I’ve been reviewing and trying to figure out how to organize old files and photos currently saved on a couple of dozen hard drives, which includes some backup copies (although not all are currently backed up, unfortunately). The filing system is largely chronological, but not consistently so.

But here’s a prize retrieved this morning. It’s my mother’s recipe for mango chutney.

She graduated from the University of Hawaii in 1935 with a degree in home economics. She was a student of Professor Carey D. Miller, a prominent nutritionist, and worked with Miller after earning her degree. She was continually tweaking the recipe as the mango trees matured, bringing slight changes in the chemistry of the mangoes, and their interaction with other ingredients.

She died in 2013 not long before her 99th birthday. I don’t know if this was her “final” version of the recipe. The handwritten notes indicate it was still a lifetime work in progress. And the stains show he kept it handy while cooking.

Now I’ll be challenged to give it a try. I admit to being quite intimidated.