Stillmeadow Cook Book

by Gladys Taber, Ann Grifalconi (Illustrator)

STILLMEADOW COOKBOOK [Hardcover] [Jan 01, 1965] Taber, Gladys

Genres: Cookbooks, Nonfiction

335 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1965

About the author

A prolific author whose output includes plays, essays, memoirs and fiction, Gladys Taber (1899 – 1980) is perhaps best recalled for a series of books and columns about her life at Stillmeadow, a 17th-century farmhouse in Southbury, Connecticut.

Born Gladys Bagg on April 12, 1899 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, she was the middle child and only one to survive to adulthood. Her parents were Rufus Mather Bagg, who could trace his ancestry back to Cotton Mather, and the former Grace Sibyl Raybold. An older sister, Majel, had died at the age of six months while a younger brother Walter died at 15 months. During her childhood, she moved frequently as her father accepted various teaching posts until they finally settled in Appleton, Wisconsin. Gladys graduated from Appleton High School and enrolled at Wellesley College, receiving her bachelor’s degree in 1920. She returned to her hometown and earned a master’s in 1921 from Lawrence College, where her father was on faculty. The following year, she married Frank Albion Taber, Jr., giving birth to their daughter on July 7, 1923.

Mrs. Taber taught English at Lawrence College, Randolph Macon Women’s College in Lynchburg, Virginia, and at Columbia University, where she did postgraduate studies. She began her literary career with a play, Lady of the Moon (Penn), in 1928, and followed with a book of verse, Lyonesse (Bozart) in 1929. Taber won attention for her first humorous novel, Late Climbs the Sun (Coward, 1934). She went on to write several other novels and short story collections, including Tomorrow May Be Fair ( Coward, 1935), A Star to Steer By (Macrae, 1938) and This Is for Always (Macrae, 1938). In the late 1930s, Taber joined the staff of the Ladies’ Home Journal and began to contribute the column “Diary of Domesticity.”

By this time, she had separated from her husband and was living at Stillmeadow, a farmhouse built in 1690 in Southbury, Connecticut, sharing the house with Eleanor Sanford Mayer, a childhood friend who was often mistakenly identified as her sister. Beginning with Harvest at Stillmeadow (Little, Brown, 1940), Taber wrote a series of books about her simple life in New England that possessed homespun wisdom dolled out with earthy humor and an appreciation for the small things. She published more than 20 books related to Stillmeadow, including several cookbooks.

In 1959, she moved from Ladies’ Home Journal to Family Circle, contributing the “Butternut Wisdom” column until her retirement in 1967. In 1960, her companion, Eleanor, died and Taber decided to abandon life at Stillmeadow. Having spent some summers on Cape Cod in Massachusetts, she decided to relocate to the town of Orleans where she would live out the remainder of her days. While a resident of Orleans, Taber contributed “Still Cove Sketches” to the Cape Cod Oracle . Her final book, published posthumously, was Still Cove Journal (Lippincott, 1981).

Gladys Taber had divorced her husband in 1946 and he later passed away in October 1964. She died on March 11, 1980 in Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis, Massachusetts at the age of 80.

Reviews

[Gina House · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5🌟 Loved this vintage Gladys Taber cookbook! I've had such fun reading this book from cover to cover during the month of November (and part of December) for Non-Fiction November.

I had much success making her Cranberry Bread (my absolute favorite which I've made at least 4 times already) and I can't wait to try her Orange Cake recipe. I didn't fancy her Spice Tomato Cake (it would be fine if you left out the tomato soup), but her dessert section is one that I will go back to often.

Here are some of the reasons why I enjoyed this cookbook so much:

● Charming beginning of chapter illustrations.
● Gladys' cozy and descriptive writing at the start of each section, with tips and anecdotes throughout the book.
● The last two chapters of 'Shelf Magic' and 'Herbs, Seasonings, Spices' are short, but very helpful and fun to read.
● All of Gladys' practical wisdom and conversational style along with old-fashioned and intriguing recipes.

I was so lucky to receive this as a gift from a wonderful friend, Christine (@felines_and_flowers on IG) and I'll treasure it always (including the beautiful vintage card she sent along with it, which I keep in the book itself.)

Highly recommended if you love Gladys Taber and, especially, if you love GT and vintage cookbooks!

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this cookbook, since I am an avid Gladys Taber fan. There are so many interesting dishes and I pictured her cooking in the kitchen at Stillmeadow. I am glad I had the opportunity to read it, but I'm not tempted to try the recipes, since I do very little cooking. It would be fun for someone who liked to cook to try out some of these dishes. I'm sure they are delicious. There are some great bread recipes and several vegetable recipes that I'm sure I'd find very tasty.

[L.A. Deming · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have never read a book or cookbook or compilation of articles written by Gladys Taber, deprive yourself no longer. In every work she adds the joy of her life and the love within her heart - and often some very fine recipes. Modern readers need her sage thoughts and peaceful anecdotes. God bless Gladys.

[Barbara]

"Stillmeadow Recipies copied in Canning book"

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5. Standard 70s fare.