Created by farm equipment manufacturer International Harvester (IH) to peddle home appliances to rural women, Irma Harding was an iconic figure of the 1950s - much like Betty Crocker - who taught women how to can, pickle, and store foodstuffs in newly available freezers and refrigerators.
From their base in Evasnville, Illinois, a sales force of young educated women armed with pamphlets and recipes traveled throughout the Midwest as Irma Harding (IH) deputies, educating rural housewives on the advantages of freezing and refrigerating.
This book republishes some of those Irma Harding recipes, along wth several IH advertisements and period photographs, but the bulk of the volume's how-to information has been updated and complemented by fresh and time-saving approaches to retro cooking techniques.
"Once the domain of our grandmothers, canning and preserving have made a comeback," notes author Marilyn McCray. "There is a new nostalgia for blue-ribbon county fair recipes and a longing for homemade comestibles. Farmers markets, the locavore movement. and rising interest in sustainable living are all compelling reasons for this revival.
"The new frugality, economic necessity, and back-to-the-basics movement also drive interest in traditional cooking and preserving. Today, most home-canned foods are used in the kitchens where they were produced. Friends gather for canning parties. It's cool to can."
This book provides the recipes, step-by-step instructions and advice for not only canning and pickling, but also smoking, fermenting and curing all kinds of meats, fruits and vegetables.