Ten terrific vintage vegetarian recipes (that are ideal for summer!)

Summer calls for lighter fair. Few of us want to spend hours in the kitchen with the stove radiating heat, if we can avoid it. We'll cook or bake a little sure, and flock to the grill like seagulls to a French fry, but ultimately, more often than not, we’re in the mood for meals that are a cinch to whip up and that take advantage of some of the season's best produce – which, if we’re especially lucky, hails from our own garden.




With amazing fruit and veg out in full force, summer (much like late spring and early fall) is a particularly delicious time if you're a vegetarian. I'm not one myself, but I do eat meatless meals sometimes and have both vegetarians and vegans in my family. I know that many of you are such yourself and I've strived since day to provide vegetarian and/or vegan alternatives for many of the vintage recipes that I've shared over the years (some of which where meat-free or even vegan as they stood right out of the gate).

I have not, however, devoted a post just to vintage vegetarian recipes, so with a little over a month left (on the calendar at least) of summer and plenty of that scrumptious, juicy, daydream-about-it-in-January produce still on the trees and grocery store shelves alike, I wanted to dedicate today's vintage recipe post to dishes that are completely meatless.

In most cases, if canned or frozen veggies are called for, as they so often wear in the mid-twentieth century, but all means please sub in fresh ones, if you’d prefer. Likewise, a good many of the following ten vintage vegetarian recipes can easily be made vegan by omitting or substituting ingredients (such a soy/rice cheese for the daily version) for ones that are completely devoid of any animal products.

There are countless reasons - personal, medical, cultural, and religious all very much included - why people opt, or need, to be a vegetarian/vegan, and no matter yours, of if you're a carnivore who just enjoys meat-less meals sometimes, I hope that you'll all enjoy and these fun, filling vintage vegetarian recipes this summer!




1. A slew of healthy, fantastic veggies team up in this filling 1940s green salad recipe, for which you could easily swap in peas, corn, canned beans (pinto, kidney, black, etc), olives, or chickpeas in favour of the lima beans, if so desired.




2. If you can get your paws on fresh apricots, which are still in season in many areas that grown them (my own corner of Canada very much included), by all means use fresh fruit instead here in this charmingly pretty - and very tasty sounding - 1950s recipe for Apricot Baskets.




3. Scrumptious Italian flavours mingle marvelously in this classic red tomato sauce, pasta, and cheese dish from 1954 that tastes as delicious cold as it does warm (I've made a GF version before and it's always a big hit with everyone at the table).




4. This 1960s recipe for Lemon Butter Sauce would be perfect on grilled vegetables, drizzled over baked potatoes, tossed with pasta or quinoa, used as a dunking sauce, you name it!




5. What would any well balanced roundup of mid-century recipes be without at least one gelatin salad inclusion? This example - which has a distinctly Christmassy colour palette - is full on 1950s and includes such beloved ingredients of the era as tomato juice, mayonnaise, and pimento - you've always got to have the pimento! :D It is, like many Jell-O salads, vegetarian, and honestly, if you like veggies in your gelatine, I think it sounds rather nice. I could see being a delicious side dish to a plate of grilled corn or veggie tacos. *Edit* If you don't eat animal based gelatine, swap in a vegan substitute like agar instead here.




6. Serve this dead simple vegetable soup cold, pureed or whizzed in the blender first, and you've got an easy-peasy, no fuss take on that Mediterranean warm weather gem, gazpacho.




7. This filling recipe from 1945 for Stuffed Eggplant is especially well suited to cool summer evenings, Sunday dinners, and when the weather starts feeling decidedly like fall again.




8. Four ingredients is all it takes to make this quick, super easy, splendidly tropical inspired vintage fruit salad/dessert (that would be great for breakfast or brunch, too!). If Miracle Whip isn’t your favourite thing, why not use sour cream, whipped cream, mayo, Cool Whip, yogurt, or even ice cream instead?




9. The inclusion of bell peppers in this simple mid-century potato salad is really, really appealing and would give it a great hit of crunch.




10. Summer would not be summer without at least one rich, flakey, wonderfully classic cherry pie. This recipe from 1950 sees the unexpected and very appealing addition of pineapple. Yum-yum!!

{To learn more about a specific image, and in most cases, for a larger version of a given recipe page, please click on it to be taken to its respective source.}

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If we take desserts and (some) salads out of the equation, many vintage cookbooks and recipe ads were, how shall we say, spartan with the number of vegetarian recipes they included (save for some meat/dairy/egg-free recipes that were commonplace out of sheer necessarily brought on by rationing during the war years).

That said, there are a small number of actual (dedicated) vintage vegetarian cookbooks out there, as the practise of eating meat and/or animal product free has been an important part of many cultures and religions for hundreds, and sometimes even thousands, of years now.

Then as now though, there were plenty of amazing dishes that did not need meat in the slightest and it's worth pouring over such sources when you come across them for recipes that fit the meat-less bill or which can easily be made vegetarian/vegan.



{It's practically a crime not to avail of all the fantastic array of in season produce that is available during the summertime. Load up and go to town on these and other fabulous vegetarian and vegan recipes while such offerings are still at the peak of freshness.}


Plus, you can always whip up your own 21st century vegetarian/vegan take on classic dishes, too. From potato salad (use dairy/egg-free mayo, such as those from Earth Balance and Follow Your Heart) to caesar salad, ice cream to trifle and scores of other summertime menu staples that more than hold their own when they're free of any meat and/or other animal products.

I hope that you enjoyed these recipes. If you have any other favourite vintage vegetarian or vegan dishes that you'd like to share here, please don't be shy. I know that plenty of my readers scan through all of the comments on my posts and your impute would be very welcome by many a savvy veggie adoring vintage epicurean.

A quick good morning wish & scores of thanks!

Happiest of Thursday greetings, my darling readers! I hope that your morning is off to a marvelous start!


{Ensure you begin your day off right with a big bowl of vintage goodness via this adorable 1940s Rice Krispies ad featuring Snap, Crackle and Pop :D Image from Saltycotton’s Flickr stream.}

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I just wanted to post a quick message to extend my utmost deepest of heartfelt thanks to everyone for your comments on my opera outfit post; you literally brought me to tears with your incredibly sweet, encoring, beautiful words. Thank you so much, everyone, for your phenomenally kind comments; to say they mean the world to me would be an understatement.

As I mentioned briefly on Monday, this week has been a bit of a chaotic one because there was some work being done on our apartment and we (and poor Stella, who we boarded at her vet’s, as tenants weren’t allowed to have animals on the premises while the work was being done due to some harsh chemicals being used) had to vacate the premise for a while (before which we had to pack up quite a lot of stuff so that it wouldn’t be in the way of the work that needed to be done). As such I haven’t been on the computer much in the past few days (I’m actually just logging in now for the first time since Tuesday), and am a bit behind in catching up with not only each of your wonderful comments, but also in visiting your gorgeous blogs. As things stand now my schedule is a little freer as we head into the later part of this week, so I’ll be doing my absolute best to catch up over the next few days.

I also have so much to write about just bursting to jump out of my head and onto this blog! In the very near future (aka, sometime in the next few days) I’m going to be announcing a brand new giveaway contest which will be open to all of my readers wherever you reside in the this world. As well, I want to start a series of posts devoted to vintage Christmas gifts for different types of vintage enthusiasts (think along the lines of those magazine articles that feature pages upon pages of gifts for different types of people on your holiday shopping list like “the avid golfer” or the “eco-chic gal”, neither of those will be categories in my holiday roundup, but I will feature gifts for lots of different kinds of vintage loving folks).
Several other post ideas are simmering on the burners of my mind, so I know that I’ll definitely be a busy blogger as we head into the tail-end of 2009.

Giant thanks again, everybody, for your fantastically sweet comments – not only on Tuesday, but for each post you share your thoughts with me on.

Wishing you all a delightfully terrific Thursday!

Come on everybody, let’s go trick-or-treating!

An eerie wind rustles through the leaves, a shiver crawls like a spider up your back. The moon hangs low and round, it’s pale buttermilk hued face almost seems to cackle at you. All around hobgoblins and fairies, vampires and werewolves run amuck, laughing as they clutch their plastic pales and pillowcases close. Once inviting houses suddenly seem as cozy as a mausoleum, their porches bedecked with glowing eyed gourds, front lawns scattered in tombstones and scarecrows. An electric energy pulses through the crisp air, there’s magic a foot, on this ancient eve of festivity mischief and grand fun, for all Hallows Eve has arrived!

Or, as is the case today, it soon will, and with it comes the marvelous tradition of trick-or-treating! Though it has evolved and changed over the centuries, the practise of dressing up (mask, costume, etc) and going door-to-door, appealing to your neighbours for food (in days of yore, the door knockers would offer up prayers for the deceased relatives of their community members on All Souls Day) has been going on since at least the middle ages in Europe (some sources say as far back as the ancient Celts).

Trick-or-treating as we know and recognize it today (an act carried out annually by youngsters on October 31st) is thought to have emerged in the early years of the twentieth century, and the 1930s its popularity had really begun to spread across North America. Though various treats ranging from home-baked goodies to candy apples, nuts in their shells to fresh fruit have been handed out to trick-or-treaters over the years, for decades now, I think it’s a safe bet to say that candy has been both the most common and most beloved of goodies that a costume clad child could find waiting for him or her at the next front door.

Candy spanning the gamut from loose "penny sweets" to homemade taffy (in the days before widespread fear of tainted/poised/razor blade laced Halloween treats) has been doled out at one point or another, but for decades now store bought goodies have been commonplace, and are what most trick-or-treaters receive these days.

Everyone it seems has a favourite Halloween candy or two! I know that I certainly look back with immense fondness on any house that offered up Butterfinger, Crispy Crunch, Crunchie or Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, as well as “Dots” and Tootsie Pop lollipops. I was also eager to get Coffee Crisp bars which I would rush home at the end of the night to give my mother, for they were her favourite chocolate bar when I was growing up.

I can remember nearly every Halloween night I’ve had since I was three years old with vivid clarity. Some years we marched from house to house in the snow (this being Canada after all), others we slipped raincoats and rubber boats over our costumes to fend off chilly rain. A few however were not freezing cold, they were lit by stars that tumbled like tinsel across the raven black sky and brought with them the feeling that the night would stretch on forever – or at least until the last front light in our neighbourhood had been turned off.

Buzzing with excitement (and a wee bit of a sugar high) rush we would tromp home, to a friend’s house or onwards to a Halloween party (sometimes at the local community centre), our pails and sacks brimming with what seemed like a monumental volume of candy, ready to carry out the all important candy swap with our friends and siblings. I remember we executed this ritualistic act with negotiating skills the likes of which would make most seven-figure-a-year lawyers quake in their boots.

Halloween night was for me one of tremendous joy and merriment. It was the chance to escape into a world of make-believe, to feel independent (I can recall perfectly the first year we were allowed out without adult supervision), and to revel in the spooky, enchanted, incredible spirit that only Halloween could deliver.

It has, however, been a few years since I last trooped around the local streets, melodically chanting “trick-or-treat” as my knuckles rapt at a door, and I miss it something fierce! (I joke to my husband that since I’m petite and have a very young sounding voice, I should just don a costume with a mask and go out, even if I am 25! ;D) So I thought it would tons of fun if we took at a look at a mixture of vintage Halloween and more general (aka, not Halloween specific) vintage ads for candy together. Reliving as a collective group, the joys of seeing some of these scrumptious treats land in our pillowcases and then later poured out on our bedroom floors as we hunkered down, a mile-wide smile on our face, over the spoils that Halloween night had provided us with.

Come, one and all, even if you have never trick-or-treated before (perplexingly, some countries have yet to take up this tradition – if only such nations knew the fun they’re missing out on!), and join me as we, dressed in our Halloween night finest, parade around the block (errrr, blog) collecting sweet treats!




{A stylishly dressed woman hands out candy to a pair of adorable trick-or-treaters in this vintage ad for Baby Ruth and Butterfinger chocolate bars from the 1950s. Don’t you just love the little girl’s witch hat and both or their treat bags?}



{For the absolute bargain price of just a nickel during the 50s one could satisfy their sweet tooth a classic Hershey’s candy bar, such as Krackel (which had crispy rice cereal in it) or Mr. Goodbar (chocked full of peanuts). By and large Hershey’s products (with the notable exception of Kisses) have never been quite as common in Canada as they are in States, but I do still recall finding the occasional, delicious Hersey’s bar amongst my Halloween treats.}



{Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (as well as Reese’s Pieces) were highly sought after Halloween night treats when I was growing up and I remember they often commanded two or three “lesser” chocolate bars (or a handful of chewy candies) if you were swapping with a friend. This charming 1950s ad is rich with the colour orange, making it perfectly suited to October!}



{Black liquorice is a flavour I instantly and fondly associate with Halloween, particularly in the form of black jelly beans, lollipops, and jujubes, though it most certainly came via Good & Plenty candies, too.}



{Lovely artistry fills this delightful 1929 vintage ad for Wrigley’s Spearmint chewing gum with oodles of vintage Halloween appeal.}



{Hard, sweet and ever so slightly salty, Heath (toffee) bars were always marvelous on their own, enjoyed slowly over the course of a favourite TV program perhaps or, alternatively, crumbled and tossed in with a big bowl of warm popcorn for an easy-for-an-eight-year-to-make spin on caramel corn.}



{An ageless classic, the humble fruit flavoured Lifesavers candy was a frequent Halloween loot bag find, in both miniature roll size and in the form of Lifesavers lollipops, all throughout my childhood – just as they have been for those of trick-or-treaters for decades.}



{A rather solemn looking woman graced this 1955 ad for Aero bars, her expression in stark contrast with the pleasant fun that usually came from letting the Aero bubbles melt on your tongue as you nibbled your way through one of these light milk chocolate bars.}



{Tootsie rolls are a Halloween staple in my books, not only the delicious chewy chocolate variety, but also the Tootsie Fruit Rolls (which feature flavours such as vanilla, lemon, and cherry) which, in Canada at least, you can only ever seem to find in October (and thus I was extra cautious to ration the fruit flavoured Tootsie rolls for as long as I could each year).}



{Tropical beauty flows through this wonderful 1950s ad for Bounty bars, which are shows here with a deep almost red wine and white hued label, which is quite different than the blue, green and white variety that I recall seeing in my pile of Halloween candy. Pretty as the modern wrapper for this tasty coconut candy bar is, I think I prefer the vintage one shown here.}



{To this day Crunchie bars with their deep golden, intensely crisp – yet airy – sponge candy (aka, honeycomb or cinder toffee) centre and thin outer coating of milk chocolate remain one of my favourite sweet treats at Halloween – or any time I need a sugar rush.}



{A true chocolate classic, Cadbury milk chocolate (and Caramilk) bars always went head-to-head with Neilson's Jersey Milk, Nestle Aero, and Hersey’s Milk Chocolate bars when kids debated which “plain” chocolate bar was best.}



{If you were particularly lucky, each Halloween there would be a handful of houses that went above and beyond pint sized chocolate bars, candy corn, lollipops and bubble gum and handed out something extraordinary (by Halloween treat terms) like bags of potato chips or cheese puffs, cans of soda, or boxes of Cracker Jacks, as this fantastic 1950s ad suggests doing.}

{All images above are from Flickr. To learn more about a specific image, please click on it to be taken to its respective Flickr page.}



Gosh, gang, wasn’t that that a swell time?! Did it call to mind happy memories of childhood Halloweens? I hope it did and that you enjoyed this make-believe trick-or-treating excursion (and that you didn’t get too spooked out! :D).

I had a terrific time putting this post together (not surprisingly, I’ve got a hankering for chocolate now!) and I would adore hearing about your favourite (or scariest!) Halloween night memories, what you loved to find in your pumpkin pail, and how you celebrate Halloween these days!

Pretty Link Roundup {September 21, 2009}

Happy Monday, my wonderful dears, how are you each on this last day of summer 2009? I for one am counting down the seconds until autumn – my most beloved of all seasons – begins. Mother Nature has taken a decidedly low-key approach to things here today, gentle rain cascades against the bustling highway that’s visible from our living room window, large grey clouds like bunny tails fill the sky as evening rolls in. There is a sense that summer gearing up to leave, packing its bags (bedecked, I like to imagine, with stickers from the scores of tropical destinations it’s so keen on spending time at) and putting its affairs in order before bowing out gracefully to fall.

I am excited not only about the upcoming season, but about the upcoming blog posts I plan to write that will be focused around autumn; the return of hearty, soul soothing comfort food dishes cooked for long hours, shorter hours of daylight (call me mad, if you wish, but I don’t mind having the sun set earlier in the day because it means that it stays dark later in the morning, something that I’ve always been a fan of), and the cozy joy of being able to wear more than a handkerchief’s worth of fabric without collapsing from the sweltering heat - amongst many other lovely elements of the golden season.



{With the return of autumn comes the grand beauty of falling, rusty jewel toned leaves. Should you have a tree filled yard at your house, such as the one in this vintage 1953 photo from Time Life, that means chances are you’ll soon be raking up piles of leaves to bag – or jump into, as you desire :D}


Tonight however, it’s time for the latest edition of Pretty Link Roundup. I often publish this post on the weekend, but sometimes, such as today, it appears on Monday or some other time of the week. I like to average a link roundup about once a week, but the exact day of its appearance is far from written in stone. For the key element is that such a post gives me a chance to share with you all some of the delightful, fascinating, and often beautiful links that have sprung up on my radar over the past few days. I sincerely hope that you enjoy today’s offerings!

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* Repurposed vintage suitcases: The ever-amazing Karyn of French Charming shares several of her favourite pretty – and hugely creative – ideas for repurposing vintage suitcases, from turning them into pet beds to crafting one into a medicine cabinet.


* Nine reasons why we need to overdress: While not expressly focused on vintage wear, this post from Style Margarine is sure to strike a chord with fashionistas near and far who enjoy dressing lavishly and/or with a distinct personal style.



* Shopping the Old East London Way: The charming blog Polly Farthing Vintage explores some of London’s best shopping districts from days gone by, with the help of collages composed of some absolutely wonderful vintage photos.


* Vintage Coats: 1950s: A swoon-worthy selection of images of fantastically elegant coats from the fifties fills this wonderful post from Couture Allure.


* We’re sharing the best ever Forties beauty secrets: Feel like your beauty routine is in a rut? Need some time-honoured tips on how to look your best? Just love reading about beauty related topics from the past? If you answered yes to any of those points, this advice packed post from Queens of Vintage is definitely for you!


* 8 Ways to Wear Clip on Earrings: While I’d venture to guess that the majority of earring wearers these days have pierced ears (not everyone does though, my beloved mother has never pierced her ears and has always enjoyed wearing clip on), in days gone by clip on earrings were fairly popular, too. While those with pierced ears can certainly still wear clip ons still, too, this article suggests several other creative uses for turning these charming pieces in fashionable accessories such as a rings and ponytail decorations.


* Is applying liquid eyeliner your biggest beauty frustration?: For those who like to incorporate cosmetics into their vintage looks, eye make-up is one of the best ways to instantly convey a 1940s or 50s look – especially if you employ the use of eyeliner (especially classic black liner atop the upper eyelid). Mastering how to apply liquid eyeliner can be tricky to though, but fortunately there’s no need to shy away from using this classic cosmetic, especially when you have handy how-to tips like the ones in this article from Little Miss Make-Up at your disposal.


* Fashion Sneakers: I’m not an avid wearer of sneakers (minus, of course, when exercising), but I do think that with certain casual and/or summer vintage looks, the right type of old fashion looking sneakers can be adorable. In this image based post Millie Motts shares a small handful of vintage ads for deck shoe style sneakers that I certainly wouldn’t mind wearing.


* Ladies Home Journal, 1940: A marvelous assortment of pages scanned from a 1940 copy of Ladies Home Journal fill this post. They’re an awesome look back at the year, including the influence at the time of Gone With The Wind, ladies fashions, and home decor.


* The Depression blues – hard times & helpful hints: A Stitch in Time peers back at the tremendously difficult times faced during the Great Depression and parallels some of the steps people took back then (to survive and make ends meet) to those being adopted by people feeling the economic crunch these days.


* Letters of Note: My darling husband brought this link to my attention, and I’m ever so glad he did as I’ve always been immensely fascinated with genuine examples of antique and vintage letters, notes, postcards, telegraphs and other similar forms of written correspondence, such as those highlighted within the pages of this site.


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Luxurious, captivating and gorgeous are three words that spring to mind whenever I zip over to the chic pages of Blonde and Red. Merging a deep adoration for Marilyn Monroe with a trove of high end, often wonderfully sparkly accessory, jewelry and fashion finds, all the while wearing a vintage vibe through everything, this image focused blog is akin to strolling down a street chocked full of high end streets and a vintage photo gallery.



This week’s Your Blog is an Inspiration award goes to Red and Blonde's terrific site. Thank you B&R for the glam, glittery fabulousness you fill your pages with. I always end up lusting after some treasure you’ve highlighted, and am entranced by the myriad of Marilyn images that showcase each week. Thank you for creating the beautiful blog that you do, it is a wonderful source of inspiration.

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A charming little fashion clip from 1955 featuring a group of glamorously lovely, superbly well dressed women showcasing popular handbag styles takes the video spotlight this week. Which style is your favourite? I’m a fan of the classic doctor’s bag look myself.

{Vintage Handbags: 1955 Newsreel}




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The cloud covered sun has gone to bed for the day since I began writing this post, but the gentle rain and the whirl of water splashing up from countless tires rumbling over the pavement many floors below are both wonderfully audible still. These evening hours are peaceful, lovely moments that seem like the perfect way to usher in fall’s joyful return, setting off the next season on a serene note which I hope will carry through for the remainder of the year.

Wishing you each a splendid week and autumn ahead!

Adventures in vintage advertising: Green Giant Vegetables

Perhaps I was the odd child out, for there was nary a vegetable that I wasn’t a fan of while growing up. While my young relatives and peers found creative ways to mask carrots in crumpled napkins, slip beets to the dog, or feign being too full to possibly consume another bite of squash, I was tucking to my plate of broccoli with almost as much excitement as had it been chocolate cake.

While few things match the culinary experience of freshly harvested veggies, the advent of modern food preservation methods over the past two centuries has helped to ensure that good quality, nutrient rich vegetables are available all year long.

One of the best known and most widely available brands of canned and frozen vegetables is Green Giant, who are perhaps as famous for their hulking verdant mascot the Jolly Green Giant, as they are for the vast assortment of vegetables they package and sell to consumers the world over.

Whenever I buy an item from a brand I know has existed for numerous decades, I find myself joyful over the thought that I’m purchasing something that my grandparents and perhaps even great-grandparents also stocked their home with. I love this sense of a living connection to the past through items that are available to the modern shopper. When picking up a tin of Green Giant sweet peas, I can easily image some distant, beautifully dressed relative from the 1940s doing exactly the same thing on her weekly grocery shopping trip. Such thoughts are entirely nostalgic, I know, but I am of the nostalgic ilk after all.

Green Giant is currently owned by food conglomerate General Mills, but when this brand started out in 1903 it was known as the “Minnesota Valley Canning Company” and specialized in sweet corn. During the 1920s the name Green Giant was introduced to help promote green peas, and by the 50s the brand as a whole had taken on this moniker.

Instantly recognizable as one of North America’s most well known advertising mascots, the Jolly Green Giant appeared on the scene in 1928 (he was named after a variety of large peas called Green Giant). In 1953 this friendly, emerald hued fellow (who, while not the most talkative chap around, is famed for his cheerful “Ho, ho, ho” slogan) made his TV commercial debut and has since stared in a bushel of commercials over the decades, not to mention cardboard standees and vinyl banners in grocery stores, as well as remaining a staple in Green Giant print ads.

In the 1970s the JGG was given a sidekick in the form of a smaller, younger – and rather adorable – green giant named Sprout.

Today Green Giant produces a wide range of vegetable (and fruit) products, from classic canned veggies to frozen side dishes such as mixed vegetable medleys and “steam in the bag” varieties like broccoli with cheese sauce and cut green beans, as well as fresh produce like asparagus, mushrooms, potatoes and kiwi fruit.

In this post however, we’re going to peer back at the older days of Green Giant through some of the companies ads from the mid-twentieth century. Whether you’re a niblet fan or a lover of green peas, there’s sure to be an advertisement below that brings back fond memories or makes you think of the Green Giant commercials and ads that you’ve seen throughout your life.



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{The iconic Jolly Green Giant holds up an equally mammoth ear of corn as rays of sunlight shine around him in this serene and beautiful 1939 advert.}



{This cute ad for peas from 1957 has a sweet hand-drawn quality to it and features a Jolly Green cupid character who strikes me as being something of a precursor for Sprout. Image from Adclassix.com.}



{An elegantly dressed family sits down to dinner with the Jolly Green Giant – who sports a black bow tie – in this 1953 ad, which showedcased the brand’s range of products at the time.}



{This 1950s ad promotes the fact that each can contained two pounds of fresh-picked peas, which makes me think that it was a larger sized can that the ones on shelves today – at least in my neck of the woods.}



{It’s “summer in a can” according to this wonderfully Normal Rockwell-esque example of a tinned corn ad from 1947.}



{The Jolly Green Giant flashed his pearly whites while totting a hefty sized pea pod in this 1955 ad for sweet peas which ran in Family Circle magazine.}



{Famed TV and radio personality (and fellow Canadian!) Art Linkletter lent his image to this 1951 ad for creamed golden sweet corn and Mexican Niblets (corn with diced red and green peppers).}



{A lovely wreath of pods encircle a tin of peas in this festive holiday themed ad from 1951.}



{A sharply dressed young mother watches over two baby carriages, one containing a can of creamed corn, in this charming 1952 ad.}



{This adorable double page ad for sweet peas invited shoppers to send in $2.50 along with proof of purchase if they wanted to take home a darling “Country Girl” doll clad in an outfit featuring an apron with the Jolly Green Giant splashed across it. I’d imagine that this doll is now quite a collectors item.}

{All images above, except for the one example which was denoted otherwise, are from Flickr. To learn more about a specific image, please click on it to be taken to its respective page.}


For even more fantastic vintage Green Giant, be sure to swing by the Gallery of Graphic Design to the collection featured there.

The Green Giant brand is ensconced in both the past and present history of store bought vegetables and canned goods. Their products are tasty, reliable, and as the company’s classic 1930s slogan chimed, they’re “Picked at the fleeting moment of perfect flavour”, making these veggies the perfect year-round staples to have on hand.

Do you have a favourite – past or present – Green Giant product? I for one have always been a big fan of their creamed corn. I know how to make this dish from scratch and often do, but there is still something comforting and wonderful about opening up a tin and eating it by the spoonful (call me odd, but I like really like room temperature or cold cream corn, especially alongside other piping hot foods).

What do memories of Green Giant products, ads, and the friendly mascot duo of the Jolly Green Giant and Sprout, bring to mind for you?

When a friend gives you the Lemonade Stand Award, make more friends by passing it on :)

It seems that those in the fashion, vintage and crafting blog circles are amongst the friendliest and sweetest people I’ve encountered online. Chronically vintage is scarcely three months old and I’ve already been honoured with wonderful blog awards from several immensely lovely people (talk about making a girl feel welcome within the blogging community).

A few days ago the immensely dear Nora (of The Johnson Diaries) and her darling canine companion, Lola, bestowed the Lemonade award upon Chronically Vintage (if you’re not familiar with this wonderful blogging duo be sure to scoot on over to their blog and get acquainted with the wit, wisdom and kindness that flows through their posts).

As the sort of child who was perpetually setting up stands of all sorts to sell treats to my neighbours (I also had a door-to-door homemade bookmark business with my younger siblings when I was 11, we made about $150 in profits over the course of a summer and learned a lot of important lessons about business and marketing at an early age, but I digress), I can really appreciate this award and the cheerful message it’s designed to convey. Sometimes all it takes is a lemonade stand to help bring people together.


{A mere 35 cents is all it took to start a lemonade stand in the 1950s according to this adorable ad. Image via jbcurio’s Flickr stream.}

According to Nora, the idea behind this award is to share some of your favourite newly discovered blogs with your readers, who in turn, may click on the links to said blogs and discover them, too. As someone with a bulging Feed Burner, I can certainly say that I never tire of unearthing new blogs and likewise sharing my finds with my dear readers.

Lately a number of awesome blogs (some well established, some brand new) have caught my eye, and it’s with pleasure that I pass along this wonderful, cheery award to the following twelve sites (all of which I’ve discovered over the past month or so).

{Lemonade Stand Award Recipients}



Gina from The Modern Pinup Girl

Kirsty from Giggly-Cupcake

Diva from Vintage Me

Karen from Bobbins and Bombshells

Stéphanie from Le Blog de Stéphanie

Rosina Lee (and her gorgeous blog of the same name)

Angel from Vintage Angel

Erin from Follow the Tide

Shallow Mallow from Diversions

Guilia from Gone With The Voile

Kathie from My Net Finds

A Vintage Spirit

You are each resplendently lovely ladies with sites teaming full of inspiration and beauty. Thank you for creating the marvelous blogs that you do!



{To give this award to your favourite newly discovered blogs, please save the image below to your own computer or online image hosting site and distribute to whomever you desire.}

If you’ve been tagged above and would like to share this award with others, Nora suggests the following rules:

1.) Accept the award; post it on your blog together with the name of the person who’s given it plus his or her blog link.
2.) Pass the award on (or not, if you’d prefer) to other blogs that you’ve recently discovered.
3.) Link to your nominees within your post.
4.) Contact the nominees to let them know they've been chosen for this award.



{My own photo of a bowlful of lemons, something I always like to keep at the ready for a multitude of culinary uses - most definitely including making lemonade for friends who stop by.}


My very heartfelt thanks to Nora and Lola for bestowing this terrific award on Chronically Vintage. I adore you both and want you to know that you are always welcome for freshly squeezed lemonade, macaroons and a chat at my house anytime, sweet dears!