Out of print many years, then recently republished to show a new generation the joys of backyard chicken-raising. Sixty years of observations and know-how. Care for broody hens, raise baby chicks, build coops, promote quality egg production, calm irate roosters. No nonsense, straightforward. A classic for chicken enthusiasts.
In 1912, a young English country-woman named Minnie Rose Enefer booked passage on the Titanic, but fortunately grew restless and sailed on a ship leaving earlier. Eventually she moved to Bainbridge Island, WA, where she married Leo Lovgreen, a Danish immigrant. Together, with their 2 sons, they ran a thriving 170-acre dairy farm on Bainbridge for 30 years.
Minnie Rose, a chicken lover and gifted storyteller, had always wanted to write a book on raising chickens, but was always too busy. Then in Nov., 1974, soon after her 86th birthday, she was diagnosed with cancer. Her friend Nancy Rekow took the ferry into Seattle, appeared in her hospital room with a tape recorder, and said, "Minnie Rose, now we're going to write your book." And they did.
For days, in that hospital room, Nancy listened and tape-recorded Minnie's wise words, then transcribed the tapes, edited and hand-lettered the entire text, enlisted their friend and neighbor, Elizabeth Hutchison, to illustrate the book-MINNIE ROSE LOVGREEN'S RECIPE FOR RAISING CHICKENS- and self-published a 1st edition of 1,000 copies that sold out in a month.
"I was busy with four young children, so didn't have time to reprint and go on publishing the book," Nancy says. In May, 1975, she took the book to Seattle where Pacific Search Press agreed to print a 2nd edition of 20,000 copies. (That 2nd Edition was out of print for many years.)
Meanwhile in May, 1975, Minnie Rose celebrated the book's 2nd Edition with an autograph party and also appeared on King TV. She died that same year, pleased to know that her chicken-raising advice was reaching thousands of people across the country.
Illustrations: Because Nancy and Elizabeth, the illustrator, had little time to put the book together that cold spring, they had to improvise--especially Elizabeth. To draw fighting roosters when she owned only one, she set up a mirror under her barn, then drew the rooster fiercely battling his own reflection. For the dust-bath illustration, she dried the soggy Northwest mud under the barn with a heat lamp and drew the chickens happily taking dust baths.
NW Trillium Press published the 3rd edition of MINNIE ROSE LOVGREEN'S RECIPE FOR RAISING CHICKENS in 2009. Nancy Rekow also tape recorded Minnie Rose's memoir of her life. NW Trillium Press published this book, FAR AS I CAN REMEMBER: AN IMMIGRANT WOMAN'S STORY, 1888-1975, in 2010.
