Farm Journal Country Cookbook

My 1959 Edition
When we returned to small town Iowa after spending the first 5 years of our marriage in Germany, I started vegetable gardening, canning, baking even more and cooking more foods available in the Midwest.  The perfect cookbooks for my kitchen were being published at the time by the Farmers Wife magazine inside the Farm Journal.  I have collected most of them, especially those edited by Nell B. Nicholls, which are much better than later versions.  I think Myrna might have shown me these and I had to have them.  In the Seventies, you could order from a list of books available directly from the magazine.
My 1972 Edition
The first of these books was published in 1959, The Farm Journal's Country Cookbook.  A later version was published in 1972.  I have both copies, and Myrna has the later version as well.  I didn’t find my first edition copy until about 5 years ago and was amazed to find chapters devoted entirely to “butter and cream” and “milk and cheese” and “eggs”.  Now that we regularly get “farm” eggs, I understand why a farm wife would want plenty of recipes to showcase their delicious, REAL farm products.
There are also chapters for “money-making” recipes for bake sales and organization or church dinners, and recipes for large quantities, recipes for fish and game, farm meats and poultry, garden and orchard produce, canning, freezing and food preservation, regional dishes, and my favorite:  Old-fashioned recipes – those recipes Grandma may have made that use old-fashioned ingredients like lard.
I could probably cook forever with just this cookbook.  Coffeetime, desserts, make ahead recipes, potluck dishes, dishes to make your reputation as a good cook, they are all in there!  If you see one of these Farm Journal's Country Cookbooks at a thrift shop, book sale or flea market, my advice:  Buy it and use it!

Jellied Beef Mold

Rice Delight

Lemon Cookies

Provincial Potatoes

Crispy Sundae Crunch

Swiss Steak with Chili Sauce

Pineapple Date Loaf

Rice Bean Salad

Creamy Thousand Island Dressing

Lemon Coconut Bars

Cashew Tuna Luncheon

Green Beans in Sour Cream

Mashed Potato Salad

Orange Lard Cake

Creole Pork Chops


25 comments:

  1. I appreciate your posting. Just yesterday, in our local True Value store, I saw two recipe books at $14.95 each-- they were filled with recipes, some dating back to 1931, from the 'old' Farm Journal magazines. (Darn!, I'd only taken enough $ with me to buy the mineral and milk replacer!) When I was young, though not cooking or baking a thing, I remember quickly turning to the magazine's recipe pages when it arrived. Oh, just like my mom's cooking, these are a part of gooooooood memories from when life seemed more simple/safe-- a time with a whole lot of tasty HOME cooking happening!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have several Farm Journal Cookbooks... I wish I had purchased more "back in the day..."

    ReplyDelete
  3. I have searched "for decades" for a cake recipe I made from a Farm Journal Magazine in 1959 or 1960. The cake was called "Hungryman Cake" and was one of the recipes published in an article about cooking "big" for haying crews, etc. It was a rich but "not so sweet" yellow cake. I remember using lots of eggs!! I was 13 or 14 years old at the time and loved cooking from recipes. If anyone has this recipe or knows where I can find it, please let me know. The original recipe makes a huge amount of cake!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Perhaps this is the recipe you are looking for??

      Hungry Man's Lard Cake
      Source: Farm Journal's Timesaving Country Cookbook (1961)
      "A big cake to carry in pan to picnic or lunch in the field--made by Grandma's creaming method"
      1 1/4 cups lard
      2 1/2 cups sugar
      6 eggs
      5 1/2 cups sifted flour
      8 teaspoons baking powder
      2 teaspoons salt
      1 1/2 cups milk
      1 Tablespoon vanilla

      Cream lard 1 minute; add sugar; cream until light and fluffy.
      Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
      Sift together dry ingredients. Add to creamed mixture alternately with milk and vanilla; beat until well mixed.
      Pour into greased and floured pan (10" x 14").
      Bake in moderate oven (375*) about 35 minutes. When cool, spread with caramel or chocolate-fudge frosting made from a packaged mix.

      Delete
  4. Thanks Sue! Sounds like this could be the one, time frame (1961) is right on. Seems to me that 8 teas of baking powder might be a bit much. I'll give this a try and post my results. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I loaned my book out...should have it back next week...I can verify the amounts for you then if you wish.

      Delete
    2. I got my book back today...the 8 teaspoons of baking powder is correct. Remember, this is larger than a usual 13" x 9" cake pan.
      It's more of a food service type baking pan size.

      Delete
  5. In the 1959 version I remember my grandma making the sugarage cookies that took lemon zest... they were the best. I haven't been able to find that recipe anywhere! It was always a favorite holiday treat!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kendra - this may be your recipe? From my copy of the 1959 book.
      Hope so...Sue

      Sugar Cookies (Master Recipe)
      ½ Cup Butter
      1 Cup Sugar
      1 Large Egg
      ½ Teaspoon Vanilla
      2 Teaspoons Grated Lemon Rind
      ¼ Teaspoon Salt
      1 ½ Teaspoons Baking Powder
      2 Cups Sifted All Purpose Flour
      ¼ Cup Milk
      • Cream butter and sugar thoroughly. Add egg, vanilla and lemon rind. Beat until mixture is light and fluffy.
      • Sift dry ingredients. Stir into creamed mixture together with milk.
      • Divide dough in half. Chill 1 hour.
      • Roll out half, on floured board, keeping the other chilled until ready to roll. Roll 1/4" thick.
      • Cut into bars and place on greased baking sheet.
      • Brush with slightly beaten egg white (optional) and sprinkle with sugar.
      • Bake in moderate oven (350°) 12 to 15 minutes. Makes 24 large cookies.
      "Farm Journal's Country Cookbook 1959 page 328"

      Delete
  6. Looking for a recipe for cinnamon twist yeast rolls. I got the recipe from the monthly farm journal magazine. Would love to have that recipe again.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The big cookbook only has a recipe for cinnamon twist bread in a loaf pan; the Farm Journal Bread Cookbook gives a recipe for plain cinnamon rolls...that recipe is here.
      Farm Journal Rich Hot Rolls with Cinnamon Roll variation

      Delete
  7. Do you have a recipe for Coffee Cake Cing a/k/a Cinnamon Leaf Ring? It's supposed to be from a Farmers Journal Cookbook. Thanks,Keith

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Keith;
      This may be your recipe...
      Cinnamon Leaf Ring
      the Farm Journal’s Country Cookbook
      350 degree oven

      2 pkgs. active dry yeast
      2 cups milk, scalded and cooled to warm
      ¾ cup shortening
      ¼ cup butter
      ½ cup sugar
      2 t. salt
      2 eggs, beaten
      6 cups sifted flour
      1 cup melted butter
      2 Tablespoons cinnamon
      2 cups sugar

      Cream shortening and ¼ cup butter. Add ½ cup sugar and salt. Cream until light and fluffy. Add eggs, yeast, and enough flour to make a soft dough that leaves the side of the bowl. Knead on floured surface until smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled (about 1 ½ hours). Turn dough onto board. Roll about ¼” thick. Cut into rounds with a 2” biscuit cutter. Dip in melted butter and dip in cinnamon and sugar mixture. Place breads in a fan fashion in a buttered round pan. Cover and let rise about 30 minutes. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes. Makes 2 rings.

      I haven't made it; it does look good.

      Delete
  8. I’ve made this for friends and family every Christmas for more than 40 years! A splurge for sure, but everyone keeps asking for it!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I am looking for a recipe for Lime ice cream. It was in the Farm Journal magazine in the 70's or 80's. The recipe resembled lime sherbet but it had a quart of cream in it. We had a dairy at the time and really enjoyed this. No one wrote the recipe down so we lost it. Would love to make it again.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Both Sue and I checked our Farm Journal cookbooks and could not find the recipe you want. Hopefully one of our readers can. You might try looking at some of the ice cream recipes we have posted (look for ice cream in the search box) and see if one of the lemon would work. There is one for Lemon Lime that is excellent.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I used to make with my Aunt a square donut recipe from a Farm Journal either 1962 or 1963. It was a raised donut and you roll out to a triangle and cut with a knife, cut out the holes and then you don’t waste time or dough. Does anybody have that one? I moved and I cannot find this treasured recipe.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sorry to say we can't find a recipe with those directions in any of our Farm Journal cookbooks. It may have been in just their magazine. Don't see why you couldn't cut out any raised donut dough recipe that way. Got to have the donut holes though, for the kids, big or small. New Orleans beignets are just square donuts.

      Delete
  12. I'm spending some of my at home Covid time organizing cookbooks. I think the 1972 edition is one of the first cookbooks I ever owned. Prior to that it was mostly from 4-H recipes or family recipe cards. I have two copies for some reason (one given to me on my 18th birthday) that appear to be the same except for size. Unfortunately when I started using these books I didn't write in them!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love to find used cookbooks that the owner has written in...almost like a diary...and very helpful too. We're Farm Journal fans as you can see. We have many of their specialty cookbooks like bread, canning, thrifty cooking, pies, cookies, etc.

      Delete
  13. I am searching for an original copy of the Farm Journal which featured a recipe for Cinnamon Crisps. From the tattered and yellowed version that my mom had I only know that it appeared on page 106. The feature headline was Busy Woman's Cookbook by Ann Satter. From the backside pages I would assume it was in the springtime since there was reference to Easter. There was also an ad entitled "The Picture of Health copyright 1958 McKesson and Robbins. From the original, I would love to make some keepsake copies for my family. Any information you can provide would be greatly appreciated!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Does the 1959 Farm journal cookbook have a dill pickle recipe (hot water bath)? Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The 1959 book is so old that they don't hot water bath process their pickles. I would suggest a copy of the Farm Journal Freezing and Canning Cookbook that you might find used. That book has a "Fresh-pack Dills" using whole pickling spices and whole mustard seeds and dill heads, a couple "Sweet Dill" recipes and a "Dill Pickles" recipe that used dill seeds, much easier to get if you don't grow your own dill. All of them process the pickles in a boiling water bath.

      Delete
  15. oh my...every thanksgiving morning I make pecan rolls using the refrigerator rolls from the 972 edition of the cookbook. When the spine of the book was coming apart, I saved the page with the recipe on it but of course, I can't find it now. Our family loved those rolls as we watched the Thanksgiving Day parade. I there any chance your could share that...? it was in the "bread" section...many thanks...

    ReplyDelete
  16. I'm sorry to say I have passed on the 1972 edition and only have my 1959 copy which doesn't have your recipe. You could try my recipe: https://iowasue.blogspot.com/2010/04/dinner-rolls.html

    ReplyDelete

Hi...we'd love to hear from you.
Comments are moderated before appearing...Thanks.