"I grew up in Cupertino, California in
the heart of Silicon Valley. In those years, Santa
Clara County was the world capital for apricot growing. There were
orchards everywhere, including behind our home. About 5 miles away, up a winding road in the
Cupertino foothills, my grandparents had built a home in the late 1940's
on several acres of rural property. My grandmother, Gladys Brush, went
to work planting fruit trees and raising goats and chickens. One of my
grandmother's favorite trees was a healthy pomegranate tree, but finding
good recipes for pomegranates wasn't easy. My grandmother was a health
nut, and as a kid I didn't like much of what she fixed for us. One year,
however, in the 1960's, she found this recipe in a Sunset Magazine. It
was a big hit in our family! Every Thanksgiving and Christmas it was a
favorite appetizer. My parents and I both planted pomegranate trees in
California that we shared with the family just for this recipe. Now
that most of my family has been priced out of Silicon Valley and live in
climates that can't grow them, my brother in Vegas is the keeper of the
family tree! This recipe has been passed down, shared and enjoyed for
60 years now!"You may just instinctively know some of your family's recipes if you make them often. When they are just in your head it is harder to pass them down to the next generation. Write down the ingredients and instructions in a way that anyone could prepare the food without knowing beforehand how to make it. Record the circumstances in which the recipes were used and who used them, along with a few details or stories about the creators' lives. Make sure your children and grandchildren have copies of the recipes. Family cookbooks or recipe card collections make great gifts!
Visit Zap The Grandma Gap for more info on how to make family history fun and to purchase the Zap the Grandma Gap books with additional recipes and activities for families.
Please comment with your one of your favorite family recipes!
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