The Quill Lake Homemakers' Club Cook Book

This community cookbook hails from Quill Lake, east of Saskatoon. A number of community cookbooks in Saskatchewan were compiled by the Homemakers’ Clubs, which were established in that province in 1911 and raised money for hospitals, libraries, community halls, and similar social infrastructure. Though they shunned overtly political causes, such clubs allowed women the ability to participate in shaping their communities; in 1916, they would be permitted to vote in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. Elizabeth Driver notes in Culinary Landmarks that the Quill Lake club, which was established in 1914, disbanded in 1971 (1027).

As its subheading suggests, this book offers a collection of recipes reflecting mixed cultural influences. Included are Mrs. W.H. King’s “Raisin Dumplings,” Mrs. Axel Olson’s “Julekake,” along with Mrs. Annie Zeebin’s “Holopski” and an unattributed “Conserves de Poisson” in French (with errors). At the same time, it incorporates recipes from as far away as Los Angeles and Louisiana, demonstrating American publishers’ strong influence on the Canadian cooking scene. The book also contains recipes for a number of poetically named cakes: “Windblown Cake,” “Sunshine Cake,” “Daffodil Cake,” and “Featherweight Cake” (the first three resemble angel food cakes), as well as Mrs. Harry Brown’s “Wonder Pickle” (which contains red and green peppers besides cucumbers and onions). It was evidently a carefully used book, as it contains many handwritten corrections by an alert and skilled cook and baker.

Community cookbooks were often partially funded by advertising. Alongside those for flour, other household products, and beauty shops, this book contains ads for automobile and tractor dealerships, lumber companies, and agricultural fertilizers, as well as local insurance companies, dentists, shops, cafes, and theatres. Perhaps these suggest a broader readership; more likely, they are signs of community support and sponsorship, as well as women’s influence in decision-making for family purchases.