April 30 ‘I heard it through the grape vine’

April 30th is National Raisin Day. I have a couple of books for today.

I have shown this great book before. “The Raisin Cure by Dr. Josiah Oldfield, published 1938. The author goes into great deal about raisins, the dried fruit of a particular grape-Vitis Vinifera-one loaded with sugar. He talks about three raisins, the Valencia, the Sultana (seedless raisin), and the raisin of Corinth, or current. He then discusses a routine for eating raisins to help ones health. The author states “One of the most inportant points in a cure is to replace complexity of diet, which causes clogging of the machinery of digestion, by simplicity of diet, which encourages eliminations and relieves digestive overstrain.”

How many raisins ? One is to eat 1/2 to 1 1/2 pounds of raisins, after soaking them in water overnight-preferably in rainwater. This is to be done for at least two weeks, and possibly four. It should be done in a sanatorium or institution, supervised by a doctor. If it seems too strenuous, one can also have up to two ounces of butter, four ounces of puffed rice, and two ounces of soft cheese every day, along with up to a pint of water. Yum. But you can cure asthma, bronchitus, overweight, underweight, scores of other illnesses with raisins, just have to read the book-and believe.

I have the book “How to Dry Foods” by Deanna DeLong, 2006. I would like to dry my own grapes, just to see if I can.

While the raisin diet may make you eat just too many raisins, I have another holiday to discuss. Today, April 30th is also National Oatmeal Cookie Day. That is a perfect match.

I have my mom’s cookbook “Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book” 1963. I have said several times that my mom was not the best cook. Well, that did change when she made cookies. She made the best cookies! And I now know why. The recipes in this book are strong ones, and they deliver great cookies. I still use this book.

So let’s celebrate combining holidays, by baking some oatmeal cookies with raisins today. Pleasant eating.

What did the chocolate cookie call the raisin cookie? You imposter!

Why did the chocolate chip cookie drop all of his chips? Because that is the way the cookie fumbles.

What did the oatmeal cookie say to his parents? Thanks for raisin’ me right.