Pull up a chair to the kitchen table and prepare to enjoy a fun, delicious adventure through Iowa’s food history as Darcy Dougherty Maulsby of Lake City writes the “Culinary History of Iowa.”
“Iowa has a rich heritage of food, farming and culinary traditions,” said Maulsby, a lifelong Iowan and guest blogger on TheFieldPosition. She recently published her first book, “Calhoun County,” which tells the stories of small-town and rural Iowa life through the eyes of those who lived it.
“I’m excited to share these remarkable stories, historic photos and delicious recipes through my new book,” she says. The 128-page book, which will be released by the South Carolina-based History Press in the summer of 2016, will include a mix of vintage photos, color photos, unique stories and historic and modern recipes that offer a taste of Iowa from border to border.
Highlights of the book include:
- Food-on-a-stick and other delights from the legendary Iowa State Fair
- Pie and other favorites along the RAGBRAI route
- Stories from the Masters Hotel at Burr Oak that Laura Ingalls Wilder’s family ran in the late 1870s
- Blue Bunny and LeMars, the “Ice Cream Capital of the World”
- the Best Burger in Iowa contest
- Iowa Maid-Rites
- Iowa’s diverse ethnic heritage including Franklin County’s Æbelskiver Dinner and Christmas at the Vesterheim in Decorah
- 100-year Iowa food companies like Jolly Time Popcorn
- Food festivals, community celebrations and church suppers
- Regional specialties like turkey dressing sandwiches
The book will also include recipes like ham and bean soup, strawberry-rhubarb pie, dishes from the Younkers tea room, and much more.
The project is a natural fit for Maulsby, who began cooking at age 12 and has written about Iowa agriculture and food extensively during her 17-year career. As a member of the Lake Creek Go-Getters 4-H Club in Lake City, she won numerous awards for her culinary creations at the Calhoun County Exposition. As an adult, she continues to compete and has won blue ribbons for her molasses cookies at the Clay County Fair and her mixed-berry jams at the Iowa State Fair.
“I love to try new recipes, perfect my existing recipes and keep expanding my culinary skills,” said Maulsby, who also teaches cooking classes at local county fairs and other events. “I’m proud to be an Iowan and am thrilled to have the opportunity to write ‘The Culinary History of Iowa. I look forward to sharing a taste of our great state and preserving a slice of our cultural heritage.”
Your input is welcome!
Maulsby welcomes suggestions on topics, recipes and photos to include in her “Culinary History of Iowa” book. You can contact her through her website (www.darcymaulsby.com), or e-mail her at yettergirl@yahoo.com.
About Darcy Dougherty Maulsby: Darcy has been described as an “artist with words” who writes to sell. This Iowa native has covered agriculture and business for regional and national publications and corporations for 17 years. She has worked with a number of leading organizations, including Arcadia Publishing, Syngenta, Progressive Farmer, the Iowan Magazine, the National Pork Board, Farm News and many others. She also teaches writing, photography and social media classes.
Darcy, who grew up on a Century Farm near Lake City, earned her undergraduate degrees in journalism/mass communication and history from Iowa State University (ISU) in 1996. She completed her master’s degree in business administration and marketing at ISU in 2004.
In her free time, Darcy loves to cook and help on her family’s Century Farm in Calhoun County. She serves as the president of the Calhoun County Corn Growers, president of the Calhoun County Farm Bureau and vice president of Historic Central School Preservation in Lake City.