Edna Lewis (1) (1916–2006)

It's a cookbook. I don't cook :P I picked out this book to read because I heard someone say this book is his comfort book. The author talks about her childhood in Freetown, Virginia (probably in the early 20th century) and how her family raised animals, hunt game, fished, grew vegetables, picked fruit, made preserves....All livestock, game, crops, fruits and vegetables were organic then. And the author repeatedly says the organic ones have better flavor. So it does make you feel good in a sense of bringing you back to a simpler time, where the connection between labor and enjoyment of good food is simple, and when food just have good flavor.

The recipes in the book were mostly food that her family or people in her community would have cooked, so the style is distinctly Southern U.S. country. As someone who grew up outside the U.S., I actually know next to nothing about Southern dishes, so everything was fascinating. Three dishes particularly struck me as novel: 1) They saute bananas! With lemon juice! 2) They poach pears in sugary water as dessert! 3) They bake apples as dessert! These three are the most simple recipes. Other recipes take more trouble to make. It seems to me that a lot of the work involved is largely due to the constraint of technology ( For example, in order to eat fruit in the winter in the late 19th and early 20th century, you have to make them into preserves. You just don't have other choices.)… (mehr)

This is a really wonderful book. Edna Lewis grew up in Freetown, a town that was founded by emancipated slaves. I believe she's first- or second-generation free person. She talks fondly about the farm her family ran, and about her time with family members, friends, and neighbors. She writes fantastically.

The book is organized by the season. Don't be scared off by the fact that a lot of the sweets call for lard. One can substitute Crisco or similar shortening if lard is not available.

I can't speak to the recipes but they look very authentic. My grandparents are farmers and many of the recipes feel so familiar to me. There are green beans with ham, chipped beef gravy (and chipped pork gravy), watermelon rind pickles, and lots of cakes, pies, greens, vegetables, meats, etc. Ms. Lewis talks about the seasons and how her family prepared for each. In the winter was the hog butchering--she describes it in great detail. It made me ask my 81-year old grandmother what she remembers about hog butchering, and her account was very, very similar to Edna's. I like to read this book and think of my grandparents way back when they first were farming, and their parents before them. So much tradition has been lost to convenience.

I loved reading the memoir part best of all. I look forward to reading her other books. What a great service Ms. Lewis has done by writing her memories down.… (mehr)