Lazy Housewife Pickles. Mystery Pie. Love Letters. Jellied Smoked Tongue Loaf.

Those are a few of the colorful recipe names I found in “Forum Favorites,” a 1977 cookbook by the Forum’s founder, Nancy Erickson.

“As newly appointed editor of the department which was then called ‘women’s news’ at the Everett Herald, one of my first assignments in the fall of 1972 was to create a reader column to exchange homemaking ideas and recipes,” Erickson wrote in the foreword. “The Forum was born.”

The column initially appeared two to three times a week, but with the amount of recipes readers sent in, she was able to turn it into a daily feature (by the way, I am always accepting reader recipes for the Forum, so send in your favorites!)

This compilation of Forum recipes was donated to me by a very kind reader (Thank you, Melissa!) and there are so many recipes to share.

“Forum Favorites” contains a lot of loaves, mayonnaise, gelatin and casseroles. It was also published before MSG was wrongly and unscientifically given a bad rep, so several recipes contain this wonderful flavor enhancer.

I picked out three Mason jar-friendly recipes to start. My personal notes are attached, as not all recipes were clear on ingredients or directions. Let us know if you try them!

Green Tomato Mincemeat

Betty Griffith wrote that this recipe came from Maine and “is excellent.”

Ingredients

1 pint green tomatoes, finely chopped

3 large apples*, finely chopped

3 tablespoons flour

1/2 cup vinegar*

2 cups brown sugar*

1 cup molasses

Spices to taste*

Salt to taste

Mix all the ingredients together and use for pie filling.

*Taylor’s notes: Tart apples like Granny Smith or Pink Lady would work well here. I suggest using apple cider vinegar here, as I’ve seen it in other mincemeat recipes. Feel free to adjust the amount of sugar. For spices, I suggest one teaspoon each of ginger, allspice and cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves. Add your personal touch with dried and candied fruits, nuts and citrus. You could also combine all the ingredients in a large saucepan for 1-2 hours until the mixture cooks down and thickens to a lovely dark color, then seal in sterilized jars. When cooked, this filling would be great spooned over ice cream, baked into cake or muffins, used as a doughnut filling or eaten straight from the jar.

Lazy Housewife Pickles

Many readers sent in variations on this popular pickle recipe.

Ingredients

2 cups sugar

1 cup salt

1 cup dry mustard

1 gallon vinegar

2 gallons medium cucumbers*

Mix sugar, salt, dry mustard and “a small amount” of vinegar in a bowl to form a paste. Wash and pack two gallons of medium cucumbers into jars. Add remaining vinegar to paste and stir until well blended. Pour over cucumbers and seal.

Variations: For spicier pickles, add 1 tablespoon each ground cloves, cinnamon, allspice and/or mustard seed. Brown sugar may be substituted for the white.

Taylor’s notes: I Googled “how many cucumbers in a gallon” and apparently, the answer is five pounds. So, Lazy Housewife Pickles calls for about 10 pounds total. You can also halve this recipe.

Alaska Rhubarb-Onion Relish

Cleo Downing suggests this with wild game, fowl or any meat.

Ingredients

1 quart rhubarb, chopped

1 quart white onions, diced

1 pint vinegar*

1 tablespoon salt

4 cups brown sugar*

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon red pepper sauce (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and boil mixture slowly until thick, stirring often. Seal in sterilized jars.

Taylor’s notes: White or apple cider vinegar should work well here. I would not blame you for cutting down on the sugar, but hey, it’s probably most delicious when prepared as written.

Send your favorite recipes to food reporter Taylor Goebel at taylor.goebel@heraldnet.com or call (425) 339-3046. Twitter: @TaylorGoebel. Join The Daily Herald’s food-centered Facebook group, SnohomDish