Country Woman

As many of you know, Country Woman was first published more than 50 years ago, in 1970. Since then, hundreds of thousands of readers have welcomed the magazine into their homes and their hearts. My own heart is heavy right now, because I have some sad news to share: This will be the last issue of Country Woman. Saying goodbye is never easy, but I feel incredibly lucky to have played a small part in the publication’s legacy, and I know that my teammates—brilliant art director Jessie Sharon, rock star designer Lulu Rader and eagle-eyed editor Ellie Piper—feel the same way. We’ve pulled out all the stops to make sure that this final issue is one of our best ever. It’s packed with 18 of our favorite seasonal recipes, including some delicious…

Q: How do you keep your favorite recipes organized? When I find recipes that I’d like to make, I file them in folders organized by food type. If I make a recipe and decide that it’s a keeper, I move it into a photo album that I treat like a personal cookbook. ROSE GREENSTE. GENEVIEVE, MO I mostly find new recipes online these days. But I still keep paper recipes that I’ve inherited from three generations of family members in tins and binders with plastic page protectors, to keep them safe. GLENDA FERGUSONPAOLI, IN I’ve collected recipes for almost 70 years. When I retired, I had my favorites published as a cookbook. It’s a great memento for my children, and I bring it with me when I travel for the winter—I love having all the…

Tell us about yourself. As a kid I couldn’t wait to get out of the city and head to the country to spend weekends with my cousin. My husband and I bought our first farm in the ’90s. We ran a boarding facility for horses, and a hay business. Now we’re retired and living on a hobby farm, soaking up the country life. What are your hobbies? I love antiquing, crafting and gardening. I’m also learning how to quilt. What do you love most about the holiday season? It’s such a nostalgic time of year—I always end up thinking of holidays past and present and reminiscing with other family members about them. I like the sense of anticipation that comes with the season too, knowing that you’re going to spend the time with your loved…

Ask Jennifer Williams if she has any children, and she’ll reply, “Just the thousands I’ve had over 33 years of teaching.” The Danville, Virginia, resident is so dedicated to her kids that she converted the guest room in the house she shares with her husband, Scott, into a classroom for extracurricular tutoring. And then there are her book giveaways, which Jennifer hopes will eventually total a million volumes. Jennifer says her project began with an observation. She noticed how often kids would ask to keep the books she read with them because they didn’t have access to books at home. “There’s no denying that you can tell kids who are exposed to books, or have books, by the vocabulary they use, the way they carry themselves, or how they answer questions or…

Snow Pea Holiday Wreath Takes: 25 min. • Makes: 20 servings Santa Claus himself might stop to sample this pretty-as-a-picture finger food spread! Crunchy green pea pods and juicy red tomatoes add a natural, fresh, holiday note to any buffet table.—Carol Schneck, Lodi, CA 1/2 lb. snow peas, strings removed 3 oz. cream cheese, softened 1/4 tsp. garlic powder 1/4 tsp. seasoned salt 2 cups grape tomatoes 1. In a large saucepan, bring 6 cups water to a boil. Add the snow peas; cook, uncovered, just until crisp-tender and bright green, 1-2 minutes. Drain and immediately drop into ice water. Drain pods and pat dry. 2. In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, garlic powder and seasoned salt. Place bowl in the center of a serving platter. Arrange pods and tomatoes around the bowl. 1…

I’ve been sewing since I was a kid, and I love finding new ways to repurpose old belongings. I began visiting thrift stores on half-price days so that I could buy old sweaters and turn them into mittens. After a while, I started creating matching sweater pumpkins and owls to gift along with the mittens. I now have bins full of old sweaters in my house. I love thinking about what patterns and colors I’ll use next, and seeing the scraps of fabric come to life again (sometimes I’m able to repurpose buttons from the sweaters as well). The joy I see on the faces of friends and loved ones when I give them my creations keeps my heart full!…