Century-Old Shopping List

Matt Kettmann’s cover profile of Elizabeth Poett includes a mention of this old grocery list that hangs on the kitchen wall of “The Casa,” the home at the historic heart of Rancho San Julian. Dated July 13, 1896, the order from Haas Brothers in San Francisco by Poett’s ancestor “Mrs. F de la G. Diblee” requests a wide range of foods, from vermicelli and molasses to jumbo shrimp, oysters, and Baker’s eagle chocolate. The total amount owed appears to be $105.34, and the delivery date — via boat to Gaviota — is merely “TBD.”