The Flour-Cereal Cook Book from the Sperry Flour Company

When contemporary Americans think of crops grown in California we generally think of fruits, vegetables, almonds and other fresh foods.  In the mid-19th century the Northern California agricultural boom began with wheat.  As people flocked to the area in the Gold Rush of the late 1840s, some who came at that time realized that feeding the new immigrants to the area would be a more stable and sure way to prosperity.  Neither of these activities benefited the indigenous peoples who lived in the area.  

Austin Sperry came to the area in 1850, initially in search of gold, but turned to wheat milling soon after, establishing the Sperry Flour Company in 1852. With their office and flour mill on the waterfront they grew to be the second largest milling operation in California. Eventually they had 17 mills in three states.  A few years after this cookbook was published, the company moved their headquarters to Spokane, Washington.

 

 

The 4th Revised Edition of the Flour-Cereal Cook Book contains recipes fairly typical for late 19th and early 20th century American households.  What really sets this little cookbook apart are the wonderful illustrations.