Woman in a white sweater hugging a pumpkin

October links we're loving!

Hello, cookbook fans!  It's October!  Yay! We've had some crispy, chilly mornings lately that are perfect for drinking morning coffee on the back porch while getting some extra cuddles from warmth-seeking terriers.  It's my favorite time of year and not just because the fall cookbooks are starting to ship.  

I can't be the only one who is grateful that the Southern summer humidity is finally gone and that we can turn our ovens on for some slow roasting of a different variety.

But, before we dig out those slow cookers, let's look at some links!

  • Rest in peace, Loretta Lynn.  She is hands down one of my favorite country music stars, namely due to her honest and forthright narratives of the complicated experiences of women during her lifetime.  Last summer I was able to visit her home in Hurricane Mills, TN and it was such a great experience - if only because the museum placards were delightfully written in her own hand.  Her souvenir cookbook, You're Cooking It Country, was on prominent display in the gift shop and featured many classic Appalachian recipes from her childhood.  We haven't been able to find copies for the store for quite a while, so my advice is to wait a while before trying to buy a vintage copy...prices are are pretty high right now.
  • Durham restauranteur Matt Kelly has me on quite an emotional roller coaster this week, with both the closing of St. James on Oct 8th and the announcement that he is reopening Nana's in the March 2023.  Of particular interest is his shared frustration with many long term Durhamites - the unceasing ability of multi-billion dollar real estate corporations to “...come and take one of the most historical places in Durham.”  Thankfully, Nana's is now in trusted hands.
  • On that note, if you're local to the area and aren't aware of Preservation Durham, you should be.  Bull City is culturally and historically deep and these folks are working every day to preserve our cherished places.
  • If you love to explore culture through food, then we should be friends.  One of my favorite genres to explore is Jewish cooking and this article by Vice provides a pretty quick cookbook primer for this ancient and delicious cuisine.
  • Not a cookbook, but Bon Appetit's Shockingly Easy No-Knead Focaccia is what we need for fall soups.  I am a certified bread-snob (most of the time) and when I don't have time to get to Ninth St. Bakery or La Farm, this is the bread I make.  I let mine rise on the counter for 16 hours so it can get a little extra funky, add a little too much olive oil to the baking pan, and use a heavy sprinkle of Maldon salt.  Perfection with only 15 minutes of work.
  • Don't drop that vintage cookbook collection off at the thrift store just yet!  Universities and research libraries are cataloging extensive collections as regional cultural artifacts - including community cookbooks.  This fascinating article from Texas Monthly is just the latest example. 
  • L.A. Taco posted a really fun interview with Masa cookbook author Jorge Galviera about puffy tacos and why we've all had to wait so long for the good book on nixtamalization.  Our shop copies of Masa are sitting in my "to be uploaded in the store" catalog, but I am unfortunately in another continent right now doing some research on another business line.  I'll get my act together soon on the data entry front, pinkie swear.

We will have a ton of new stock uploaded to the store and ready to wrap and ship for the holidays, so check back often. Heck, bookmark the site and sign up for our newsletter to get updates sent straight to your inbox.

And that's it!  Happy reading!