Fannie Farmer: Domestic Scientist, Author, Cook
March 23rd we’re acknowledging Fannie Farmer! Fannie was born in Massachusetts in 1857 and during her high school years, she suffered a paralytic stroke that forced her to drop out of school. She then recovered enough to take a job as a mother’s helper where she discovered her love and aptitude for cooking. Her parents encouraged her to follow her passion and attend Boston Cooking School.

Farmer graduated from Boston Cooking School in 1889 and then became the school’s assistant director and later the head of the school as well as a lecturer. In 1902 she left Boston Cooking School to found her own school called Miss Farmer’s School of Cookery to train housewives. As a lecturer, she taught dietetic and invalid cooking courses at Harvard, and was a regular contributor, along with her sister, for the Woman’s Home Companion.

One of her greatest contributions to the cooking and housekeeping world was her Boston Cooking School Cookbook, which was first published in 1896 and introduced standard measurements for recipes that are still used today. Her cookbook was later revised and titled The Fannie Farmer Cookbook. Today, her measuring standards remain a must in all recipes making cooking easier and more accessible for everyone!

Take some time today to cook a favorite recipe (and follow the measurements closely) to remember Fannie Farmer and her amazing work and perseverance!