This 2nd Edition retains all the original content and adds quite a bit more, bringing current family-favorite recipes onto the page with many tales, albeit no tales as warm and cherished as Frances'. Most importantly, it is dedicated to my Mother, who instilled a strong love of cooking in me.
About this book:
Frances Tate's Shadrach, Buckeyes, and Other Tales of a Virginia Childhood is a delightful collection of personal memories, anecdotes, family traditions, and more, in the words of Frances herself, telling of her youth on a southwestern Virginia farm during the Depression.
From bringing Shadrach the dog to church to the "devil baby" to the mishaps of Miss Pearl to the legend of the sycamore Ð these spirited stories resonate with pleasing wit and imagery.
Last but surely not least, this book contains a variety of traditional and family recipes from that era, with food being the "currency of friendship and hospitality" in those days.
"Éit might seem odd to say the arrival of another mouth to feed, even a dog's, was opportune, but it 'twas true since there was no entertainment other than that which we made for ourselves." Ð p. 9
Sample Recipes:
Mary Shufflebarger's Turkey Dressing, p. 54
Virginia's Divinity Candy, p. 65
Corn Meal Griddle Cakes from 1890, p. 82
Frances Tate's Pecan Pie, p. 111
Binghamton, NY Spiedies, p. 117