Colorado Ranch Cookery
A Roundup of Stories and Recipes from Centennial Farms
Colorado Ranch Cookery will share recipes and lore preserving the heritage of the state’s centennial farms and ranches. It will be a nostalgic romp through rich memories, whimsical stories, and some of the oldest cookbooks and recipe boxes in the state. It will be the first collection of histories and recipes from the pioneer families who have ranched and farmed 160 acres or more, keeping them in the same family for at least 100 years. By 2008 the Colorado Historical Society had recognized 354 of these properties, more than half recipients of Historic Structures Awards, and nine listed on national and state registers of historic places.
Each page of the book will outline the legacy of a family farm or ranch, including quips and pictures, and describing dishes traditionally served up at potlucks, roundups, wakes, and kitchen tables. Some date from August 1, 1876, when Colorado became the nation’s 38th state. The book’s colorful accounts of life on the range permit us to savor practical advice and whimsical tales from mountain and plain. Colorado’s people, towns and neighborhoods have survived changing technologies, economies, and regulations with laughter and tears. Their stories underline the ability of homesteaders to battle weather poverty, outlaws, ornery stock, and people who violate fence lines. They permit us to experience the enduring essence of the home place, where rural life still revolves around the hearth.
A brief history of ranching and farming in Colorado will put these stories in perspective. Anticipated publication date is 2010.