May is a month that makes me think of my Mom; her birthday and anniversary fall in this month as well as the special day that all mothers get. The kitchen is her domain, so I am suggesting a family history project to honour the cooks (who were traditionally the women) in our families.

It’s really very simple. Just collect traditional family recipes and place them in a binder with stories and photos about what makes them meaningful and special. My mom has recipes scattered through many cookbooks, so gathering them in one place would be useful, especially when I phone to ask for some recipe I remember from my childhood. Many cooks already have a recipe box collection, so this first step is done.

The aspect that makes this a family history project is recording the stories that give each recipe meaning: was it a special meal that a certain person always chose for their birthday dinner? someone’s favorite birthday cake? a food served for a particular holiday like Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving or New Year’s? a recipe that won a prize at a fair? something that a specific family member always served with great pride? or the first meal prepared by your child? Writing these stories down preserves family memories for current generations and the ones to come. Adding photographs of the food or family preparing or enjoying it takes the general memory and brings it alive by connecting it to a particular moment.

If you encase each page in a protective sleeve, the collection could still serve as a functional recipe book. By using a computer to compile the information, you could make multiple copies for other family members as well. You could even scan handwritten recipes to make it even more personal.

This month, why not honour the nurturing aspects of Mom by recording stories about the foods that are important in your family? You will be preserving an important part of herstory.

This article was originally printed in the Bergen News and is being reprinted with permission.