Estate Planning and the Recipes We Love

Estate Planning and the Recipes We Love

Written by Melinda Gustafson Gervasi

March 14, 2023

March 14th marks Pi Day (3.14159265359)  Celebrated each March 14th, the day allows math fans to challenge one another on who can receite Pi the longest, play math games, and of course, eat pie.  My house is home to three math enthusiats, so it stands out in my life.  Today also seemed like a logical day to share with you the wisdom bestowed in the Scholastic book, Pie, by Sarah Weeks.  

Like many children's books, Pie begins with a child experiencing the death of a loved one.  In this case 10 year old Alice suffers from the sudden death of her beloved Aunt Polly, the Queen of Pie in Ipswitch, Pennsylvania where she operated the bakery PIE.  Having won 13 consecutive Blueberry Awards (a national pie contest), Aunt Polly was quite famous for her wonderful pies.  Wisely, Aunt Polly also embraced her own mortality and completed a will in which she left her famous pie crust recipe to her cat Lardo, and the cat to her niece, Alice.  And so the mystery begins -- how does one leave a recipe to a cat?

The reader follows Alice and her buddy Charlie on a quest to unravel the mystery.  To my delight the story takes an unexpected path, one I won't ruin for those planning to read the book.  I can say that the adventure is a sound reminder of how it is important to make plans for the things you hold dear, such as beloved family recipes.  

Set in the 1950s, the story involves how one writes down a recipe that will live beyond them.  At one point a character in the story suspects that Aunt Polly had tatooted the recipe on Lardo's stomach.  In today's modern world you have options for preserving and passing on recipes that hopefully will avoid the drama and grief displayed in Pie. 

1. Hand write and laminate -- take the old school route and write down a recipe, but add lamination to control for the fragility of ink and paper;
2. Use online tools to make a book of your favorite recipes, even including pictures.  Everyone can be a publisher with a few simple clicks;
3. Become a director and make your own video while you prepare your recipes.  This is a great way to capture those little techniques that are not written down;
4. Go with a Google Docs to type up your recipes and use the SHARE function to allow easy access to your loved ones; and
5. Explore online recipe organizers.  This aritlce from The Kitchen Chalk Board offers 10 different options.  I could not easily determine if any of these sites allow for your file to be accessed by loved ones after you die.  Additionally, web sites may be out of operation ten, twenty or thiry years down the road when your eathly time has ended.

If you have a favorite way to share recipes with your loved ones that is not noted here, please leave a comment and spread the wisdom!  Thanks for reading, and remember that a blog is meant to spark thought and reflection.  It is not a substitute for an attorney.  It is best to seek counsel from an attorney licensed in your state of residence.  Be well and thank you for readhing.