has me focused on deviled eggs — those rich, creamy ovals of savory goodness that speak to us of Easter egg hunts and summer picnics. A Dollop of Mayonnaise A Dollop of Mayonnaise In today’s kitchen, mayonnaise is the prescribed ingredient to moisten and bind mashed egg yolks for Deviled Eggs, […]
This post is the second installment in a three-part series on the Ideal Farm Home competition sponsored by THE FARMER’S WIFE MAGAZINE October 1926. Farm women were asked to describe what would make a farmhouse perfect. Running water was at the top of the list, along with a special washroom for the men, a well-lighted […]
The Greatest Twelve concerning which Doctor Holland writes from month to month, although numbered, are not meant to be presented in any order suggesting the importance of one over another. Each lead in its own place—Love, Struggle, Money, Play, Toil, and the seven yet to come. –The Editors of The Farmer’s Wife–A Magazine For Farm […]
Hello Friends! In the 1920s, women’s organizations provided the opportunity for rural farm women to participate in local political, educational, civic, and social events. One such group from Etowah County, Alabama got together to make Christmas fruitcakes. Their idea was so popular that twelve other clubs followed suit. At their October meeting last year (1925), […]
Hello Friends! The second installment of the “How We Keep Christmas” series is a story that was shared by Mrs. Mary Buttner of Ohio. In 1922 she and her family wanted to do something to make Christmas special for “someone who truly hungered for a little Christmas spirit.” After running an ad in a local […]
The publication The Farmer’s Wife — A Magazine For Farm Women was published from 1897 through 1939 boasting a readership of over one million at its peak. In opposition to “pretty” magazines for women. In October 1926, The Farmer’s Wife’s proclaimed mission was to be the voice of and for farm women in politics, women’s […]
National News of Interest to Farm Women By Alice Gram, Washington Representative of The Farmer’s Wife News from Washington was a monthly column published in The Farmer’s Wife. Below is a bulleted list of topics covered in this article: The value of a college education in 1921 is spelled out in dollars and cents by […]
Hello, again History Lovers, Planning a kitchen garden to grow enough for a family’s immediate needs as well as plenty to be preserved against the scarcity of winter and early spring is the advice offered by The Farmer’s Wife–A Magazine For Farm Women in February 1922. Self-reliance was essential for farm families in order to […]
The American Dairy Council’s slogan from the late nineties — “Behold! The Power of Cheese” — would have been the perfect title for the one-hundred-year old Farmer’s Wife article below. Home cooks from the 1920s were well aware of the ability of cheese to elevate any meal through both flavor and nutrition. During WW I, […]
National News of Interest to Farm Women By Alice Gram, Washington Representative of The Farmer’s Wife News from Washington was a monthly column published in The Farmer’s Wife. Below is a bulleted list of topics covered in this article: The value of a college education in 1921 is spelled out in dollars and cents by […]
“It’s difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato”. Lewis Grizzard A recipe from Irma Rombauer’s Joy of Cooking 1974 called French Tomato Salad has been the inspiration for a a flavorful addition to my catered salad bars. The recipe calls for six thinly sliced tomatoes arranged overlapping on a serving […]
“These are heavenly and should be called ‘Oh-no-I-shouldn’t’ cookies. They’re terribly rich, but terribly good, particularly when served with coffee as a dessert.” Grace Barr, Orlando Evening Star Food Editor, 1968 The Back Story of Sweetened Condensed Milk In New York, during the early to mid-1800s , the most dangerous food a child might consume […]
I love the adventuresome can-do spirit of the mother who submitted a letter to THE FARMER’S WIFE in October 1921 reporting her family’s wildly successful vacation in a covered wagon. With three children in tow, the family traversed three hundred miles to experience the adventures of their pioneering ancestors. The author even took along a […]
Cover of The Farmer’s Wife magazine–November 1926 Welcome Friends! As we begin a new month, I was a little perplexed with the cover of the November 1926 edition of The Farmer’s Wife magazine (see image above). It is obviously an illustration of a child’s Halloween party, but why was it used in November. After about […]