American Cookery

Could one boy, an apple tree, and a few grafts help pay off the nation’s public debt? Amelia Simmons thinks so—and sees a neglected corner of the yard as the start of an orchard.

Published in 1796, this cookbook takes up the work of an American household: choosing what to grow, recognizing good ingredients, and turning them into supper. Simmons moves from beans, peas, herbs, and fruit to brisk instructions for roasting meat and stuffing a turkey, with bread, pork, eggs, herbs, and cranberry sauce among the possibilities. Her voice is practical but never dull: she weighs one bean against another, urges families to plant fruit trees, and even considers how those trees might enrich the country. What else does she believe a well-kept garden can do?

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