Among the reminders of the past at the Freeborn County Historical Museum are several copies of a special cookbook created by and for Albert Lea’s American Gas Machine Co.

Two factors make this particular recipe booklet unusual.

First, the 80-page booklet was compiled exclusively for American Gas Machine by members of the Outdoor Writers Association of America. On the cover of this 50-cent booklet was this explanation: &uot;67 outdoor writers, newspaper columnists, magazine writers, radio commentators, and explorers give us their favorite recipes.&uot;

Second, the booklet was copyrighted by the American Gas Machine Co. in 1949. Thus, it wasn’t a publication created elsewhere and given the imprint of the local firm as an advertising gimmick.

In 1949 one of the major product lines of American Gas Machine was based on items for hunters, fishermen, hikers, campers and anyone interested in outdoor recreational life.

For these folks the firm had the Kampkold and Kampkold Jr. portable coolers, or what could be considered compact ice boxes. To do the cooking of game and other food items there were the Kabinkook, Kampkook and Speedikook, portable gas stoves. And for light in the evening and nighttime there were several gas and kerosene lanterns, including the Ready-Lite brand.

The introduction to this booklet said:

&uot;Outdoorsmen are noted for their interest in cooking. When in camp, or on the trail, they must cook for themselves. At home, they are prone to step into the kitchen and experiment with the game and fish they so assiduously pursue. After exercising their skill on game and fish, it is but one step to salads, souffles, and other fancy dishes. In this book some of America’s most famous outdoorsmen set down their favorite recipes. We have compiled them in the belief that our friends will not only enjoy reading the recipes, but also in preparing them – on one of our stoves, we hope!&uot;

There were a total of 187 recipes submitted by the 64 men and three women who participated in this particular Outdoor Writers Association of America project.

The most popular game recipes in this booklet were for ducks with nine entries. Second in popularity was quail with eight recipes. Venison and rabbit tied for third place with seven versions each for gourmet enjoyment. In fourth place with five suggestions for eating enjoyment was the pheasant.

Fish in general, and trout and bass in particular, were included in the recipes for this booklet.

&uot;Pigs in a blanket&uot; is a food item which could have a different meaning in another part of the nation. For one New England sportsman the pigs in a blanket were oysters encircled with bacon, broiled, and served on buttered toast.

One supposedly versatile sportsman from Ohio had submitted actual recipes for cooking starlings, coot, carp and crow. He gave real meaning to the old phrase, &uot;eat crow,&uot;

Coot is the name used for a species of waterfowl. Yet, in this booklet the word has two different definitions. To the Ohio sportsman and a writer from Tennessee, the word coot was synonymous with mudhen. However, to a sportsman from Cape Cod, Mass., the word coot was another name for a tasty diving duck known as the scoter.

The most famous sportsman or outdoorsman to contribute favorite recipes for this booklet was actually a woman. Her name was Osa Johnson. The information with her photo and two fish recipes, plus an oatmeal bread recipe, said, &uot;Osa Johnson known to millions for her lecture tours with her husband, the photographer-explorer, the late Martin Johnson, is now living in New York, and recently published (1940) a volume of autobiography. ‘I Married Adventure.’ Mrs. Johnson accompanied her husband on many expeditions to Africa, the South Seas, Borneo, and other districts of the Far East.&uot;

Not all the recipes in this 1949 booklet were based on recently deceased fish or wildlife. For example, a West Virginia fisherman and newspaper columnist named Irvin I. Cohen submitted the following recipe for what he called &uot;Yum Yum Cookies.&uot;

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 package chocolate bits

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg unbeaten

1/2 cup shortening

1-1/4 cups sifted flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

Cream sugars, peanut butter and shortening thoroughly; beat until fluffy and light. Mix and sift flour, salt and baking soda. Add to egg mixture and blend well. Roll dough into oblong; 1/4 inch thick. Melt chocolate bits over hot, not boiling water. Cool slightly, spread on rolled dough with knife. Roll up like a jellyroll and chill overnight. Slice 1/2 inch thick. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake in moderate oven 375 degrees for 12 minutes. Then pack in a tin can and use as dessert on your hunting and fishing trips.