The Peacock-Harper Culinary History Friends are hosting an upcoming luncheon on April 5, 2019, in Roanoke. Please note that registration for the event is due by March 27, 2019. A downloadable flyer (same as the image below) and registration form are at the bottom of the post.
Hello tomato fans and food history lovers! Just a quick note about an upcoming event in the library on Thursday, October 4, 2018. It’s a talk on the vast and global history of tomato, along with a tasting of some various tomato-based foods. In addition, Special Collections will feature a small exhibit of tomato-related materials from our collections, which should be in place by Tuesday, October 2nd. So, if you’re going to attend the event on the 4th, be sure to swing by Special Collections before or after and check it out (plus, I’ll post some pictures here next week)!
What: Tomato Pathways: From the Andes to the Apennines to Appalachia: Following the Agriculture Value Chain
When: Thursday, October 4, 2018 from 5-6pm
Where: Multipurpose Room, 1st floor Newman
So, this summer has clearly gotten away from me. Due to impending space limitations, I was working on moving the blog to a new site, hosted by the library. That came with some delays and the new blog isn’t ready to go yet. Then, as I mentioned in June, we moved to some new systems in May. As usual, things got done, but not the things I intended. Then suddenly, it was the first week of class. As a matter of fact, I just taught my first session of the semester to a food history class! Which then reminded me I need to get back to blogging (it’s also my week to post on Special Collections’ other blog!). There’s still space for more pictures here, though, and I’ll be doing my best to get back into routine while I sort out other details for the new blog site in the background. So, a couple more updates and then a new item to share!
First: We have a new website! Our address is still https://spec.lib.vt.edu/, but you may notice an updated look. We are still working on many parts of the site and expect to be migrating some content for a while yet–either to the site or other tools we have in Special Collections. We appreciate your patience while we do so–it may mean some things are a little harder to find, but it will be worth it in the end! In the interim, if you’re looking for something, contact us and ask! We’re here to help.
Second: Colleagues are trying to plant dangerous ideas in my mind and I may be exploring a new medium to talk about one or two aspects of food history in the near future. Stay tuned for more on that.
Third: There’s going to a Peacock Harper Culinary History Friends Committee event here at Newman Library in October. More information will be forthcoming, but for now, consider marking your calendars for Friday, October 4th, at 5pm, especially if you like tomatoes!
Okay, on to new stuff!
Ta-da! Earlier this summer, we purchased this poster (close ups coming). It’s a World War I baker recruitment poster, c.1917:
Wanted! 500 Bakers for the U. S. Army (also 100 cooks) If you can bake bread Uncle Same wants you–if you can’t bake bread, Uncle Sam will teach you how in a Government School. A bakery company consists of 61 men so that you and your “pals” can join the same unit and bake and break bread together. Enlist for the war-bakers pay $33 to $45 per month Ages 18 to 45 Cooks pay $36 per month with clothing, food, quarters and medical attention.
We haven’t done a lot of research into this item just yet, but I love the visuals of it and wanted to share. We had a World War I and food exhibit up in the spring and this seems a good continuation of that theme. (And I was just talking about food and wartime in the class session earlier!)
If you happen to live or be in the Richmond area anytime soon, there’s a GREAT exhibit at the Library of Virginia you should check out! Teetotalers & Moonshiners: Prohibition in Virginia, Distilled is all about the history of prohibition in our state (which, believe me, is fascinating!). You can read a bit more about it online. It’s on display through December 5, 2017.
This year for Women’s History Month, Special Collections has some special things going on! We will have a display on the second floor of Newman Library near the main entrance. “Remarkable Women Throughout History: Snapshots from Special Collections” is a month-long display (March 1-31) with posters, items in exhibit cases, and a book display from the circulating collection. In addition, we will also have more materials from our collections on display in the exhibit cases in our reading room on the first floor near the cafe. We invite you to visit our exhibits during the month of March and learn about our collections and some of the remarkable women represented in them. (We’re grateful to our amazing colleagues throughout the library who helped us make this happen, as well as the students who delved into our stacks and boxes to find the stories of these women to share.)
For the fifth year running, our “What’s Cookin’ @Special Collections?!” blog will continue its “Women’s History Month” series, highlighting the contributions of women to the culinary and agricultural fields! You can view the posts to date here: https://whatscookinvt.wordpress.com/category/feature-items/womens-history-month/. New posts should also show up under this category as they are published. We don’t have all the posts planned out just yet, but we know will be featuring the work of Frances Harriet Whipple Green McDougall (cookbook author, artist, and activist), Mrs. D. A. Lincoln (author and educator), and Ellen Swallow Richards (one of the first women to teach at MIT).
And, although we didn’t build a new digital display this year, we do still have our exhibit from 2016 available in case you missed it! You can view it online here: http://digitalsc.lib.vt.edu/exhibits/show/womens-history-2016.
Keep in mind there will be events all over campus in March 2017. The Women’s Center at Virginia Tech has a calendar here: http://womenscenter.vt.edu/Program/womens-month.html. We encourage you to check it out and join in where you can!
Join us on Friday, March 11 at 3 pm for “Cookery, Cocktails, Chores, and Cures: Food History in Special Collections”
Archivist Kira Dietz will talk about the history and evolution of the History of Food and Drink Collection and will share American culinary history, classic and unique recipes, and creative uses of collection materials. This will be a chance to engage “hands-on” with items from the collection, including cookbooks, manuscripts, artifacts, and take a behind-the-scenes tour! Refreshments will be served.
PLEASE REGISTER BY MONDAY, MARCH 7 AT http://goo.gl/forms/vsMvnEdNXS
Location: Newman Library Multipurpose Room (Cafe entrance) on the first floor.
Parking: Stop at the Visitor’s Center on 925 Price’s Fork Road (near the Inn at Virginia Tech) to get a visitor parking pass. Park in the Perry Street garage (near Bishop Favrao Hall). You may also park in any F/S/GS spot, but the pass does not allow you to park in metered or carpool spaces. For more information, contact Elizabeth Fine at bfine@vt.edu.
Just a quick “save the date” (more information, including a flyer, will be forthcoming soon!). The Peacock Harper Culinary History Friends are hosting a talk on Friday, March 11, 2016 at 3pm. It’s by your archivist/blogger Kira. (Shameless self-promotion, I know!) If you’re the Blacksburg area, consider joining us for:
“Cookery, Cocktails, Chores, and Cures: Food History in Special Collections”
Kira Dietz, Archivist
HAVE YOU HEARD OF THE HISTORY OF FOOD & DRINK COLLECTION?
Are you interested in cookbooks, culinary history, or historic recipes? Did you ever wonder why and how People learn about food history in America? Virginia Tech Special Collections might have the answers!
Join us to learn about the history and evolution of the History of Food and Drink Collection as Kira Dietz shares American culinary history, classic and unique recipes, favorite items, and creative uses of collection materials. Enjoy items that include cookbooks, manuscript receipt books, cocktail ephemera, artifacts, and a behind-the-scenes tour!
Hello all! While I work on a post for next week (this week really got away from me, but it involved fun things like teaching a one-time instruction session/show-and-tell ALL about the culinary collection!), I did want to promote an upcoming event.
If you’re in the SW Virginia area, you’ll want to know about this! On December 5, 2014, the Peacock Harper Culinary Friends will be hosting a lunch and program: “British Holiday Brunch.” This event will be at the Kyle House in Fincastle, and includes a tour, brunch, and talk. This should be a wonderful event!
Please note: You do need to register in advance, by December 1, 2014! (The registration form is below the flyer.)
Below are pdf versions of the flyer and registration form for downloading and printing:
Hello all! If you’re in the Roanoke area, you’ll probably want to know about an upcoming event! On November 14, 2014, the Peacock Harper Culinary Friends will be hosting a lunch and program: “The Culinary Influence of a Revolutionary Virginina: Mary Randolph and her book, The Virginia Housewife.” It will be held at the Roanoke Country Club from 11:30-1:30. Please note that you need to register for this event in advance (registration form is below the flyer). We’ve talked a lot about Mrs. Randolph’s book on the blog because it’s such a great piece of culinary history for Virginia. This should be a wonderful event!
Please note: You do need to register in advance, by November 9, 2014!
Below are pdf versions of the flyer and registration form for downloading and printing:
If you’re in or around Blacksburg, there are two upcoming events you may want to know about! On March 24, 2014, the University Libraries is co-hosting the Third Annual Edible Book Contest with the Blacksburg branch of the Montgomery-Floyd Public Libraries. There’s still plenty of time to register for the event (and we won’t turn you away at the door, either). You can visit the website to find out more and sign up: http://tinyurl.com/AEBC2014. Even if you don’t want to enter, please come to the Blacksburg Public Library from 6-7pm on March 24th. It’s your votes that will help us determine the winners in each category!
And, on March 25th from 5-7pm, the University Libraries will be hosting the Second Annual Appalanche. Appalanche is a celebration of Appalachian culture. This year, the event will include music and food, as well as displays and information about wildflowers, quilting, apples, the Wilderness Road Museum, and more! Your usual archivist/blogger Kira will share images and publications from Special Collections on apples. Be sure to stop by and visit us on the first floor of Newman Library that evening!
What's Cookin' @ Special Collections?! 