What’s in the Box?
I’ve had an old recipe box for a few years now. I love the box. It is quite beautiful. However, with the internet being so handy for recipes, I’ve never looked inside of it before. Today I decided to dive in and see if it holds any of my grandmother’s recipes. I’d love to take them and have them framed nicely along with my favorite photograph of her. I’m not certain if any are in there, but a girl can hope…
Nothing! There wasn’t a single recipe from her in the entire box. It appears the original owner of the box either removed her recipes or never saved any of them. Why either of those options would be possible are beyond me. Meanwhile I started looking a little more closely at what was inside.
It appears this box, and the majority of its contents, are from the mid 1970s. One of the items that caught my attention the most was a Betty Crocker box top coupon from 1975. I may be saving this one. (Like stamps, who would have thought they would later become valuable?)
It appears the box itself is where the value may lie. This box is a floral hinged recipe box from J. Chein & Co., made in the USA between 1960 and 1970. The value is between nineteen and sixty dollars on Ebay. To be honest though, I don’t trust Ebay’s pricing and may end up taking this to a dealer in St. Augustine to learn more.
Another interesting find was the cards inside. They say “Kissin’ wears out, cookin’ don’t”. (I’m wishing there were more blank ones of these we could save because they are adorable) Speaking of “Kissin’ wears out…” This was the owners “first husband’ recipe box. Some of the contents are affectionately labeled “[husband’s] favorite” and have names filled in the “Recipe from the kitchen of _____” that I have never heard of. I did discover who I had to thank for the horrible Chicken & Rice I gagged my way through eating during my childhood… Thank you Jeanne S. for your kind contribution to my childhood nourishment. (I am forever thankful that my grandmother taught me the correct way to making chicken & rice.)
What a lovely family. Whereas I was not a homeschooling parent I was the only at home parent for about a mile in every direction. Your children will undoubtedly be ready for life with God, relationships, and a giving spirit because of the close relationship. My daughter is 28 now. A couple of years ago I started writing all of my husband’ grand mother’s recipes, along with the notations like VVVgood, for very, very, very, good, as well as notations like Michael hates this.My daughter gets another few pages as I work on this task. My grandmother’s are lost forever. There was a bread pudding that my mother talks about that no one seems to have. Take the time to rally the troops and find those recipes. Call aunts, uncles, parents, cousins and friends of your grandmother that might still be around or their children, to find the recipes. When you get a collection of them, start on a book for each of your children. have it broken into sections like Great Grandma’s, Grandma’s, Mom’s recipes and dothe same with your husbands side of the family. Family heritage is so important. Knowing who you come from, becomes part of who you are. God Bless you and your family