Do you have memories of canned vegetables and homemade jams? How about picking your own blueberries minutes before they were baked into muffins? Our memories of Nonnie are accented by the smells, tastes and textures of home grown and homemade foods.

Nonnie was a child of the wars and a young wife during the Great Depression; times were hard, money was scarce and survival depended upon ones ability to make the most of what you had. When Nonnie and Grandpa married and built their house, they used their plot of land to grow what they needed. Mulberry trees and grapes made the wine, currants and gooseberries made jam, a few potatoes made gnocchi for a whole family. Zucchini, lettuces, herbs, tomatoes, they all were in abundance just yards from her kitchen. Her food was so delicious because it was so fresh. Sauces were made with vine ripened tomatoes, basil, oregano and home grown garlic. As the 40’s expanded into the 50’s and 60’s and the economy built itself up again, Americans began to shop for their foods, it was easier to buy something pre-packaged than spend all that time in the garden. People began to forget what ‘fresh’ tasted like and the idea of ‘canning’ became a faint memory. We also have seen a decline in health, an increase in obesity and most people taking a handful of prescriptions before their morning coffee. We have huge organic markets selling overpriced items that you could be pulling from your own yard.

Here we are in 2009 and the economy is slipping again. For the first time in generations, people are really thinking about how they can save their money. Our Nonnie was frugal without being cheap, she was sensible and smart and never fully moved forward from that depression era mentality. Thank God for that! She was passionate about growing and cooking and conserving. We are hoping that this cookbook will guide you back toward a more simple way to live, cook and eat.

We can all find a corner of land (or a few pots on a balcony) and begin to grow some herbs, perhaps a few tomatoes and peppers. Start gathering those wild dandelions for breads and soups before they are trampled. Create space in your pantry for those canned cherry peppers, sauces and homemade liquors. We are hopeful that this recession will remind all of us how to use the Earth and all of her blessings to return to simpler, healthier times. We may look back one day soon and be thankful for these long, dark months of economic turmoil because it shed a light on how we can all become better consumers, more active environmentalists and healthier eaters. Our Grandpa had a massive stroke in his early sixties and went on to live another 20+ years because everything his beloved Mary put on his plate was organic, preservative free and fresh. Mary Cellucci Tringe lived to be 95 ½ years old and took very few pills, even in her final years. She had strong, rough, beautiful hands that had worked hard for her family and she was determined that we continue to cook they way she taught us, to use and re-use and to share her recipes "with your friends—so they know how to cook Italian”.