This blog post shares two video clips preserving the old-time biscuit know-how of Mrs. Bonnie Crowley of Athens, Georgia. What she taught me about making biscuits using an old fashioned dough bowl can be found in my book, Preserving Family Recipes, on pages 222-226.
Mrs. Crowley was a lovely woman -- kind, soft-spoken, and thoughtful. She lived across the street from the fire department and cooked for them constantly. They all loved her as an adopted mother and grandmother. She died in 2014, and I'm so sad I can't place my finished book in her hands. But each time we talked, she was excited that her cooking legacy would live on in her recipes and interviews.
I was tempted to edit these videos. They were taken when I was eight months pregnant and making one last trip home to Georgia before I was past the time for safe travel. I was jet-lagged and hadn't been sleeping well. I couldn't manage to travel with my good camera, tripod, videocamera, and electronic scale, so I just did the best I could at the moment -- something that often happens when you are collecting family recipes. But regardless of how rough the videos are, the information was saved. The important dialog from the videos is included in the book, so you're welcome to turn the distracting sound off and just watch Mrs. Crowley's well-practiced techniques.
Mrs. Bonnie Crowley, bless you always.
And a few months later...
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