When my friend author Kathleen Kohler told me she was going to bake a peach cobbler my taste buds went on high alert and my mind somersaulted to my past as I recalled the succulent fragrance of my mother canning peaches from our tree.
I imagined my friend Kathleen later extracting her steamy cobbler from her oven: the aroma of bubbling peaches and warm dough filling her kitchen. Peach pies I’d eaten decades ago danced through my mind and my mouth salivated.
Photo and mouth-watering peach cobbler by Kathleen Kohler.
The sense of smell is closely linked with memory, perhaps more so than any of our other senses, such as sight and touch. This phenomenon happens spontaneously, with a smell often acting as a trigger in recalling a long-forgotten experience or event.
In addition to being the sense most closely linked to memory, smell is also highly individual. Studies have confirmed that women have a superior sense of smell.
There are certain odors that all humans find offensive, fortunately, because they warn us of danger, such as smoke or of rotten food. My husband hates mothballs, but they remind me of my grandma’s attic in CT. Yet since they are reportedly bad for the health I use cedar spray. Ah, another scent that reminds me of Christmas and my parents’ cabin in the forest.
Do you love the smell of used books? When you walk into a library or a secondhand bookstore, do you enjoy that unique aroma so loved that many avid readers still prefer physical books over the convenience of their digital versions?
A whiff of coffee wakes me up faster than an alarm clock & puts me in a better mood.
Barbecued burgers on the grill might conjure up recollections of childhood picnics. Cinnamon toast reminds me of my mother as I walked into the kitchen door after school. Tea and cinnamon toast every day.
Most writers are keenly aware of the sense of smell and use it to their advantage when creating a scene. When an author fails to include scent the writing feels flat.
One of my favorite perfumes is the aftermath of rainfall. Or the back of a baby’s neck. Buttered popcorn might remind me of a movie I haven’t seen for twenty years — or the emotions I felt from the film or of the person I was with.
Can you think of fragrances that spiral you back to your childhood? What do you think of when you smell roses or lilies? Or freshly baked chocolate chip cookies? When you inhale a trace of your grandmother’s perfume, how do you feel? If you could only pick a favorite scent what would it be?
Amish-made Tea Towel & Potholder from Lancaster County.
Leave a comment and enter to win this Amish-made tea towel and potholder, plus a copy of one signed novel from The Legacy of Lancaster Trilogy: CBA bestseller Leaving Lancaster, Pennsylvania Patchwork, or Forever Amish. Winner has three days to respond. USA and Canada.
PS: Kathleen’s cobbler recipe comes from Betty Crocker, however Kathleen uses twice the amount of fruit and one-third less sugar, and says it tastes delicious with vanilla bean ice cream.
I love the smell of lilacs – they always remind me of playing among my grandmother’s lilac bushes, as a child.
I enjoyed your post, Kate – and would love to read one of your books!! Thanks for the giveaway opportunity!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed my post, Bonnie! Thanks for leaving a comment. I can almost smell the lilacs in bloom and imagine your childhood delight. You haven’t read one of my books? I hope you get a chance to read one soon, perhaps as the winner of this giveaway. Good luck!
Kate
My father owned a bakery before he was married, but later when he made bread (with 8 kids, when he made it he made a lot of it), the smell just went through the house and smelled good, as well as his sugar cookies. I sure wish he was around to still bake it. I make his sugar cookies, but no way can I make his bread. I would be happy if I could win the towel and pot holder. Thank you for allowing us to try to win it.
Thank you for leaving your delightful comment, Marilyn! No bread bakers in my family when I was growing up so I can only imagine the absolutely fabulous aroma in your house as he prepared enough for 8 kids plus 2 adults. I miss my father too, even without the bread and sugar cookies. Good luck in the giveaway!
Kate
Mothers making grape jelly and grape pie, oh my what a wonderful. Smell. Taste was much better. Have a wonderful day. Love your books.
Thanks for entering the giveaway, Mary Keppel!
the smell of ham and cabbage cooking always reminds me of my dad. It was one of our favorite meals!
Ham and cabbage cooking sounds yummy, Jodee, especially if it reminds you of your father. I can understand why it was one of your favorite meals. I’d be happy to sample some right now instead of my chicken. Thank you for entering the giveaway!
Kate
Fried pork chops take me back to my Granny’s kitchen. She would fix the chops with a side of green beans from her garden. Her homemade bread pudding would be for dessert. I have not smelled her cooking for over thirty years but can still remember how good it smelled.
Your Granny sounds like she was a fabulous cook, Kathie, and apparently a gardener too! Fond memories , even after 30 years. Sigh. Thanks for leaving your comment in entering the giveaway!
Kate
Loved the smell of my Mom’s Apple peanut butter crisp on a cold , snowy day in Upper Michigan when we lived on a farm.
I have never had the pleasure of trying an apple peanut butter crisp, Maxine! But I’d be delighted to taste a nibble. I’m imagining your family farm in upper Michigan, covered with snow … a lovely scene. Thanks for sharing it with me. Good luck in the giveaway!
Kate
The smell of snicker doodle makes me feel I walked into my Amish Grandma’s kitchen….oh my, how I would love her homemade cookies again.
I’d like to be right there with you, Debe! I’ve always been a big fan of snickerdoodles but have never had the pleasure of having an Amish grandma. Thanks for leaving your comment and entering the giveaway!
Kate
My Grandma and her rolls that she baked and the fried apple pies from her dries apples! Only Grandma could make those and the days are gone but the memories will always be with me!
Such a true statement, Amanda! Your grandma is gone, but her memories will be with you forever. My goodness, fried apple pie sound delicious. And just one of her rolls … Thanks for entering the giveaway!
Kate
When my mom made an apple pie. It always smelled like heaven when she baked. She was the best baker and ould just about make something out of nothing. Also when she made fresh coffee in the morning. The smell was to die for.
I wish you could slice me some of your mom’s succulent apple pie, Pauline! Served with a cup of her freshly brewed coffee. Sure, I’d eat apple pie for breakfast or anytime. I imagine you miss those good old days and savor the memories. Thanks for sharing them with me and entering the giveaway!
Kate
Cinnamon and apples are a favorite smell in the Fall. Right now I have Apple Crisp cooking in the oven. Smells heavenly around here!
I wish I was standing in your kitchen, Vickie! Sounds heavenly. Thanks for making my mouth water and for entering the giveaway. Good luck!
Kate
The smell of my grandmother’s spice cake and any kind of cookies baking takes me right back to my childhood Christmases…some wonderful happy memories. Thank you for a chance to win one of your books!
I can understand why your grandmother’s spice cake and other cooking aromas would hurl you back to your childhood Christmases, Linda! Wonderful memories, never to be forgotten. Good luck in the giveaway!
Kate
I love the smell of pot roast in the oven. This was Sunday Dinner along with potatoes, carrots and onions.
Pot roast with potatoes, carrots, and onions in the oven sounds heavenly, Diane! I haven’t thought to bake pot roast for ages, probably because the weather was so warm. Thanks for the great reminder and for entering the giveaway!
Kate
The smell that takes me back to my childhood is Mama frying chicken early, early mornings when we had a day trip planned. Mama would start frying chicken around 2:00 am and we would get up around 3:00 am to pack the food and ourselves into Daddy’s station wagon for a day trip to the mountains. We lived about 4-5 hours from the NC mountains, and we 5 kids (me being the only girl) and Mama and Daddy would go just for the day. We would have a picnic of chicken, banana sandwiches, chips, candy, and drinks (soda) on these trips. It was a treat because it was about the only time we had chips and candy. I remember Daddy driving over 600-800 miles on these day trips. What fun it was!!! We 5 kids loved to get out and climb the mountains! I’m so thankful for these precious memories!
Wow, your parents looked after and entertained you and your brothers, Susan! Sounds as though your mom stayed up all night preparing the chicken and other food. Maybe she slept in the car while your father was driving. In any case, monumental day trips that most kids don’t ever enjoy. Thanks for sharing your precious memories. Good luck in the giveaway!
Kate
For me, the scent of cedar always reminds me of my mother’s hope chest and the scent of satchets that my grandmother made to ward off moths. It’s a strong scent but very comforting to me.
The scent of cedar is comforting to me too, Lisa! Today, men are rebuilding our rotten fence and I mentioned how much I love the smell of wood, which I assume is cedar. I wonder what your grandmother put in her sachets to ward off moths. Thanks for leaving a comment and entering the giveaway!
Kate
The smell of honeysuckle reminds me of when I was a little girl
A delightful and delicate aroma, Debbie! Thanks for leaving a comment and entering the giveaway!
Kate
My mom’s sourdough cinnamon rolls baking in the oven!
Yummy, Donna! My mother was a wonderful cook, but never made sourdough cinnamon rolls. What a treat. Thanks for leaving your comment. Good luck in the giveaway!
Kate
The smell I remember most from my childhood is the peanut butter cookies my mom would have for us when we got home from school! Keeping with her tradition, I would have the cookies ready for them when they got home from school also. Even though they are all grown now, when they come to visit, they are looking for the cookies! Keeping fingers crossed that i am one of the lucky winners, I would love to add another one of your books to my collection.
Sounds as though you had a wonderful mother, Pam, and you are also a terrific mom, no matter how old your children are now. Thanks for entering the giveaway. I hope you get a chance to read another one of my books!
Kate
My favorite smells from my childhood would have to be my grandma’s yeast rolls and just the way she smrlled. I miss her so much.
Those yeast rolls sound delicious, Sue! I know what you mean about missing your grandma. I miss mine terribly and it’s been many a year … Thanks for leaving a comment and entering the giveaway!
Kate
I love the smells of fall like apples and cinnamon cooking. an apple butter reminds me of my great grandparents making apple butter in a big case iron cooking pot.
How wonderful that you can still recall your great grandparents making apple butter in a big iron cooking pot, Marcia! Yummy … sounds delicious. Thanks for sharing your memories and entering the giveaway!
Kate
The smell of Scotch Tape and a new baby doll remind me of Christmas every time.
Scotch tape is something no one else has mentioned, Rhonda, nor a new baby doll. What fun that they both remind you of Christmas. Thanks for sending me a comment and entering the giveaway!
Kate
Lots of great memories 😀 I love the smell of books too! Although I have a lot of ebook, reading a paperback is always great! 😉
I’m glad you have lots of great memories, Samantha! Sometimes those musty old books make me sneeze, but I still hold on to them. Thanks for entering to give away and good luck!
Kate
One smell I can remember is canned ravioli…my babysitter fixed it a lot for us when we were kids. lol
Isn’t that fun, Carla? You must have liked that babysitter for her to remain in your memories. Not to mention the ravioli. Thanks for entering the giveaway. Good luck!
Kate
While not the scent you would expect….my favorite childhood aroma is diesel engine fuel. My Dad worked on tow boat engines for 40+ years and whenever he would come to the house to pick my sister and I up, he always smelled of diesel.
Fabulous, Nicole! Several people have mentioned aromas I never would’ve thought of, showing how different we all are and how strong our sense of smell is to our memories. Thanks for sending your great comment. Good luck in the giveaway!
Kate
Lilacs have always grown in our yard as a child. Got married, had to have my own Lilacs and so I do. Also love the smell of Sunday dinners!
The fragrance of lilacs is enchanting, Sonja! As lovely as it is, it’s tough to compete with the smell of Sunday dinners! Thanks for leaving your comment and entering the giveaway!
Kate
I enjoy the smell of books too! 🙂
I also like the scent of freshly cut grass and the smell of lilac.
There are so many enjoyable scents and tons of great memories to go with them!
Thanks for leaving your comment, Melody! Freshly mowed grass is a unique smell no one else has mentioned, but I’ll bet many of us can relate it to something pleasurable In our past. I even enjoy mowing our yard with a push mower … if the weather’s just right. Good luck in the giveaway!
Kate
1. Popcorn. Reminds me of time spent with family and friends.
2. Chocolate chip cookies baking,they are my favorite cookie and to know I might get a fresh baked chocolate chip cookie is great.
3. Worst smell, skunk. Not only is it an awful smell, but I found in our last apartment that people actually use drugs that smell that bad.
I can relate to the popcorn and chocolate chip cookies, Karen, and even the skunk. People think the smell of skunk isn’t all that bad at a distance, but watch out when your dog gets tangled up with one, which happened to me twice with two different dogs. Yikes. I had no idea people used drugs that smell that bad. Why on earth? But then, there are many things people do that I don’t understand. Thanks for your entertaining comment and for entering the giveaway!
Kate
My favorite smell is the ocean. I love to smell and see God’s handiwork.
Thank you for thus opportunity. God bless.
As I read your first sentence, I felt a shiver run through me, Melissa! I also adore the fragrance of saltwater and am fascinated by the tide and the sound of lapping water. You’re the only person to mention the ocean and I had not thought about it. God bless you. Thanks for entering the giveaway!
Kate
Homemade apple pie.
Thanks for entering the giveaway, Donna! Apple pie sounds so good I’d gladly have it for dinner!
Kate
I guess this is one I can’t enter. I don’t remember any favorite smells from my childhood. I only ever saw my Oma, dad’s mom a few times, since she lived in Germany. I never really got to know her 🙁
My mom only baked at Christmas and some special occasions, but I was much older when she started doing that.
I only have a few favorite smells from the last 20 years and I have been an adult. I love the smell of camp fires and being up on the mountain on a rainy day and the smell of sage.
I heard recently on the news that many people love the smell of fires, Tina! The aroma of rainfall in the mountains will someday remind you of your past and bring back sweet memories. Thanks for writing in entering the giveaway!
Kate
The smell of a cobbler baking takes us back to our childhood. Our Mom made the best Blackberry cobblers from scratch when we were kids. Wish she were here to make one today. Great memories. Would love to win this prize.
I wish your mom were still here to bake blackberry cobblers too, Nora! Yummy! Sounds as if you have many wonderful memories of her. Good luck in the giveaway!
Kate
The smells that return me to my childhood days is the smell of apples & oranges & peppermint. My mother worked hard in a factory ironing & folding shirts when I was small. At Christmas time she took us to the company Christmas party where we were given a bag of apples, oranges & peppermints from Santa. It was a happy occasion & very festive. My mother’s eyes would shine as she held us close, admiring our gifts. I can still feel those hugs & smell those Christmas stockings!
What a lovely scene you’ve painted, Janet! How wonderful that you can still feel her hugs, see her shining eyes, and smell those Christmas stockings. Precious memories. Thanks for sharing writing and entering the giveaway!
Kate
I loved the smell of Beans and Ham cooking on top of the wood stove.
Those aromas co-mingling atop a wood stove sound delicious, Sharon! Not many wood stoves left, that I know of. Thanks for writing and entering the giveaway!
Kate
I remember my mom making peach pie and from scratch chocolate pie!
How wonderful to have had a mom who baked peach and chocolate pie from scratch, Jean! Yummy! Good luck in the giveaway!
Kate
The smell of freshly cut Alfalfa.. Reminds me of horseback riding as a teenager..
Freshly cut alfalfa is a refreshing smell, Deanna! I imagine you had a blast riding as a teenager. I did and also took riding as my college sport. Thanks for leaving your comment. Good luck in the giveaway!
Kate
In the spring, when the apple trees are blooming with white fragrant blossoms, takes me back to my bedroom as a young girl, horizontal on my hope chest, windows open to this sweet smell drifting in through my open windows. I used to get what I would call that homesick feeling in the pit of my stomach that my husband couldn’t understand, when I would smell cornbread or fresh baked biscuits from some unknown source or even my own oven. My mother’s kitchen calling me to come back to the safe haven of my childhood flooded with memories of my mother telling stories, brothers and sisters laughing, singing, and yes, even crying at times. That clean smell you only get from laundry fresh off the clothes line, crisp from the breezes that dried them in the sun.
I could go on and on about the memories that smells evoke.
Thank you for this opportunity to be included in your give away! God Bless!
From your lovely comment, I can tell you are attuned to your senses and emotions, Julie! Beautifully written. “Homesick feeling” is an insightful way to describe never-to-be-relived childhood memories. Thanks for writing. Good luck in the giveaway!
Kate
i remember the smell of the yard being mowed by my grandpa while my grandma made lemonade. I remember apple pies and she was always using cinnamon and fresh sassafras. The smell of flowers bring back so many memories. i could go on forever, thanks for having this giveaway
You have painted a lovely scene, Pamela! Thanks for leaving your comment and entering the giveaway. Good luck!
Kate
I volunteer at the opera office, and walking down those stairs in that old building puts me right back in the old brick public library in the small town where I grew up. The smell of old books to this day carries me away to realms of endless possibilities.
The smell of chrysanthemums takes me back to Thanksgiving Days of my high school years when our town and the neighbouring small town, who had a long-standing annual football rivalry, played the annual Turkey Day football game. The short school week before was filled with pep rallies and school fever craziness, and on Wednesday we got to pick up our giant football mums decorated with school colors, glitter, paint, whatever the florist had come up with for this year’s contest. Those mums were a work of art and carefully preserved in the refrigerator afterwards until they finally wilted and fell apart.
How wonderful that you volunteer at the opera office, Sally! I love opera and can imagine you walking down those stairs … no, we’re in your old brick public library. How fun! Thanks for your delightful comment and for entering the giveaway!
Kate
Lilacs in bloom in early spring is one of my favorite scents
Thanks for writing, Mildred! I wish I had a lovely bouquet of lilacs sitting in front of me right now. Their aroma is enchanting. Good luck in the giveaway!
Kate
One of my most favorite smells is the aroma of burning wood in the fall from chimneys. Reminds me that winter is on the way but to stop and enjoy fall which is my favorite season. Time to have a cup of hot spiced cider—a clear second choice. Aromas of cinnamon, spices, apples, and fall!
Thanks for leaving your comment, Diana! It makes me want to start writing a scene about autumn. I do love it too and enjoy describing it. Good luck in the giveaway!
Kate
The one smell that jumps out in my mind is my grandmother’s juicy fruit chewing gum. She had a chiffrobe and on one side was a hat box with drawers underneath. She always kept packs of her juicy fruit gum in the top drawer. For years after she died you could open that drawer and still smell her juicy fruit gum. She has been gone since 1988 and I can still close my eyes and smell the gum and see the Chiffrobe. I love the smell of chocolate chip cookies baking too.
What a delightful example of what I was talking about in my post, Judy! Juicy fruit chewing gum has a unique aroma and I love that you can still smell it and be reminded of your dear grandmother. Thanks for commenting and entering a giveaway!
Kate
I love the smell of roses, carnations, lilac . Thank you for this wonderful giveaway. So very kind of you
Thanks for leaving your comment and entering the giveaway, Myrte! Good luck!
Kate
My grandmother made the best twice baked butter biscuits. And I loved to put apple butter on them. Yum. Reminds me so much of her.
What a delightful memory of your dear grandmother, Gail! Sounds scrumptious. And I’m sure you miss her. Wishing you good luck in the giveaway!
Kate
Watermelon!!!
Thanks for entering the giveaway, Rebecca!
The smell of pine reminds me of Christmases as a child. Now with an artificial tree I always have to have the smell of a pine candle. Love your giveaways, thanks for the opportunity to win.
Thanks for writing, Linda! I suffer from the same dilemma with an artificial tree. Just not the same without the lovely smell of pine, so I also try small tricks. Good luck in the giveaway!
Kate
Kate, what a fun opportunity. My two favorite smells: Evening in Paris perfume. It reminds me of my grandmother and her sisters. And, an Electus parrot…my eckies smell nutty…like a fresh black walnut just fallen from the tree.
My goodness, you surprised me Victoria! of course I remember Evening in Paris perfume. What fun that it reminds you of your grandmother and her sisters. But I had to google Electus parrot. Very pretty. Thanks for entering the giveaway!
Kate
When I was a little girl, my mom used to use Rose Milk lotion. She smelled like a garden to me. I loved it. Somewhere along the way, she stopped using it. Just recently, I was in one of those “everything’s a dollar” stores and ran across some bath salts that are rose scented…they smell just like the Rose Milk lotion! Now, with my chronic migraines, there is no way I can have that scent wafting all over the house all of the time, but now, when I want to remember my mom, and being a kid, and remembering a simpler time…I can open that jar and breathe in the beautiful garden smell that reminds me of mom.
(My mom is still living, but has moderate dementia — the memories we share together are becoming fewer and fewer by the week.)
What fun did you happened to find a fragrance almost like Rose Milk, Susan! I’ve never suffered from real migraines, but several perfumes used to give me headaches. For some unknown reason I don’t get them anymore, or maybe those ghastly perfumes aren’t popular and are no longer worn. I’m so sorry that you suffer from migraines and that you are slowly losing your mother. I’ve traveled through that valley …
Kate
The smell of roast cooking is my favorite food smell. As a child it was my favorite meal. Mom would let us choose what we wanted for our birthday dinner and I always chose roast and rice and gravy. It is still my favorite as an adult. I will put a roast on to cook in the crockpot, go to bed and wake up to that wonderful smell!
Beyond that, I love the smell of a new born baby.
With the weather cooling down, your description of a roast cooking makes me want to run to the grocery store and buy one, Tiffany! But of course it wouldn’t be as good as your mom’s. Thanks for your heartwarming comment and for entering the giveaway!
Kate
My two favorite smells is coffee and beef roast cookiing. Both are my comfort foods/drinks 🙂
Thanks for entering the giveaway, Angie! I’m glad you have two yummy favorite smells. Good luck!
Kate
Lilac tree right by the window. We didn’t have ac growing up so windows was always open on nice days. My mom sure loved her flowers!
The fragrance of warm lilac blossoms on a summer’s night sounds divine, Susan! A lovely memory of your mother. Thanks for entering the giveaway and good luck!
Kate
The smell of pumpkin pie takes me back to the holidays and my mom’s great pumpkin pies.
Love the smell of the earth after it rains, new born babies, home made bread fresh from the oven.