The Basics
My relationship with my Grandma (above) was one that hugely impacted my life – we were not only family; we were friends. It was by her side that I learned how to garden, how to bake, and how to sew – not to mention a veritable storehouse of other wisdom such as to check my receipt before leaving the grocery store and in a relationship to never go to bed angry. My grandma lived through so much change in the word – the advent of television, the common household use of refrigerators, war… and the industrialization of our food. With this industrialization, many old-time skills such as food preservation, cooking and baking from scratch, and growing our own food fell to the wayside for the following generations. For many, our grandparents are our only connection to the skills of the past.
Katherine, my grandmother, was the most accepting, kind and humorous spirit. I am grateful for the wisdom she passed on to me and am betting several of you have also gleaned much wisdom from your own grandmothers. I’d like to invite you to share something that you learned from your grandmother (or grandfather or other significant person from generations before you) – in the kitchen, the garden, the home…
Possible Topics
• Preserving
• Baking
• Cooking
• Natural cleaning
• Gardening
• Composting
• Living simply
• Frugal living
• Real Simple magazine type tips for around the home
• If you’re not sure of your topic, just send me a note and I’ll get back to you asap
The Details
1. Posts should have a short title, as titles will be preceded by “Heirloom Offerings” and I’d like titles to show up on one line.
2. Please keep posts within the range of 100-250 words.
3. Any photos that are included should be at least 640×480 pixels.
4. Please keep food based posts related to whole foods eating – avoiding use of refined sugars, flours, and oils. **If you’d like to post a recipe of your grandmother’s and then your whole food modification, that would be a lovely way to honour her recipe and a whole foods philosophy.
5. Include your name, and a photo of yourself (or of you and your grandma or grandpa!).
6. Feel free to share a bit about your special person in the beginning of the post.
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Sample 1:
Heirloom Offerings :: Homemade Easter Bread
It was by my grandma’s side that I learned how to garden, how to bake, and how to sew – not to mention a handful of other wisdom such as to check my receipt before leaving the grocery store and in a relationship to never go to bed angry. One of my favourite ‘grandma-taught’ skills is how to make Paska (easter bread). See the recipe below, with one or two modifications of less refined ingredients.
RECIPE HERE…
Sample 2:
Heirloom Offerings :: Get More From Your Fat
My grandma was one of the most generous people I knew, and was also quite frugal. When she used crisco lard for baking, she would use the wrapper that she tore off to open the block to grease her cookie sheet, muffin tin or cake pan. If the piece was large, she’d tuck it back into the box in the fridge for next time. Though we use butter or coconut oil in place of crisco, we have learned from her and can save our butter wrapper in the fridge for the same purpose. I also melt coconut oil for use in recipes now and then, and have started to use the tiny bit left in the pot to grease the muffin tin – there is always just the right amount!
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As you can see my sample posts are simple and my writing isn’t awesome. The point is to honour those before us, share this wisdom, and have some fun doing it!
Thanks for contributing,
Kris