Browse Collections (8 total)

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  RCA0001 - VTG Oak Wooden Recipe Box Dovetail Hinged Lid W/Handwritten Recipe Cards

  A collection I found on eBay with the listing description of "VTG Oak Wooden Recipe Box Dovetail Hinged Lid W/Handwritten Recipe Cards". This collection appears to be from Kansas, USA and I've not been able to identify the original owner. The recipes seem to span the 1950s to the 1980s.

  Contributors: Betty Cooper,Donna King,Grama Davis,Lois Hubbard

  View the items in RCA0001 - VTG Oak Wooden Recipe Box Dovetail Hinged Lid W/Handwritten Recipe Cards
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  RCA0002 - Collection of Recipes Handwritten & Typed, Clipped, Cards, Pamphlet

  A wide collection of recipes spanning the 1930s to 2000s and it appears there were possibly two collections that were combined at some point. I found the name Carol Brewer, who appears to be Carol Genevieve (Brewer) Rutledge of Adel, IA, USA. Though I also found the name Valerie C Minnoch of Sioux City, IA, USA. This collection also included a large amount of print recipes (~50), pamphlets, and a small Pennsylvania Dutch cookbook from ~1934.

  Contributors: Brenda Newberg, Carol, Carol Brewer, Clara, Dorothy, Edna Molden, Ethel, G R, Grandma, Kristina, Linda, M Rader, Mary, Mary Lou, Mrs. Corn, Mrs. Dufons, Valerie Fitzgerald, Valerie Minnoch

  View the items in RCA0002 - Collection of Recipes Handwritten & Typed, Clipped, Cards, Pamphlet
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  RCA0003 - VTG LG Wood Recipe Box Dove Tail w/Metal Hinges Full Of Recipes & Handwritten

  This is a collection I found on eBay that turned out to have a lot of really interesting aspects to it. Some of the cards had the 'recipe from the kitchen of' filled in with names and even dates which gives a ton of history and context. Additionally, this collection had some interesting nuances. Firstly, there was one card (0015 - Molded Ambrosia) where the instructions on the rear of the card were partly documented with some kind of short hand. I was not able to decipher the short hand, but with AI help, I was able to suss out the instructions. Additionally, there are a number of repeated recipes in the collection. This hints at a few possibilities. The two main ideas to me are either recipes were requested from the original cooks more than once, or more than one collection was combined over time. 0005, 0031, and 0032 are great examples of this. Two of the recipes (0005 and 0031) are for 'Corn Cakes' and note that the recipe is from Edna Fausz. Edna is also mentioned on a recipe (0032) for 'Cloud Light Pancakes' which shows as being from the kitchen of Alice Gall. This seems to imply that for 'Cloud Light Pancakes' Alice got the recipe from Edna originally, wrote it down and applied her label and then sent the card to Paula. The other two (0005/0031) were also originally from Edna and sent by way of Alice to Paula. These links are what make these collections so much more than just the recipes.

  Contributors: Aileen Landreth, Alice Gall, Allie, Alma Ashbridge, Barb Hawkins, Bea Vail, Bertha Dansman, Betty, Billie Schild, Bob, Carol Ross, Charlotte, Dell, Doris Mahon, Dorothy Perkins, Edna Fausz, Ellie Lively, Eura Lee Armstrong, Frances Welles, Freda Adolph, Gladys Ward, Helen, I. Stewart, Jane Eller, Jerry, Jim, Joan Herber, Joan Herr, Kay Winter, Lillian, Margie Zinke, Marilyn Randall, Mildred Kauffman, Mrs. Sasser, Mrs. Willis Waller, Nita, Olga, Paula Guffey, Peg Grant, Rae Anne, Ruth, Ruth Henderson, Ruth Jacobs, Stracks, Sue Plummer, Tillie

  View the items in RCA0003 - VTG LG Wood Recipe Box Dove Tail w/Metal Hinges Full Of Recipes & Handwritten
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  RCA0004 - Vintage Handwritten Recipes 3x5 Index Cards Grandma Grannycore Cottagecore

  This is a fun batch of cards from Florida. In this set there was a mix of handwritten recipes, clippings (most of which I excluded), and clippings taped/glued to cards. There were a couple of standout recipes like 'Hamb. Something' and 'Hobo Hotdish' that really cracked me up. There were also some interesting nuances in terms of techniques. One standout is the recipe for 'Vanilla Ice Cream' that includes lemon juice and flour.

  Contributors: Anne, Barb Webber, Barbara Mead, Barbara Webber, Beth Allen, Beverly Bajus, Coral Weir, Detta, Dianne Illingworth, Dorothy, Georgie, Helen Wolcott, Jean Kremer, Lucy Messer, Lynn Desjardins, Mari Ellen, Mary Kate Hogan, Mercedes Bates, Mom, Mrs. Edward Mahnke, Mrs. Neill D., Richard Petty, Sandy, Sandy Schroth

  View the items in RCA0004 - Vintage Handwritten Recipes 3x5 Index Cards Grandma Grannycore Cottagecore
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  RCA0005 - VTG 175+ Recipes w Box Handwritten Clipped Breads Pies Casseroles Seafood Donut

  This is an interesting collection in a very cool old, weathered metal box. I’ve captured the handwritten and typed recipes along with a small few of the printed cards. This collection really runs the gamut from doughnuts to cocktails with lots of casseroles and baked goods. There are a few in here that I’ll definitely be trying out. Though, while it’s my favorite recipe in the batch, I can’t say that I’m eager to try out 'Welch’s Grape Egg Nog'.

  Contributors: A. Thornton, Alberta, Alberta P. Th, Alberta Thornton, AlCox, Alice Neal, Aunt Beth, B. Green, Bill, Carina Milman, Carrie Velano, Connie McPhail, Doris Withee, E. L. Duncan, Elinor Cook, Ernestine, Ernestine Duncan, Fales, Florence Bebber, G. Inkem, G. Smith, Gertrude Rieger, Grace Cobb, H. Lord, Hoffmann, Isabell Small, Jessie J. Davis, John W. Thornton, Josie Bryant, Kath Bagley, Laura G. Palmer, Leona Parent, Lucy H, M. Lux, Marie, Marie Gifford, Marie H, Martha, Melvin A. Kelley, Mildred Wilson, Mrs Brown, Mrs Reynolds, Mrs. Bert Collins, Mrs. Bonneau, Mrs. Ethel Rickee, Mrs. Jorko, Mrs. Morrill, Mrs. Parent, Mrs. Richardson, Mrs. S. E. Howland, Nonnie, Pauline C., Pearl, Priscilla, Richard, Robertson, Roland Booker, Ruth Chadwick, Ruth Morrell, Thornton, Vera Ganoy, W. Smith, William Crossley

  View the items in RCA0005 - VTG 175+ Recipes w Box Handwritten Clipped Breads Pies Casseroles Seafood Donut
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  RCA0006 - The Yetka family collection that started the project

  This was the collection that started it all. I found this posted on eBay as a large lot of recipe cards, clippings, and other cooking related materials but not box to contain them all. When I received the collection, I was hooked. There were lots of handwritten cards, typed cards, clippings glued to cards, promotional cards, and everything in between.
  
  As I worked through the archival steps on these, there were lots of little nuances that stood out. First, you’ll see quite a few cards with magazine and newspaper clippings that I’ve included. These stood out to me because there was clearly a lot of care put into cutting these out and then gluing them to cards to include in their recipe box. I find this extra time and care speaks a lot to me about the value of these clippings versus the hundreds of clippings that were simply loose in the collection.
  
  Second, there were a lot of canning and pickling related cards here. So much has changed about canning since the time period of this collection. The use of alum and lime certainly stood out as neither are recommended by the USDA anymore. Additionally, many of the recipes expected a level of knowledge about the overall process. For example, none of the cards explain the actual water bath canning tools or process. Lastly, I got to learn a whole new (to me) unit of measure, the peck. One peck is 8 dry quarts.
  
  Third, there is a type of dessert that self-separates during baking which I found completely fascinating. An example of this is “Cake Lemon Pie” (RCA0006-20260609-0111). This is high on my list of recipes to try so I can get my head better wrapped about the separation during cooking.
  
  I also spent a good bit of time polishing the recipe parsing process during this collection. The formatted versions should be more consistent going forward and I’ll be trying to capture interesting notes in the Editor’s Note section at the bottom.

  Contributors: 3 girls, Alan Holcombe, Aletha, Alice Hill, Aunt Frances, Aunt Myrl, Belle, Bern, Betty Bangs, Betty Crocker, Betty J. Reynolds, Bridget, C. Kolar, Carol, Debbie, Eleanor Campbell, Elizabeth Gillenwater, F. S. Marrs, Frances, Frank, Frank Bates, G. White, Gail L. Becker, Gladys, Gladys Winkel, H.E. Erickson, Harriet, Henning, Hildegard, Jane Willson, Jeanne L. Holley, Joe, Josephine Brach, K.R., Kate Smith, Kephart, Kolar, L.M., Marie, Martha, Martha Yetka, Min, Minnie, Miriam B. Lao, mrs paul, Mrs. Bloom, Mrs. Dodge, Mrs. Horton, Mrs. Selmser, Mrs. Stassen, Orla, Phil, Rose Levy, Stuart, The Chef of Tiffin Inn, V.S., Vacie, Valerie Wildman

  View the items in RCA0006 - The Yetka family collection that started the project
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  RCA0007 - Vintage Handwritten Recipe Card Collection w/ Metal Recipe Box 60+ Recipes

  A small, but interesting collection. The cards in this box spanned from classic recipes, to soap, to DIY bee pollen to keep your bees alive until they can start harvesting their own pollen. There were also some repeated recipes and, of those, the Sour Milk Pancakes stood out. There are two versions of that recipe in the collection. Sour Milk Pancakes is the older version and expects that cooks have soured milk on hand. Later on, the recipe was updated to use buttermilk instead. From what I can find online, this transition happened as home refrigeration became more common. Prior to homes having a refrigerator, milk would sour fairly quickly and would then be used for the acid in recipes like this rather than having the sour milk go to waste.
  
  Another standout recipe in this set is Sukiyaki (for 100 People). The scale of this recipe indicates that this collection was built by someone who would cook for large events. There are also a few other recipes, like Punch, that are scaled for a crowd. One of the recipes (Chicken Casserole) is attributed to 'Pres. and Sis. Kimball' which could indicate members of the Church of Latter-Day Saints.

  Contributors: Anne Davis, Dardsley, Dunstone, Edna Stockman, Eva Croshaw, Florence Harting, Glenn, Granny, Jane Adams, John Harting, Lena, Lynden, Mar, Margaret Gossler, Mary Quantrell, Mrs. Ralph W. Snyder, Mrs. Search, Nell, Phelen, Pres. & Sis. Kimball, Tommie, Tommie Lytle

  View the items in RCA0007 - Vintage Handwritten Recipe Card Collection w/ Metal Recipe Box 60+ Recipes
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  RCA0008 - Florida Collection of Typed Cards

  This was a great collection to go through for a few reasons.
  
  First, every card in the collection was typewritten on a typewriter with dates spanning decades. In addition, most of the cards were recipes transcribed from magazines, newspapers, and TV. This tells me that the original owner was very passionate about the process of cataloging these recipes in addition to the recipes themselves. With the recipes, there are several other odds and ends like tags from souvenirs. But, in addition to the tags are typed cards transcribing the tags. And, to round out the love for these cards, every single card had a plastic sleeve protecting it.
  
  Second, this collection had some interesting recipes that originally caught my eye. Where else would I find recipes for 'Squirrel and Biscuits', 'Roast Opossum', and 'Armadillo'?! On top of the interesting ones, there are a few that stand out as recipes I want to try. 'Old-Fashioned Cheesecake with Zwieback Crust' sounds super tasty and introduced me to zwieback. And, I love oysters, so 'Scalloped Oysters' will definely hit the table at some point in the near future.
  
  Very fun collection and I wish I knew more about the original owner. I think we'd have a lot in common.

  Contributors: Ann, Edna Harrell, Elizabeth McKay, Ella Ralls, Grandma, J.L.B., John Rosso, Mama D, Mrs. June Woods, Sandi Patti, Sarah Gault, Sheila Lukins, Sheryl Julian

  View the items in RCA0008 - Florida Collection of Typed Cards