Funny how serendipity works, isn’t it?
I recently wandered into Primitives & More, an antique store in Milford, OH, and immediately spotted a hefty stack of old recipe cards, tied into a bundle, on a table right inside the door. The tag read, Recipe cards $3.95.
How could I not?
I’ve only untied the stack to photograph these lovely vintage recipe cards to share here. They’re beautiful: 4-by-6 index cards, with a bit of golden foxing on the edges. The recipes are written in blue ink (probably using a fountain pen). Tucked into the stack are meticulously clipped recipes from magazines, newspapers and manufacturer’s recipe books. There are a few recipes from other women, but most of the cards are signed by Clara Shenefelt. Some are labeled ‘class’—which makes me think Clara copied the recipes from a cooking class or maybe Home Ec.
Over the coming weeks, I look forward to thumbing through the collection, one by one, like savoring a favorite novel. [I thought, for about 2 seconds, about doing some 'Julie and Julia' kind of project where I cook every single recipe in the stack ... but then I found the recipe for Kidney Bean Salad with Sliced Tongue and, well, that was the end of that.] When I make one of these old recipes, I’ll post about it here.
I will also try to identify who Clara was. I’m in possession of someone’s family treasure, I know.
Amazing find! (And who better to find them?)
The cards are fabulous. They remind me of my grandma’s recipe cards ( handwritting and all). Looks like Clara’s last name is on one of the cards.
These are gorgeous!
dewvintage x
looks like a possible book to me
P.S. She has marked some made in class. Was she a teacher or a student?
My hunch is that she took a HomeEc class, perhaps as a young adult. The recipes are too fancy for a high school HomeEc class.
I must say how suprised I was to see this artical featuring cards sold from our shop Primitives & More…Milford. We are so happy you found such a great find! Enjoy… and please let us all know which one becomes your favorite.
Hi, Vicki — thanks for commenting! Yes, it was your shop Primitives & More. I’m planning an extended project of cooking with recipes from this collection beginning in October, and it’s likely I’ll be back to your shop to purchase some vintage kitchen tools (for example, many of the recipes call for individual copper or tin molds, which I believe you have). Thank you!
Would love to have a few of these recipes, if you could share them with us.
Sandra
Pingback: A new recipe project: What do you think? | writes4food | recipes and wisdom from a Midwestern kitchen
Pingback: Introducing the Clara Project. | writes4food | recipes and wisdom from a Midwestern kitchen
Pingback: Vintage cookbooks. | writes4food | recipes and wisdom from a Midwestern kitchen
Pingback: Best recipes of 2012. | writes4food | recipes and wisdom from a Midwestern kitchen
Pingback: The Clara Project: creamy corn soup. | writes4food | recipes and wisdom from a Midwestern kitchen