Thrifty Acres - Vintage Betty Crocker

Hello! Sometime in 2010 I found this at the local Goodwill store:

I think I paid a dollar for it. This book had been published in 1962, although from what I read on eBay, a facsimile edition was released much more recently. There are many copies of the 1962 edition currently on eBay,  so this is not a particularly rare or valuable book. 

Nevertheless, it was great fun to use throughout the year! The format is the same for each month: a short passage relating the history of the month's name, followed by some tips the folks behind Betty Crocker deemed applicable for the month. Two varieties of produce are featured each month, and recipes highlighting each month's picks are interspersed throughout the month. Cute illustrations brighten up the pages too. 

Lastly, there's blank daily sections for writing short entries. I used these to make note of new recipes I'd tried, what went into the crockpot that day, what I ordered at the restaurant we discovered while on vacation, and so on. 

This past fall, I found another copy of this book (again, the 1962 edition) at a used book sale, so once again I am enjoying it. I read anew that I ought to focus on oranges and broccoli this month, that I can make a orange pomander, and that "The beginning of the year is a good time to renew the closeness between parents and children...I have a dear friend who encourages the cold-weather custom of assembling her entire family for a pre-bedtime snack consisting of hot drinks (cocoa or mint tea) and coffee cake". 

Sounds delightful, doesn't it? Also delightful was this illustration which led off the beginning of January:

Just as I did in 2011, I will enjoy using this book all year long!