Secrets of the Great Old Timey Cooks – 2001

This handcrafted journal began as a 2001 paperback printing of Secrets of the Great Old Timey Cooks by Barbara Swell, a nostalgic collection of historic recipes, food traditions, and kitchen wisdom passed down through generations. The original paperback has been carefully mounted onto a sturdy hard cover, transforming it into a one of a kind keepsake journal that preserves the full vintage book inside.

Within these pages you will find charming old world guidance alongside authentic recipes like Mae’s Dandelion Wine, Effie’s Apple Butter, and Blackberry Cordial, woven together with lore and handwritten style excerpts that capture the voice of home cooks from another time. The book blends storytelling with practical knowledge, celebrating the everyday magic of preserving, pickling, cooking, and gathering.

Interleaved throughout the original printed pages are clean blank sheets, thoughtfully added to create space for journaling, recipe notes, family memories, or your own culinary experiments. The result is a working heirloom journal that honors both the history of this beloved cookbook and whatever new stories you choose to write beside it.

This piece offers a beautiful balance of nostalgia and function, perfect for cooks, collectors, writers, food lovers, and anyone who treasures the stories carried in well loved kitchen books.

Only one copy.

SIZE:  8.5” x 5.5”
2001 Printing 

ABOUT OUR JOURNALS
We search for books that have been discarded and give them new life by turning them into one-of-a-kind journals and noebooks

• 72+ journal pages
• 24# acid-free paper
• Entire story included in all kids books, selections for longer novels/texts
• Sturdy antique brass metal coil, allows the journal to lay flat
• Handcrafted with love