I'm particularly excited
about our guest contributor this month. Karen Solomon's
whimsically titled books Can It, Bottle It,
Smoke It and Jam
it, Pickle It, Cure It explore the world of DIY
cooking. They'll be my guides this summer if my garden yields
the extra required for putting-up (a first, but it's looking
rosy).
But Solomon's piece isn't about that. It's about the cookbook
she prizes most, an heirloom from her mother. I have one like
that from my mom, too. It's The Joyce Chen Cookbook, broken
straight down the spine and well-yellowed with age. But I
don't remember her using it much, and she passed away before she
could ever teach me to cook. (My own children, at least, will
have many dog-eared treasures to choose from.) I value it for
even that tenuous connection, and envy Solomon her
keepsake.
What cookbook is your most prized bequest? And which ones
will go to your children, with stains, yellowed pages, and all your
love?
Read Karen Soloman's
story