Recipes from a Greek Island w. White Bean Soup, Red Mullet in Grape Leaves, Pork w. Quince & more -- Vintage Cookbook TBT

Vintage Cookbook: Recipes from a Greek Island, Susie Jacobs

Publication Details: Simon & Schuster, 1991

The cookbook we are looking at today is like a love letter to Greece, Greek culture, the Greek islands and, of course, to Greek food. Written by Susie Jacobs, who moved to a Greek island and had been there for 15 years when she put the book together, it has over 100 recipes that reflect the cuisine and its ingredients and techniques that she loved so much.

There are also many breathtaking photographs of the truly stunning natural beauty of the setting. The book begins by looking at various seasonings and staples, then move to general sections like soups, fish and mains.


There are tips all along the way and many of the recipes are accompanied by colour photographs of the dishes.

One of those cookbooks that truly transports you to a place that it would be wonderful to visit...and perhaps even stay at for awhile.

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The Farmers' Almanac Cook Book w. Baked Flounder, Lamb Stew w. Okra, Squirrel w. Parsley & more -- Vintage Cookbook TBT

Vintage Cookbook: The Farmers' Almanac Cook Book

Publication Details: Pocket Books Inc., 1965 (Previously published as the Ohio Farmer Cook Book


Originally published as the Ohio Farmer Cook Book, the Farmers' Almanac Cook Book is nearly 400 pages of classic North American, rustic recipes from the mid-20th century. Like the Joy of Cooking this was meant to be an all-encompassing overview of techniques, tips and different styles of food. As a result there are the sections like "Handy Tips" and "Cooking Terms" and then 15 recipe groupings from "Appetizers" and "Soups" through to "Desserts" and "Breads".

Unlike many of the cookbooks from the period, the recipes here, by-and-large, hold up rather well. Where you do see a real difference is in some of the ingredients. There are, for example, squirrel recipes. Needless-to-say we have included one. We have also included the instructions for skinning a squirrel, which the book -- being dated and aimed as cookbooks were at the time primarily at women -- suggests leaving to men presumably because it is rather distasteful.


The Chicken-Liver Canapes are probably not terribly appealing to most now either.

We have included recipes from each section. This gives a really varied sampling with dishes like Cream of Onion Soup, Peppers Stuffed with Shrimps and Cranberry Mince Pie among others.

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(Below is a list of suggested cooking methods for different veal cuts)

One Potato, Two Potato w. Potato Bread, Lemon-Custard Potato Pie, Salmon-Stuffed Baked Potatoes & more -- Vintage Cookbook TBT

Vintage Cookbook: One Potato, Two Potato - Janet Reeves 

Publication Details: Nimbus Publishing, 1987 and 2002

If you are a fan of potatoes, this cookbook is a dream come true. Written by a PEI native, needless to say, it is a celebration of spuds, how to cook with them and their history.

The book starts with sections like "What is a Potato" and "The History of the Potato" and includes charts, cooking times and even profiles of things like the Potato Museum in Washington DC, which is sadly no longer around.

The many, many recipes of all types each include potato in some way and show how remarkably diverse the uses it can be put to are.

There are potato cakes, cookies and candies in addition to classic mains and a large array of salads and baked potato recipes. As a result you get everything from Potato Chips Cookies to Cabbage and Potato Soup.

Here we have shared at least one recipe from each section, often accompanied by little bits of potato trivia and charming illustrations.

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Fifty Years in a Maryland Kitchen (1913) w. Winter Okra Soup, French Eggplant, Blackberry Pudding & more -- Vintage Cookbook TBT

Vintage Cookbook: Fifty Years in a Maryland Kitchen (New and Revised Edition) - Mrs. B. C. Howard 

Publication Details: Norman, Remington Co., Baltimore, 1913

There is no question that this week's installment qualifies as "vintage"! Fifty Years in a Maryland Kitchen was first published in Baltimore in 1873 and was enormously popular in the United States at the time though early editions of it -- as well as the revised 1913 edition we are looking at today -- are now quite rare.

Written by a Mrs. B. C. Howard, the book has over four hundred recipes of all different types as well as cooking advice and tips. It makes for a fascinating piece of cultural and social history. Here we see the techniques in use before home refrigeration and how people's eating tastes, in part due to necessity of course, were rather different. It is unlikely that one would find, for example, a recipe for German style Baked Head (cow) in a cookbook today, but at the time often all parts of an animal would be consumed.

The book has sections that would for the most part be familiar, such as Meats, Soups, Vegetables, etc. But in the era before the rise of modern medicine there are also recipes for the sick as well as a miscellaneous section that has recipes and tips for things like homemade shampoo, stain removers or, which we have included, tooth paste (it has brandy in it).

We have included at least one recipe from each section. Some of these, such as the Veal Cutlets are pretty similar to what would be done now. Others such as Fresh Tongue with Caper Sauce or Stewed Beef Kidneys for breakfast are less.

These are but a tiny fraction of what the book has to offer. While original copies are quite expensive, folks interested can pick up modern reprint editions online for much less.

While I would hope it would not be necessary to remind readers of this, please remember that these recipes should be approached with caution if you want to recreate one and that the methods or ingredients used in some cases in 1913 would be regarded as unsafe now. Always make sure you fully cook meats and dishes to modern safety standards, using safe and pasteurized ingredients, and that you do not preserve, can or jar items without learning how to do so properly using modern methods from a modern source.

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