New Cookbook Shares Recipes from the Speed Family of Farmington

How hot is a "low oven"? How much butter is "the size of a walnut?" Several members of the Corn Island Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR) found out when they transformed a stack of heritage recipes into a new cookbook to benefit Farmington Historic Plantation in Louisville.

The recipes-many of them well over 100 years old-were collected by Nell Speed Ream, the great-granddaughter of John Speed, who built Farmington. (The plantation is best known for Abraham Lincoln's three-week visit in 1841.) One of Nell Speed Ream's descendants recently offered use of the recipes to Farmington. Corn Island NSDAR, which had selected Farmington as a historic preservation project, offered to create a cookbook. A committee was formed to head the project; volunteers tested and updated the recipes; a local print-on-demand publisher offered her expertise to design the book; local publisher R. C. Linnell Publishing provided book design services and a local graphic designer developed the cover pro bono-it was a true community effort.

Readers of Speed Family Heritage Recipes will find recipes for salt-rising bread, transparent pie, fritters, and eggnog served by James Speed during his term as attorney general in Lincoln's second administration. The book also includes a short history of Farmington and brief profiles of the women who developed and served these dishes so long ago. Heritage Recipes is currently available on Amazon.com.

About Corn Island NSDAR: Corn Island NSDAR, organized in 2012, is the city's newest chapter. The chapter's missions are historic preservation, veterans' issues, women's issues, and genealogy.

About Farmington Historic Plantation: John and Lucy Fry Speed founded Farmington, a hemp plantation, in 1816. Farmington, with its connection to Lincoln and its 14-room Federal-style brick home, is a popular attraction in the city. It is now part of Historic Homes of Louisville.

Members of the cookbook committee are available for media interviews.

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