The wilderness of the Boston Mountains of the Arkansas Ozarks challenged settlers who came to claim land after the Cherokee and Osage were uprooted and sent to Indian Territory to the west.
These homesteaders found a land rich in timber, wildlife and water. Most settled on the banks of creeks where they could build mills to grind their wheat and corn for bread. Bartering was a way
of life. Housewives traded eggs, butter and cream for staples they could not raise. Very little money ever changed hands in the earliest days. Cooking was done first in fireplaces, then later
on wood cookstoves, a modern convenience the women rejoiced in having. Arkansas Meals and Memories offers stories about growing up in the Boston Mountains as well as two weeks worth of menus
containing the authentic recipes handed down from women who lived in these ancient mountains so long ago.
