What to do with collectible cookbooks

I need your help. Again.

Last December, I wrote about a Cedar Rapids woman who lost her cookbooks in the Floods of 2008.

I was hoping to catch you in the holiday spirit the week of Christmas, asking for donations to help replenish Phyllis Kriz's collection.

You didn't disappoint. By the end of that day, I had more than enough cookbooks for Phyllis and plenty to give to other flood victims.

Last week Dennis Irey of Cedar Rapids called and said he had four boxes of his mother's cookbooks he wanted to give to me to pass along.

His mother, the late Emily Irey, was a “cookaholic,” he says. She was Czech and loved to make things from scratch, especially noodles and dumplings.

Looking through Emily's collection, I couldn't help but think some of the items could be valuable to collectors. Among the items are all 20 volumes of the Better Homes and Gardens Encyclopedia of Cooking from the early 1970s and old pamphlets and guides from appliance and food companies.

I also have several older Betty Crocker and Better Homes and Gardens books donated by Deb and Eric Berg of Robins. I'm not sure of their value, but I know there is a market for vintage items.

Here's where I need your help. I would like to sell some of the more collectible items and donate the proceeds to flood recovery efforts in Eastern Iowa. But I can't quite figure out how I should do it.

If you have any ideas, please contact me.

And for flood victims who are still in need of cookbooks, I still have some to give away.

Here's a recipe for plum dumplings I found in Emily Irey's old ZCBJ Drill Team cookbook put out by the Western Fraternal Life Association of Cedar Rapids.

PLUM DUMPLINGS (Svestkove knedliky)1 1/2 cups mashed potatoes1 1/2 cups flour1 teaspoon salt1/4 cup farina or cream of wheat2 beaten eggsAbout 20 plumsMix mashed potatoes, flour, salt and farina or cream of wheat. Add eggs, kneading with hands until thoroughly blended. Roll out on a floured board to less than 1/4-inch in thickness. Cut into 2 1/4-inch to 3-inch squares. Mold and pinch dough around plums. Drop into boiling salted water for about 12 minutes or until they float to the top. Remove to serving dish. Serve hot, topped with cottage cheese, cinnamon and sugar and melted butter.

1 1/2 cups mashed potatoes

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup farina or cream of wheat

2 beaten eggs

About 20 plums

Mix mashed potatoes, flour, salt and farina or cream of wheat. Add eggs, kneading with hands until thoroughly blended. Roll out on a floured board to less than 1/4-inch in thickness. Cut into 2 1/4-inch to 3-inch squares. Mold and pinch dough around plums. Drop into boiling salted water for about 12 minutes or until they float to the top. Remove to serving dish. Serve hot, topped with cottage cheese, cinnamon and sugar and melted butter.

From Helen Secl, “Favorite Recipes Z.C.B.J. Drill Team, Especially Czech”