McCray Marilyn - Canning, pickling, and freezing with Irma Harding : recipes to preserve food, family, and the American way

Canning, Pickling, and Freezing with Irma Harding

RECIPES TO PRESERVE FOOD, FAMILY, AND THE AMERICAN WAY

Marilyn McCray

FOREWORD BY

MICHAEL PERRY

Octane Press, Edition 1.0, June 2014

Copyright 2014 by Marilyn McCray

Irma Harding is a registered trademark of CNH Industrial America LLC. All rights reserved. With the exception of quoting brief passages for the purposes of review, no part of this publication may be reproduced without prior written permission from the publisher.

ISBN 1937747174

ISBN-13: 978-1-937747-17-6

Copyedited by John Koharski

Proofread by Leah Noel

Index by Courtney Bell

Cover and Interior Design by Tim Palin

Line Drawings and Cover Illustration by Equity Creative

Layout by Tom Heffron

octanepress.com

Printed in Canada

Contents

I Had the Hots for Irma Harding

By Michael Perry

Once upon a time I fell in love with a woman who didnt exist.

We met on eBay. I was a perpetual bachelor writing a book about my enduring romance with a rusted and brakeless 1951 International Harvester pickup truck and had logged into the auction site for purposes of research (defined in this case as endless hours spent engaging other perpetual bachelors in bidding wars over vintage floor mats).

Over the course of all this lonely auctioneering, I noticed that whenever I entered the search terms International Harvester, the name Irma Harding kept popping up in the results, often in the context of cookbooks. I was more interested in carburetor parts and old hubcaps than retro recipes, so at first I ignored these entries. But then, late one night, alone in my room, I clicked.

And there, beaming from the cover of Irma Harding Presents Freezer Fancies, I saw that face.

She is a strong woman. You feel that in the frankness of her gaze. As I wrote at the time, this woman would brook no sass. And yet, even as her posture and hairstyle convey tidiness and discipline, the glint in her eye hints that once the freezing and the canning are complete, there is fun to be had.

More clicking followed, and shortly I developed a ridiculous virtual crush.

I say virtual, because I soon discovered that Irma was not real. There were clues, of course. I suspected it was no coincidence that her initials matched the initials on the logo of the companyInternational Harvesterwhose home appliances she promoted. And then there was the matter of the tiny copyright mark tucked just below her collar. Strong woman she might be, she was still the creation of advertising mena Betty Crocker for the truck and tractor set. I did find some redemption in discovering she was painted by Haddon Sundblom, the same man who gave us the original Coca-Cola Santa Claus. In that sense, I suppose you could say Irma was Santas sister. Orand I cant believe this didnt occur to me until just nowMrs. Claus!

Despite the hopes of advertising men that Irma might become as well-known as Santas wife (Millions Will Follow Her Counsel and Leadership... Millions Will Call Her Their Friend, read the International Harvester Dealer News on the day Irma was introduced to the world), it didnt work out that way. When International Harvester discontinued its home appliance business, Irma went into seclusion, relegated to the pressed pages of old magazines, forgotten boxes of freezer supplies, andeventuallythe eBay accounts of lonely bachelors.

Im married now. Happily. To a real woman. I wrote about our courtship in that truck book I was working on. My wife knows about Irma. There was no keeping the secret, because its right there in the first line of this piece. These days Irma and I areas the dread phrase has itjust friends. I still visit her on eBay now and then, but I dont bid.

Recently I learned that Irma has returned to work for her old company (appearing on cans of slow-roasted peanuts, for starters). A resurrected icon of hardy Americana, she is intended to appeal across genders and generations. Will she overtake Mrs. Claus? Nah. But sometime soon, some bachelor will reach for a can of peanuts, see that face, and never be the same again.

Michael Perry is a New York Times bestselling author, humorist, and radio show host from Wisconsin. Perrys best-selling memoirs include Population: 485, Truck: A Love Story, Coop and Visiting Tom. In Truck: A Love Story, Perrys first chapter details his affection for Irma Harding and how he became her biggest fan. He is a contributing editor to Mens Health magazine and his essays have appeared in The New York Times, Esquire, Backpaper, Outside, and Runners World.

One of the many International Harvester models gazing long and meaningfully into the heart of an International Harvester 8H3 Deluxe. Wisconsin Historical Society / 27020F4

Introduction

This guide will provide you with simple and easy ways to have tasty, healthy food all year round in much the same way Irma Harding, through the home economists at International Harvester, worked to simplify methods of preserving fresh foods for homemakers of the 1940s and 50s. You will find basic methods and procedures of preserving from the past, as well as new methods that take less time, effort, and equipment. There are also recipes from Irma Hardingtried and true traditional favorites as well as new recipes to add to your repertoire.

There is a rich tradition of canning and preserving in America. Farm women with abundant seasonal, homegrown food understood the need to preserve. During World War I, liberty gardens and home canning were promoted as patriotic duties. With the Great Depression, preserving food became an economic necessity for self-sufficiency, and the land grant colleges promoted improved canning methods and nutrition in their new publications and home demonstration classes. During World War II, more than 40 percent of U.S. homes had victory gardens and much of the produce was canned and preserved.

With postwar rural electrification, farmers began installing freezers, which provided new ways of preserving food. As the urban way of life, complete with its convenient foods and the desire to discard labor-intensive recipes, replaced the rural, preserving and storing food slowly lost importance.

Once the domain of our grandmothers, canning and preserving have made a comeback. Inspiration has come from modern-day proponents of the domestic arts such as Martha Stewart and Food Network stars from Emeril Lagasse to Alton Brown. Manufacturers of canning goods report record sales of their products, mixes, and ingredients. Many local award-winning businesses are springing up around the country to offer canned and preserved delicacies.