By Norma Dittman
Murray County News staff writer
Dorothy Bloemendaal, Slayton, is the woman behind the Country Cooking column that publishes in the Murray County News, as well as the Country Cooking recipes published in the Fulda Free Press, Tri-County News, and Nobles County Review. Her love of cooking and baking began many years ago when she was a member of 4-H. “It began with baking bread for 4-H,” Bloemendaal shared. “That and from when I was home growing up, I had older brothers to do the chores outside and I did the cooking. Then when they left home, I had sisters, but still did the cooking.”
In 1979 she began writing a column and finding recipes to share with readers. The column was begun to help promote food items for the area grocery stores. “The column was pertinent to the time of year and what was available at the stores,” Bloemendaal explained.
Then she began writing her recipes column for the Fulda Free Press. She also was the proofreader for that newspaper in the days when newsprint was pasted on large sheets and then loaded for printing. “Back then, we didn’t want very much white space on a newspaper page, so we would have to adjust until we had it just right. Now it’s ok to have more white space on a page,” Bloemendaal said.
When the Murray County News opened the office in Slayton, Bloemendaal transferred to work in that office.
Writing the recipe column has been a joy for Bloemendaal. “At last count, my collection of cookbooks totals 200,” she shared. It is a passion for her to find really old cookbooks. “Some that I buy are first editions. I have several Betty Crocker ones, because they have recipes of dishes that we will eat in this region with ingredients that are easily found in our area.”
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