Born to John and Mary Farmer on March 23, 1857; in Boston, MA. She was “… the eldest of four daughters” (Moskin, 2018).
At an early age, her family moved to Medford, MA. “Farmer was raised in nearby Medford by genteel but financially struggling parents, John Franklin Farmer, a printer and editor, and Mary Watson Merritt. A great-niece described them as ‘Unitarian and bookish’” (Moskin, 2018).
Farmer was described as a “fiery red-head with a huge amount of energy” (Kimball, 2009).
Her parents were planning to send her to college, but at the age of 16 she had a stroke and was partially paralyzed for 10 years.
Early in her recovery, Farmer took up cooking, eventually turning her mother’s home into a boarding house that developed a reputation for the quality meals it served” (Fannie, n.d.). She also regained her ability to walk, but with a limp.
As a young adult she started cooking and housekeeping to help support her parents. She was employed by Mrs. Charles Shaw, as “mother’s help.” During her employment she taught her daughter Marcia how to cook. “In her 20s, Farmer was finally allowed to work, becoming a kind of governess in the home of a wealthy family friend. It was her employer who encouraged Farmer to expand her culinary knowledge…” (Moskin, 2018).
In 1888, at the age 31, she started taking classes at the Boston Cooking-School where she excelled.
Upon graduating in 1889, she became the school’s assistant director; and in 1891, she became the director for 11 years.
In 1896, she published her first cookbook titled, Boston Cooking-School Cook Book; which was a revision to Mrs. Lincoln's Boston Cook Book published earlier in1884. Farmer’s book was an immediate success.
In 1902, she opened her own cooking school called Miss Farmer’s School of Cookery in Boston, MA. It remained open for 42 years; and closed in 1944.
Later in her life, Farmer (wheel-chair bound from another stroke) gave lectures on cooking, diet and nutrition, and feeding the sick. “She became a multimedia culinary force, a frequent figure on the lecture circuit whose weekly lectures were published in The Boston Evening Transcript. (She was one of the first women to lecture at Harvard Medical School.)” (Moskin, 2018).
Farmer never married; nor had any children.
Farmer worked continuously until 10 days before she died. She died January 15, 1915, at the age of 57 from complications of a stroke.
In her honor, her name was and is licensed to Fanny Farmer Candy Shops, although Farmer had nothing to do with the retailer or their recipes.
Farmer Accomplishments
Cooking enthusiast and expert.
Teacher, lecturer, author, writer, editor, and food advocate.
Creator of the modern recipe format.
Brought “scientific methods and measurements to cooking” (Moskin, 2018).
Creator of the American dish called “meat and potatoes.”
Wrote one of the greatest cookbooks.
Opened The Boston Cooking-School.
Food editor for Woman’s Home Companion magazine.
The first woman lecturer at Harvard Medical School.
Farmer’s Bibliography
1896 – Boston Cooking-School Cook Book; later revised to The Fannie Farmer Cookbook by Marion Cunningham (1979 and 1990).
1898 – Chafing Dish Possibilities
1904 – Food and Cookery for the Sick and Convalescent
1905 – A Book of Good Dinners for My Friend or “What to Have for Dinner”
1908 – Cresca Dainties: A Collection of Practical Recipes
1911 – Catering for Special Occasions, with Menus and Recipes
1912 – A New Book of Cookery
1913 – Rumford Home Recipes
Farmer’s Cookbook: The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book
Cookbook Description:
Published in 1896 by Little, Brown and Company.
623 pages.
A re-vision to Mrs. Lincoln's Boston Cook Book published earlier in 1884.
A comprehensive cooking guide for all women, but especially housewives.
Contains over 1,800 recipes; and other homemaking and nutritional topics.
Well-organized; with easy-to-follow recipes.
The recipes were repeatedly tested in Farmer’s classes and demonstrations.
Farmer used a scientific and systematic approach to cooking, which included scientific explanations and exact measurements.
Farmer introduced and promoted standardized measurements (cups, teaspoons, etc.) in her recipes.
First edition book sales were a success; with many editions following. It has never gone out of print.
It was later updated to The Fannie Farmer Cookbook by Marion Cunningham in 1979 and 1990.