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Category: Getting Back to My Roots | Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 1:19 am

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My mother's parents came from a farming community in northern Spain. My dad's folks were mid-western farmers. In fact, Grandma traveled westward in one of the last covered wagons in 1900 as a baby and ended up in California, one of 13 children. She always liked to tell us that she almost bounced out of the wagon and that would have put the entire family line out of commission! She ended up being the only sibling to make it to old age, so she called herself "lucky 13".

When I was 19 a family cookbook came into our possession. It was the A to Z of sustainable living, circa the late 1800's or so. I LOVED that cookbook. It even contained hand written records of my grandfather and his two brothers' births.Those boys soon lost their parents, my great grandparents, before the youngest was old enough to be on his own.

Fast forward to 1977 and somehow I, at the tender age of 19, had a strong sense that I needed to protect that book, begging to be allowed to be its caretaker. My mother assured me that it would be fine. It was lost for many years, then permanently lost in a fire.

Last summer I paid the family cookbook a small tribute by googling some fig recipes. I have three fig trees...couldn't decide which kind I wanted, so I ended up with more than I needed. I don't waste it, though! My googling yielded me a 100 year old recipe for candied figs... FABULOUS!!!!It involved a three day process which, by the end shed new light on what "visions of sugarplums danced in their heads" must have meant.

Most of the edible landscape and orchard setup is in place and much of it is about to bear or already has.I planted quite a bit of the early veggie seeds already. The herbs need a bit of sprucing up and adding to, so I'll be expanding to some not-so predictable items, like soapwort. By summer I hope to be washing my hair in homemade soapwort and lavender shampoo, then rinsing with rosemary infusion.

To me personal progress involves a fair amount of looking back!


This blog entry has been viewed 268 times

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ChuckBartok wrote on Mon Mar 23, 2009 1:59 am:

Fantastic Blog.
Thank you.
It is amazing how simple it is
to strive for Sustainability regardless of Plot size.

Congratulations!

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Frank wrote on Mon Mar 23, 2009 10:07 am:

Enjoyable blog entry Lulu. It's a real shame the cookbook was lost in a fire, items like that are priceless.

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eileen wrote on Mon Mar 23, 2009 10:13 am:

Thoroughly enjoyed reading your blog entry Lulu. I, too, lost an old family recipe book and it's sad that the the recipes can never be replaced. I look forward to reading more about you, your family and your garden.

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SongofJoy57 wrote on Mon Mar 23, 2009 3:04 pm:

Hi Lulu:

I thoroughly enjoyed your blog entry. I actually got my mom's old cookbook. It actually gives oven temperatures as slow, moderate, and hot, so I assume it was put out in the woodstove era. Mom has been gone for over 14 yearsand the cookbook's pages are crumbling now. I will be more than happy to share or look up things for you. Just private message me. I look forward to hearing more about you and your world. Anyone who loves things from the past and old time cooking is very entertaining to me!

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