There’s something truly special about being surrounded by people who love cookbooks, stories, and the preservation of old traditions. That’s exactly what I experienced when I talked about my new cookbook, The Modern Pioneer Pantry, the second installment in my Modern Pioneer Cookbook Series, at the Southern Festival of Books 2025 in beautiful Nashville, Tennessee, last weekend.
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Table of Contents
- Southern Festival of Books Cookbook Panel
- Turning a Little Darkness Into a Lot of Light
- From Online Friends to Real-Life Hugs
- A Road Trip Full of Blessings
- Looking Ahead
- Nourished By the Southern Festival of Books Community
- The Modern Pioneer Pantry
- The Modern Pioneer Cookbook
- Download Your Free 36-Page Pantry List
- Join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy
- Kitchen Academy Videos
- Shop for My Favorite Items
Southern Festival of Books Cookbook Panel
I was honored to be invited as a speaker on a panel to share about the time-honored ancestral practices of growing and preserving food—a topic that connects deeply with what I teach in my videos and in both my books (The Modern Pioneer Cookbook and The Modern Pioneer Pantry) as well as what I live every day. Talking about these traditions and how they continue to nourish us with nutrient-dense foods based on ancestral recipes felt like a homecoming!
My Southern Festival of Books Cookbook panel included:
- Mary Bryant Shrader — Author of The Modern Pioneer Pantry
- Kevin West — Author of The Cook’s Garden
- Valerie Frey — Author of Georgia’s Historical Recipes
- Lee Curtis – Our panel moderator
Turning a Little Darkness Into a Lot of Light
After concluding our cookbook panel at the Tennessee State Library and Archives, we left the building and walked outside to the book signing tent, and that’s when the unexpected happened! The sun had set with only twilight remaining, and there were no electric lights in the signing tent. But rather than letting it spoil the moment, everyone pulled out their cell phones and used them to shine flashlights over the table, filling the tent with laughter and good cheer.
It was one of those perfectly imperfect moments that captures what being a Modern Pioneer is all about: making the best of what we have, turning small inconveniences into sweet memories, and finding joy in the community of like-minded home cooks.
We all laughed, hugged, and carried on signing books by the glow of flashlights—proof that a little creativity and a lot of heart can light up even the darkest room!
From Online Friends to Real-Life Hugs
One of the highlights of the day was meeting wonderful new sweet friends and reconnecting with a longtime online friend—someone I’ve known through text messages and emails for over ten years! When we finally saw each other in person, there were hugs, happy tears, and the kind of joy that words can barely describe.
It reminded me that our traditional foods community—all of you who share in this Modern Pioneer journey—is built on real connections. Whether we meet through a screen or across a table, it’s the shared love of nutrient-dense, wholesome foods based on ancestral recipes that binds us together.
A Road Trip Full of Blessings
My sweet husband, Ted, deserves a special shoutout for doing all the driving on our trip from Texas to Tennessee and back. Along the way, we stopped at several Barnes & Noble stores to sign copies of The Modern Pioneer Cookbook and The Modern Pioneer Pantry. It’s always such a joy to see my cookbooks on the shelves and to think about each one making its way into a new traditional foods home kitchen somewhere.
We also stopped at a Books-A-Million in Nashville, and they had The Modern Pioneer Pantry on their shelves too!
Note: If you’d like to find my cookbooks in-person near you, check your local Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, or independent bookstore and ask them to carry The Modern Pioneer Pantry if you don’t see it in the cookbook section!
Looking Ahead
Now that we’re home safe and sound in Central Texas, I’m looking forward to a few more events before the year wraps up. November will bring my last few stops on the Modern Pioneer Pantry 2025 Book Tour, both right here in my hometown. However, if you’re located outside of the Central Texas area, don’t worry. There’s more to come in 2026!
I’m already planning a new round of stops for 2026, and I’d love to meet even more of you sweet friends in person.
Note: If you’d like to invite me to your town for a book signing or workshop, stop by your local Barnes and Noble and put in a request.
Nourished By the Southern Festival of Books Community
The Southern Festival of Books reminded me why I started this journey in the first place: to share the wisdom of our ancestors, to preserve the beauty of simple home cooking, and to connect with others who cherish those same values.
Even when there were no lights in the book signing tent, the joy and laughter reminded me that community—like good food—nourishes us in ways that last far beyond the moment.
Order YOUR COPY Now!
The Modern Pioneer Pantry
Simple ingredients, timeless techniques, and a well-stocked pantry. Discover over 100 nourishing recipes to preserve food and turn pantry staples into homemade meals. Build a wholesome, traditional pantry—just like a modern pioneer!
Order YOUR COPY Now!
The Modern Pioneer Cookbook
Seasonal ingredients, traditional techniques, and nourishing recipes. Over 85 traditional, from-scratch recipes! Discover for yourself how you can use simple ingredients and traditional techniques to cook the modern pioneer way.
Start Your Traditional Foods Journey
Sharing my passion for traditional cooking goes beyond my YouTube cooking school—it also comes to life in the pages of my cookbooks. Both of my books, The Modern Pioneer Cookbook and The Modern Pioneer Pantry, are proudly published by Penguin Random House.
The first is filled with time-honored recipes to help you create a traditional foods kitchen, while the second is your complete guide to home food preservation. Order both books today to start or continue your traditional foods journey.
Download Your Free 36-Page Pantry List
For an extensive list of the traditional foods you can make and purchase to stock your pantry, be sure to download my free 36-page Traditional Foods Pantry List. This comprehensive eBook is full of links to recipe videos, helpful articles, and more!
Join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy
Are you looking for more traditional foods videos? If so, I invite you to join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy. Members of this optional paid YouTube community get access to exclusive videos and other members-only perks. Plus, your YouTube comments include a special members-only badge.
Kitchen Academy Videos
How to Make Oatmeal Higher in Protein (The Old-Fashioned Way)
Turn simple oats into a hearty, protein-rich porridge.
The Only Traditional Recipes You’ll Ever Need!
Focus on traditional recipes with real food. Don’t chase trends.
Let’s Talk Akkermansia: A Tiny Helper for Big Gut Health
Discover how Akkermansia muciniphila supports gut and immune health—and how traditional foods help this mighty microbe thrive.
Stay in Touch with Mary’s Nest
- Subscribe to My YouTube Channel for Traditional Foods Videos (Free) - When you subscribe, be sure to click on the notification bell that will let you know each time I upload a new video.
- Subscribe to Mary’s Traditional Foods Newsletter (Free) - Get a free 36-page eBook for signing up: How to Stock Your Essential Traditional Foods Four-Corners Pantry.
- Join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy - For more detailed videos and exclusive members-only perks, join my YouTube membership community.
- Order The Modern Pioneer Cookbook - Get a hardcover book of Mary's nourishing recipes from a Traditional Foods Kitchen. This bestselling cookbook is published by Penguin Random House with their DK imprint.
- Order The Modern Pioneer Pantry - Get Mary's latest hardcover cookbook about preserving food and making delicious meals from your Four Corners Pantry. Mary's second cookbook is also published by Penguin Random House.
I look forward to having you join me in my Texas Hill Country Kitchen!
Shop for My Favorite Items
Favorite Kitchen Supplies
- Favorite Aprons
- Spice Grinder
- Countertop Burner (On my kitchen island in many recipe videos.)
- Handheld Vacuum Sealing System
- Vacuum Lids
- Whisk
- Silica Gel Packets (Helps keep moisture from building up in your mix)
- Cast Iron Dutch Oven
- 8-Quart Slow-Cooker
- Fat Separator (Clever kitchen device to help you decant bone broth)
- Flour Sack Towels
- pH Strips (Helps you check on the acidity of your vinegar)
Amazon Shop and Shopping Guide
- Visit Mary’s Nest Amazon Shop
- Get a 30-day Audible trial with a free audiobook
- Visit my Shopping Guide page
Get up to 15% off for stocking your Traditional Foods Pantry and equipping your Modern Pioneer Kitchen, including discounts from US Wellness Meats, Farmhouse Teas, Backwoods Home, Masontops, Cultures for Health, Survival Garden Seeds, Redmond Real Salt, and More!
