Spring Trout & Strawberry Pancakes: Borrowed Tales, Quirky Cures, Camp Recipes and the Adirondack Characters Who Cooked Them Up by William J. “Jay” O’Hern is not your ordinary cookbook.  His addition to the mix of choices on the market serves up stories and recipes with a distinct woodland flavor.

Thanks to his enjoyment of history, he has created a blend for the reader of history, the home cook and anyone who enjoys first-rate period photographs that transport the viewer to an earlier time in American history.     

Or out

Fall back in time with “Roselle Putney Was a Lumber Camp Cook” to Cold River-Style Corn Chowder and Hermit Corn Bread” to “After Federal Tax Navy Bean Soup,” all great tasting foods that also foster an interest in history.

There are hand-picked recipes, background stories of old camps in and out of the Adirondack Mountains, old-time ways, colorful characters, historic photos, tales, time-tested household cleaning tips and old-fashioned remedies for common ills.  This is the must-have resource for its collected history as well as recipes for cooking.

Each chapter highlights appealing recipes and a charming look back from before the 1900s to the present, featuring tried-and-true recipes for breads, pastries, soups, casseroles, stews, goulash, practical main meals, desserts, beverages, picnic menus, camping trips, and holiday gatherings.  There is even a “Pioneer Bread Made of Wood” recipe that is not recommended, found in the Farmers’ and Emigrants’ Handbook, 1845. Some examples of tempting fare are Anna Brown’s Seven Layer Meat and Vegetable Dish, which originated in an Adirondack homestead, Ma Getman’s Blueberry bread, Marie’s Campground Zucchini and Sausage Stew, Panther Spring Chicken, Sausage and Potatoes, Bette’s Country Skillet Garden Medley, and Lake Placid Blueberry Buckle.

Enjoy an Old Fashioned on your way to camp!

Author William J. O’Hern has put together a nostalgic combination of information and entertainment that is something like a combination of the Old Farmers’ Almanac and Readers Digest, and a lot like the Adirondack histories which have distinguished the author in the past.  This is not a book you read and put away, but a handy reference for daily living to be brought out and consulted often. A perfect addition to any modern home kitchen, library bookshelf, camp, or backpack.

Food is a wonderful way to teach history and to introduce people to history.  Each chapter makes the reader hungry for another…and perhaps a piece of Strawberry Rhubarb pie to go with it.

This book is available at TREES in Bolton Landing.  A complete selection of the author’s earlier titles are available at www.ADKwilds.com, by phone at North Country Books at 1-800-342-7409 and at www.Amazon.com.