57 books match the query 'Essays & Narratives' and 2 start with e

cover of Early American Gardens: "For Meate or Medicine"

Early American Gardens

"For Meate or Medicine"

Ann Leighton

University of Massachusetts Press, 1970

Early American Gardens, published in 1970, was the first of three authoritative volumes of garden history by Ann Leighton. The 464-page masterwork of garden history was reissued in this paperback edition by University of Massachusetts Press in 1986. Concentrating on the gardens of the early settlers of New England, this volume deals with gardeners as well as the plants they depended upon for household aids, flavorings, drinks, and medicines. The well-illustrated, thorough, and scholarly volume is a book for history buffs as well as avid and inquisitive gardeners.

Companion volumes by Ann Leighton

American Gardens in the Eighteenth Century “For Use or for Delight”
American Gardens of the Nineteenth Century “For Comfort and Affluence”

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cover of Extra! Extra! Eat All About It!: Recipes and Culinary Curiosities from Historic Wisconsin Newspapers

Extra! Extra! Eat All About It!

Recipes and Culinary Curiosities from Historic Wisconsin Newspapers

Randi Julia Ramsden

Wisconsin Historical Society Press, 2024

A journey back in time through 50 retro recipes along with engaging essays about quirky food traditions.

A blend of cookbook and bite-size history, Extra! Extra! Eat All About It! offers a unique glimpse into the culinary landscape of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Fifty recipes selected from Wisconsin newspapers are served alongside brief essays that dig into the stories behind the food trends of the time.

In lively prose, Jane Conway and Randi Julia Ramsden reveal how coconuts and oysters made their way to 1800s Wisconsin, how bakers gauged the temperatures of their wood-burning stoves, and how our predecessors really did slip on banana peels, among other flavorful facts. In addition to capturing quirky food fashions, like breakfast parties and paper-bag cooking, the recipes provide insights into regional cooking traditions.

Each original recipe appears alongside the authors’ easy-to-follow updated version. Mouthwatering modern photographs showcase the revived dishes for the first time in their long history, and newspaper clippings, ads, and illustrations give the book a charming vintage feel. Featuring a variety of recipes, ranging from trendy (Barbecued Ham with Bananas) and tempting (Pickled Walnuts) to traditional (Pumpernickel) and tantalizing (Apple de Luxe), Extra! Extra! Eat All About It! will satisfy the appetites of history lovers and home chefs alike.

 

“Such a fun and fascinating book! Extra! Extra! Eat All About It! deftly delves into Wisconsin’s long-ago food fads, evolutions, and absurdities. Don’t be surprised if this book inspires new trends that are riffs on some of these century-old ideas. Pickled walnuts, anyone? Or mock pumpkin pie, with prunes?” — Mary Bergin, author of Wisconsin Supper Club Cookbook  

“Both cookbook and chronicle, Extra! Extra! Eat All About It! is an ingenious, illuminating tasting menu of our culinary past. Sourced from nineteenth and early twentieth century Wisconsin newspapers, its fifty vignettes serve up historical insights, forgotten fads and bygone recipes. From paper bag cookery and ‘oyster saloons’ to fire-baked eggs and maple taffy, I ate this book right up.” — Terese Allen, coauthor of The Flavor of Wisconsin  

“This beautiful, fun, and informative book is a masterclass in how historical cooking opens a window onto wider historical themes, including mechanization, the impacts of war, immigration, globalization, and changing nutritional advice.” — Eleanor Barrett, author of Leftovers: A History of Food Waste and Preservation

“Conway and Ramsden do a great job of using historical documents to demonstrate what people were eating and how they entertained. They describe recipes as interaction and community, as well as how food trends change over time. The writing is smart and clever. A wonderful read.” — Kimberly Wilmot Voss, author of The Food Section: Newspaper Women and the Culinary Community 

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