Food is a fascinating topic for many people, from local parents groups to medical professionals to our first lady. As James Poniewozik wrote in Time, "food is a statement of culture and identity."
Alpine County's small population of permanent residents (approximately 1,200) has traditional potluck dinners to honor special occasions and events. These potlucks date back to the pioneer days in Alpine.
Almost 60 years ago, a group of women who supported "the furtherance of education" published a cookbook to commemorate the centennial celebration (1864-1964) in Alpine County. The group was called Alpine County Mothers' Club, the book Favorite Recipes.
Recipes from that cookbook are not only glimpses back into the '60s, many recipes are generational heirlooms.
Rosella Jackson, whose family members still live in the area, donated her famous venison mincemeat recipe as follows:
2 pounds cooked ground venison
1 pound beef suet, ground
5 pounds tart apples
2 1⁄2 pounds brown sugar
2 Tbsp. cinnamon
1 Tbsp. allspice
1 tsp salt
2 pounds raisins
2 pounds currents
1 pounds fruit of citron (glaze)
Juice and rind of orange or lemon
Add enough liquid (juice or brandy) to make right consistency.
Mix ingredients thoroughly and add boiled cider or juice. Heat slowly to boiling point and simmer one hour.
Bernice Dangberg donated her mustard pickles recipe; Vickie Hellwinkel her bread recipe; Elizabeth Coyan her tuna casserole; Mina Wood her venison with sour cream; Marie Sorensen her noodle supreme; and many others. Among the 1960s vintage recipes, including those made with Jell-o and canned soup, there are gourmet hints like :
Have you tried;
Minced marjoram in a fruit salad?
A few fennel seeds in a Waldorf salad?
Fresh basil in ground beef patties?
Even the advertisements are interesting: one ad is for Woodfords Cash Store, owned by Claud and Ruby Harris at telephone number OX 4-2924. Another ad is from the Golden Bubble Casino in Gardnerville, where the buffet cost $2. And where else could one find a soda fountain diet or a weight gain diet but the Mother's Club cookbook?
The Mother's Club cookbook was updated and published 10 years later. The book has a wooden cover, reminding Alpiners of the historic sawmill industry. The dedication informs us that the meaning of the book is friendship, and the goal is to leave Alpine County a better place for its children. I'm sold. The pages were hand-typed, and the floating capital letters remind me of how difficult manual typewriting could be. Vintage recipes for Aunt Bill's brown candy, Waunetta Butterfield's scalloped potatoes, and Viola Rieman's never fail hard soap (made with lye, lard and rain water), are interspersed with more modern Weight Watcher's chili and Honey-All-Bran Pudding.
Almost 15 years ago, the Alpine County Friends of the Library and the Alpine County Historical Society published another successful cookbook, Food for Thought. Several men contributed recipes to this edition, as well as professional chefs. Sorensen's added a wonderful Hope Valley autumn pie with pecans, walnuts, cashews, and peanuts; Lynda Kirby from Woodford's Station gave out her sumi salad recipe, and Marci, then chef of Alpine Restaurant, donated her huevos rancheros recipe.
The Friends of the Library group is sponsoring a new edition of an Alpine County Cookbook. Since we have many new residents in the county and there have been changes in the way we cook and the way we eat, the new edition should be a great combination of the potluck favorites, family favorites, and the latest in healthy eating.
There is an interest in recipes adjusted for convection ovens and for solar ovens, interest in vegetarian and/or vegan recipes, and an interest in time-saving recipes. Our goal for the new cookbook is to reflect the culture and identity of Alpine County.
Please send us your recipes, along with any anecdotal information that you would like to share. For example, if you updated the recipe or if you invented it, if you acquired it from a magazine or a friend, simply add that information to the bottom of the recipe.
For more information call me at 694-1710 or Evelyn at 694-2750.
To send a recipe via e-mail, write recipe for cookbook in subject line and send to either evenlynyonker@gmail.com or joycedevore@gmail.com
