Reviews for The country kitchen

The average rating for The country kitchen based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2017-07-01 00:00:00 Elizabeth Munoz Written before WWII, about the author's childhood, this memoir still reads, to me, as if only one generation back. Farm life didn't change much until quite recently, and in some ways still hasn't. I do thank goodness I don't have to deal with the capricious, egotistical, and self-centered old man Della's mother did, though. I guess he was a good provider & loving in his own way, however. And I love Lutes' voice - she has a real ear for the people's speech, and uses plenty of local jargon, too. And some earnest purplish prose, but it's all a celebration and just charming. The most intriguing recipe that's doable w/out salt pork, rhubarb, and/or a killer amount of cream and/or butter is Sour Cream Cookies. The closest recipe I could easily find online is Other recipes use too much sugar or extra ingredients.

Review # 2 was written on 2018-10-25 00:00:00 Terrence Tully My edition of the book was bought by my great-grandmother in 1942. It cost her three shillings, and was clearly cheap at the price, because it has been enjoyed by three subsequent generations of her family. It's set in Michigan, around 1880, when the author is six years old. It follows one year in the life of a country kitchen: the meals that are eaten, the food that is farmed, cooked, preserved and stored. Each meal is prepared with deliberation, from ingredients that come from the family's farm. The author includes recipes, though I don't believe the meals described could be made by a modern reader who does not have access to these fresh ingredients. It's a lovely book -- comforting to read, and while the stories about food and family are warm and generous, they are not sentimental. The difficulties of living on the land, and the hardships and inequalities, are also included. I read this while I was getting over flu, and it was the perfect thing. This is not currently in print, but it must have been popular in its day -- my version is the British reprint, which includes an introduction explaining ingredients that must have been unknown in the UK of the 40s, such as dill or cornmeal.