From the kitchen of Ruth PembertonRuth’s California Kitchen

Nobody in this town was trying to live longer. They were trying to eat well on very little.

I have lived in Loma Linda, California since I was a girl. I make no claim about your health. What I have is one hundred and eighty entries on the pantry, the tinned oddities, the community cookbook, the potluck table and a back garden that never stops.

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The Loma Linda Way

199 pages · 180 entries · 12 chapters · PDF and EPUB · 7-day refund

Get the Book · $37 Book + Challenge · $47

Or just the 30-Day Challenge · $17

The Loma Linda Way, the book
The 30-Day Loma Linda Kitchen Challenge, the workbook

The Loma Linda Way

199 pages · 180 entries · 12 chapters · PDF and EPUB · read on any device · 7-day refund

Get the Book · $37 Book + Challenge · $47

Or just the 30-Day Challenge · $17

From the kitchen of Ruth PembertonSubstitutions

Everyone who has heard of this town expects the same four things. This book gives none of them.

Below is exactly what people usually come looking for, and what they get instead. I would rather lose the sale than promise you the column on the left.

Nothing on this page is a promise about your health, your weight or how long you will live. I am not able to make that promise, and I am not going to pretend otherwise.

$37. Once. The back garden runs all twelve months either way.

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$37 once · emailed instantly · PDF and EPUB

A food or two that add years to your lifeThe claim behind most books like thisNo such food exists

The real meals a Loma Linda household actually lived onChapters 1 to 4 · 60 entries

A strict diet or eating plan to followUsually sold alongside the claimNo plan was ever followed

A whole year of growing and gathering it yourselfChapters 5 and 6 · 30 entries

One secret ingredient nobody else knowsThe usual hookThere was never just one

Family, village and the daily rhythm, in fullChapters 7 to 9 · 45 entries

A doctor explaining the scienceHow these claims get their authorityRuth is not a doctor

Her own belief, always named plainly as beliefEvery chapter, marked as opinion

The words “Blue Zone” on the coverA trademark, not a factSomeone else’s brand name

The real place, and what actually happened thereChapters 10 to 12 · 45 entries

Twelve chapters, and not one of them makes the promise on the left.

This book makes no claim about your health, your weight or how long you will live. It describes one household’s way of life in one place. What you take from it is yours to decide.

Ruth Pemberton at her kitchen table
Ruth, at the kitchen table
From the kitchen of Ruth PembertonAbout the cook
“Nobody was trying to live longer. They were trying to feed a family well on very little.”

I have lived in Loma Linda, California since I was a girl. I grew up on flaked cereals out of Battle Creek, tinned things most Americans had never heard of, a community cookbook held together with tape, and a back garden that ran all year.

People come now and ask what this town knows. I think they expect something mystical. What there actually was: households that cooked without meat because it was cheap and habitual, a garden in a climate that never really stops, and a great many women who wrote down what worked and handed it to each other.

So that is this book. American food history, from a town that got there decades early. What the pantry held, what the potluck table held, what the tin actually contained and what a good cook did with it.

Read it in any order. The pantry chapter is the one people finish first.

The deal this book makes with you.

A promise that this food adds years to your lifeNo page in this book claims that, and none ever will. What is here is how the food was made, and why, nothing more.
A doctor, a scientist, or a clinical claimRuth is not a doctor. Where she believes something works, the book says so plainly, as her own opinion, never as a fact.
The words “Blue Zone” anywhere in this bookThat name belongs to someone else’s brand. This book tells you about the real place and the real household instead.
A diet plan, a meal schedule, or a rule to followThere is no plan here. Only a description of how one household actually ate, in its own words, across a whole year.
A sermon, or a word of doctrineThis is a book about food. A church community shaped how this town cooked, and the book says so as plain history. It explains no belief, quotes no scripture, and asks nothing of you.
Ruth
From the kitchen of Ruth PembertonThe pantry shelf

12 chapters, 180 entries, 199 pages.

Every entry is one page. The old way, in her own words. Then how you might bring a little of it into your own home today. Then one line worth remembering, and a photograph, because a description of an old pantry is worth far less than a picture of one.

You do not need to read it start to finish. Most people open it wherever their own life needs it that week. One jar on the sill for each chapter. Tap a jar to go to it.

  1. 1

    The Table We Set Most Days

    15 entries · the free chapter

    The Bean Pot That Started on Sunday Night · Lentil Loaf, the Weeknight Roast · Creamed Peas on Toast

    All 15 entries
    1. The Bean Pot That Started on Sunday Night
    2. Lentil Loaf, the Weeknight Roast
    3. Creamed Peas on Toast
    4. Cottage Cheese, the Everyday Standby
    5. Milk Gravy and the Cast-Iron Skillet
    6. The Vegetable Plate Supper
    7. Cornbread Baked in the Skillet
    8. Baked Macaroni and Cheese
    9. The Salad Bowl and the Shaker Jar of Dressing
    10. Split Pea Soup, Thick Enough to Stand a Spoon
    11. Whole Wheat Bread, Two Loaves at a Time
    12. The Rice Casserole
    13. Scalloped Potatoes, the Dish That Fed Eight
    14. Sunday Dinner, Cooked on Saturday
    15. The Extra Chair at Our Table
  2. 2

    What Came Out of Battle Creek

    15 entries

    Granola, Before It Meant a Bar · The Flaked Grain Accident of 1894 · Corn Flakes and the Falling-Out

    All 15 entries
    1. Granola, Before It Meant a Bar
    2. The Flaked Grain Accident of 1894
    3. Corn Flakes and the Falling-Out
    4. Ruskets, the Pressed Wheat Biscuit
    5. Zwieback, the Bread Baked Twice
    6. The Hot Cereal Pot
    7. Cracked Wheat and the Double Boiler
    8. Shredded Wheat and the Bowl of Hot Milk
    9. The Long-Chewed Cereal
    10. Peanut Butter, Also From the Sanitarium
    11. Wheat Germ in the Icebox
    12. The Bran Muffin
    13. Cornmeal Mush, Sliced and Fried
    14. Dates and Raisins on the Cereal
    15. The Breakfast That Was the Big Meal
  3. 3

    The Tins and the Gluten Steaks

    15 entries

    Wheat Gluten, Washed Out at the Sink · Gluten Steaks in Their Broth · Protose, the First of Them

    All 15 entries
    1. Wheat Gluten, Washed Out at the Sink
    2. Gluten Steaks in Their Broth
    3. Protose, the First of Them
    4. Nuttolene, Smooth and Pale
    5. Nuteena, the Peanut Loaf I Still Miss
    6. Vege-Burger and the Skillet Patty
    7. Big Franks, and What a Case Cost
    8. Choplets and the Breaded Cutlet
    9. FriChik and Its Good Broth
    10. Little Links in the Casserole
    11. The Soy Milk Powder and the Blender
    12. The Nut Loaf, Made From Scratch
    13. The Dry Granules in the Jar
    14. Peanut Butter in the Savoury Pot
    15. Buying by the Case at the Health Food Store
  4. 4

    Sweets, Fruit and the Cup That Was Not Coffee

    15 entries

    Postum, the Cup at Six in the Morning · Carob, Which Was Not Chocolate · Date Bars

    All 15 entries
    1. Postum, the Cup at Six in the Morning
    2. The Barley and Chicory Brews
    3. Carob, Which Was Not Chocolate
    4. Date Bars
    5. Applesauce Cake
    6. The Fruit Plate as Dessert
    7. Orange Juice, Squeezed by Hand
    8. Lemonade in a Sweating Pitcher
    9. Ice Cream in the Hand-Crank Freezer
    10. Peanut Butter and Honey
    11. Fruit Soup From the Dried Fruit Box
    12. The Birthday Cake and the Egg Count
    13. Rhubarb by the Back Fence
    14. The Cold Drink Nobody Had to Buy
    15. The Cookie Tin and the Rule About It
  5. 5

    The Back Garden, Month by Month

    15 entries

    January, and the Bare Root Week · March, When the Tomatoes Go In · December, Greens Through Christmas

    All 15 entries
    1. January, and the Bare Root Week
    2. February, the First Green and the Blossom
    3. March, When the Tomatoes Go In
    4. April, and the Bean Rows
    5. May, the Squash and the Melon Hill
    6. June, the Shade Cloth Goes Up
    7. July, Watering at Five in the Morning
    8. August, the Hard Month
    9. September, Turning the Beds
    10. October, the Cool-Season Sowing
    11. November, Garlic and the Onion Sets
    12. December, Greens Through Christmas
    13. The Compost Corner
    14. The Seed Tin and the Paper Envelope
    15. The Furrow, the Basin and the Slow Hose
  6. 6

    The Fruit Trees and the Orange Belt

    15 entries

    The Navel Orange and Its Two Parent Trees · The Lemon Tree by the Back Door · Marmalade, Peel and the Last of It

    All 15 entries
    1. The Navel Orange and Its Two Parent Trees
    2. The Valencia, for the Summer Glass
    3. The Lemon Tree by the Back Door
    4. The Grapefruit Nobody Planted On Purpose
    5. Smudge Pots on a Cold Night
    6. The Packing House and the Cull Box
    7. The Avocado, Which Arrived Late
    8. Loquats in April
    9. Figs, Twice a Year
    10. Persimmons, the Two Kinds
    11. Pomegranates on the Fence Line
    12. Apricots and the Drying Tray
    13. The Grape Arbour and the Shade It Made
    14. The Bag of Fruit on the Front Step
    15. Marmalade, Peel and the Last of It
  7. 7

    The House and the People In It

    15 entries

    The Kitchen Table as the Centre of the House · The Screen Door and Who Came Through It · What We Kept of Our Mothers

    All 15 entries
    1. The Kitchen Table as the Centre of the House
    2. Grandmother in the Back Bedroom
    3. Children at the Sink
    4. The Day Nobody Cooked
    5. The Screen Door and Who Came Through It
    6. The Ironing Board and the Radio
    7. The Recipe Card in Somebody Else’s Hand
    8. The Front Porch in the Evening
    9. Eating at the Same Hour Every Day
    10. The Guest Room and Who Slept In It
    11. The Aunt Who Never Married
    12. Teaching a Child One Whole Dish
    13. The Sick Tray
    14. The Jobs Nobody Was Asked to Do
    15. What We Kept of Our Mothers
  8. 8

    The Potluck Table and the Neighbourhood

    15 entries

    The Fellowship Hall and Its Long Tables · Haystacks and the Assembly Line · Returning the Dish Full

    All 15 entries
    1. The Fellowship Hall and Its Long Tables
    2. The Dish You Were Known For
    3. Haystacks and the Assembly Line
    4. The Carrier and the Folded Towel
    5. Counting Heads Wrong on Purpose
    6. The Salad End of the Table
    7. The Bean Bake in the Big Roaster
    8. The Serving Spoon Problem
    9. Keeping It Hot at the Hall
    10. The Dessert Table and the Rule of Two
    11. Returning the Dish Full
    12. The Meal Sent to a House in Trouble
    13. Feeding the Students
    14. The Neighbourhood Exchange
    15. The Recipe on the Back of an Envelope
  9. 9

    The Shape of an Ordinary Day

    15 entries

    Up Before the Heat · Dinner at Noon · The Evening Walk Around the Block

    All 15 entries
    1. Up Before the Heat
    2. Breakfast Before the Work
    3. The Morning in the Garden
    4. Dinner at Noon
    5. The Afternoon Rest
    6. Supper, Light and Early
    7. Walking to Everything
    8. The Evening Walk Around the Block
    9. The Kitchen That Closed
    10. Water Through the Day
    11. The Standing Jobs
    12. The Radio Hour and the Handwork
    13. Bed Early, and the Dark Room
    14. The Same Meal on the Same Weekday
    15. The Day the Week Turned
  10. 10

    The Turning Year and Its Holidays

    15 entries

    February and the Citrus Glut · August, the Canning Month · Thanksgiving Without a Turkey

    All 15 entries
    1. New Year and the Black-Eyed Peas
    2. February and the Citrus Glut
    3. The Spring Table
    4. The Memorial Day Picnic
    5. The Fourth of July, Our Version
    6. The Fruit Stand on the Highway
    7. August, the Canning Month
    8. September and the Lunch Box
    9. The October Harvest Supper
    10. Thanksgiving Without a Turkey
    11. The Roast Out of a Tin
    12. December Baking Week
    13. Christmas Oranges and the Nut Bowl
    14. The Cold Snap and the Sheets on the Garden
    15. The Last Jar of the Old Year
  11. 11

    Hands, Jars and the Community Cookbook

    15 entries

    The Community Cookbook, Spiral Bound · The Names Beside the Recipes · Writing It Down Properly, at Last

    All 15 entries
    1. The Community Cookbook, Spiral Bound
    2. The Names Beside the Recipes
    3. The Books That Started It, 1892 and 1904
    4. Why Acid Decides the Method
    5. Where to Get the Real Instructions
    6. Jam and the Sugar Ration
    7. Drying on Trays
    8. When the Freezer Arrived
    9. Pickles and the Crock
    10. The Button Tin and the Darning Egg
    11. The Cast Iron and the Salt
    12. Cooking Without a Scale
    13. Sharpening, and the Small Repair
    14. The Recipe You Must Watch Somebody Make
    15. Writing It Down Properly, at Last
  12. 12

    Growing Old With Something to Do

    15 entries

    Nobody Retired From the Garden · The Standing Invitation · A Reason to Rise Tomorrow

    All 15 entries
    1. Nobody Retired From the Garden
    2. The Job That Was Yours
    3. Cooking for One, and Refusing To
    4. The Standing Invitation
    5. Keeping a List of Names
    6. The Walk You Do Not Skip
    7. Being Useful to Somebody Younger
    8. The Chair by the Window
    9. Learning One New Thing a Year
    10. The Hands That Still Shell Beans
    11. Giving the Recipes Away
    12. The Small Repair
    13. Keeping the House Open
    14. Saying Yes to the Ride
    15. A Reason to Rise Tomorrow
Get the Book · $37 Or read Chapter 1 first, free
The 30-Day Loma Linda Kitchen Challenge, cover
From the kitchen of Ruth Pemberton$17 alone, or with the book for $47

The 30-Day Loma Linda Kitchen Challenge

Thirty days in a kitchen that has cooked without meat for a hundred years. The jars, the back garden, the old cookbook and the potluck table, one plain thing each day.

  • Week one: the pantry and the jars, from granola to gluten
  • Week two: a back garden that runs twelve months
  • Week three: the old cookbook, the loaf and the casserole
  • Week four: the potluck table, and your name under a recipe
Get the Challenge · $17 Both · $47

The Loma Linda Way is $37 and the challenge is $17. Together they are $47.

From the kitchen of Ruth PembertonQuestions

Questions people ask

Is this a diet book?

No. It is a description of a way of living, food included. It makes no promise about your own health, your weight or how long you will live.

Is there medical or financial advice in it?

None, deliberately. Ruth is not a doctor, a nutritionist or a financial adviser. Where she shares her own belief about why something worked, the book marks it plainly as her opinion, never as guidance.

Is this a religious book?

No. Loma Linda's cooking grew up inside a church community, and the book says so because that is the history of the food. There is no doctrine in it, no scripture, and nothing anywhere in it asks you to believe anything or to live any particular way.

Is the canning in here safe to follow?

This is the strictest part of the book, and it is strict in an unusual way: it prints no canning process of its own. It explains why acidity decides the method and why low-acid food needs a pressure canner, then routes you to a currently tested source such as the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning. It also says plainly that I am not a food scientist.

Is any of this historically accurate?

The food and customs described are real, checked against the historical and cultural record. Ruth tells it in her own voice, the way a grandmother would tell it at her own table.

Why doesn’t the book use the words “Blue Zone”?

Because that name belongs to someone else’s brand. This book describes the actual place and the actual household instead of borrowing someone else’s label.

What do I get, and is it a subscription?

Two files, emailed the moment you buy: a 199-page PDF for reading or printing at home, and an EPUB for Kindle and e-readers so you can set your own type size. You pay once. Nothing renews.

Can I get it on paper?

Not as a printed book. It is a digital book you can print yourself, which is what keeps it at $37 instead of what a 199-page illustrated hardback would cost.

There was never a secret in this town. Only a garden, a good pantry, and a table with extra chairs.

12 chapters on the pantry, the Battle Creek inventions, the community cookbook, the potluck table, the back garden and the turning year of a California town. 199 pages, 180 entries, a photograph on nearly every one. $37, once.

Read it for a week. If it is not for you, I do not want your money. Read it for seven days. If it has not given you something worth keeping, write to me and I will refund every cent, no questions. Pay once and it is yours to keep, on your phone, your tablet, or printed at your own kitchen table.

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The Loma Linda Way

It is a book to dip into, not to finish in one sitting. 12 chapters, each one a different part of the same life.

Makes
199 pages · 180 entries · 12 chapters
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$59$37

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2

The Complete Set

The book is the town. The challenge is the month you cook your way through its kitchen. Separately they are $37 and $17. Together they are $47, and everything arrives in the same email.

$47The Complete Set · $47
3

The 30-Day Loma Linda Kitchen Challenge

Thirty days, one plain thing each day.

$17Get the Challenge · $17
4

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Read Chapter 1, The Table We Set Most Days, first. It is free.

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