Amana Pickled Ham recipe

The University of Iowa Press is making Easter preparation easy for you this year by providing an Easter ham recipe from Lawrence L. Rettig's Gardening the Amana Way. Now all that's left to worry about is where to hide the eggs!

Amana Pickled Ham
4 cups cubed ham
1 large sliced onion
2 cups water
1 cup vinegar

Combine all ingredients and let stand at room temperature for four hours, then refrigerate.

Bon appétit!

Elegant Strawberry Pie recipe

Happy Valentine's Day! If you haven't eaten yourself into a sugar coma yet, here's a dessert recipe for a night with your loved one.

Elegant Strawberry Pie
4 cups whole strawberries
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup strawberry gelatin
1 pie crust, baked

Mix cornstarch, sugar, and water. Heat until thickened, stirring constantly. Add gelatin. Cool until lukewarm. Gently stir in berries and chill until set.

Gardening the Amana Way, by Lawrence L. Rettig

Potato Rolls recipe

There's nothing quite as satisfying as warm bread in the dead of winter. Today, we're sharing one of our favorite bread recipes from Gardening the Amana Way. Enjoy!

Potato Rolls
3 to 4 cups flour
1/2 cup mashed potatoes
3 tablespoons sugar
2 packages quick-rise yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups water (tap or reserved from cooking potatoes)
3 tablespoons butter

Combine two cups flour, mashed potatoes, sugar, yeast, and salt in large bowl. Heat water and butter to 130 degrees. Stir into yeast mix. Add enough flour to make soft dough. Knead until smooth and elastic. Cover and let rest ten minutes. Divide dough into sixteen pieces and shape into balls. Place into two greased 9-inch cake pans. Cover and let rise until doubled. Bake at 400 degrees for about twenty minutes. Can also be shaped into a bread loaf.

Gardening the Amana Way, by Lawrence L. Rettig

Mom's Tomato Soup recipe

It's cold, and spring is nowhere in sight here in Iowa City, Iowa. In an effort to keep us a little warmer, here's a great tomato soup recipe from Lawrence L. Rettig, author of Gardening the Amana Way.

Mom's Tomato Soup
1 quart tomatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 small onions, chopped
1 large sprig parsley
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 tablespoon flour, dissolved in tomato juice

Combine first five ingredients and simmer, stirring occasionally, until all vegetables are soft. Transfer to ricer and rice. Pour riced vegetables and tomato juice into saucepan. Add flour–tomato juice mixture. Add sugar and salt to taste. Heat, stirring occasionally.

Gardening the Amana Way, by Lawrence L. Rettig

Give an Iowa Cookbook this Season!

Still holiday shopping? The University of Iowa Press is currently holding our annual holiday sale. We've got great books covering a wide range of topics and interests for up to 65% off. Buy some for your loved ones or buy some for yourself!

Here are just a few of the books that are on sale now…

Gardening the Amana Way
by Lawrence L. Rettig
Bur Oak Book

As a child of parents who were part of the communal life of the Amana Society, Larry Rettig pays homage to the Amana gardening tradition and extends it into the twenty-first century and extends his gardening advice into the kitchen. He shares family recipes for radish salad, dumpling soup, Amana pickled ham, apple bread, and more!

Regular Price: $27.50
Sale Price: $15.00

A Cook's Tour of Iowa
by Susan Puckett
Bur Oak Book

"This book may shock the food snobs of America because Iowa's down-home cuisine is not dull after all."--Des Moines Register

"…a combination oral history and cookbook which should delight aficionados of Americana."--Cookbook Digest

"Puckett tapped into the culture of America's Middle West and the result is a book that will give Iowans cause for pride."--World of Cookbooks

Regular Price: $23.00
Sale Price: $5.00

Larry Rettig in Iowa City this Weekend

We hope you're as excited for the weekend as we are! If you're in the Iowa City area, here's a reminder that you have opportunities to meet Larry Rettig, author of the upcoming book Gardening the Amana Way, tonight and tomorrow. Check out the information below:

Gardening the Amana Way reading

Date: Friday, September 20

Time: 7:00 pm
Location: Prairie Lights Books, 15 S. Dubuque St.

Join the Facebook event!

book signing

Date: Saturday, September 21

Time: 7:30 am-12:00 pm
Location: Prairie Lights table at the Iowa City Farmer's Market: ground level of Chauncey Swan Ramp & Chauncey Swan Park across from City Hall, 410 E. Washington Street. Additional vendors located on E. Washington Street on Saturdays.

Join the Facebook event!

Don't miss this chance to meet Larry Rettig in person and hear him talk about his new book! We hope to see you there.

Gardening the Amana Way, by Larry Rettig

Larry Rettig Events in Iowa City

The University of Iowa Press is excited to announce that Larry Rettig, author of Gardening the Amana Way, will be doing a reading and signing in Iowa City this weekend. Please find more information below:

Gardening the Amana Way reading

Date: Friday, September 20

Time: 7:00 pm
Location: Prairie Lights Books, 15 S. Dubuque St.

Join the Facebook event!

book signing

Date: Saturday, September 21

Time: 7:30 am-12:00 pm
Location: Prairie Lights table at the Iowa City Farmer's Market: ground level of Chauncey Swan Ramp & Chauncey Swan Park across from City Hall, 410 E. Washington Street. Additional vendors located on E. Washington Street on Saturdays.

Join the Facebook event!

We'd love to have you join us and Larry as he discusses his new book. We hope to see you this weekend!

Gardening the Amana Way, by Larry Rettig