Since the birth of the internet, the printed word has taken a dangerous nosedive. Magazines and newspapers have been closing or laying off huge numbers of their staff. The publishing world has changed forever and in the midst of all of this change, Boston-based Remedy Quarterly was born.

Remedy Quarterly was started in the Spring of 2009. Co-founders Ari and Jillian Bergman and Aaron and Kelly Carámbula met while living in Park Slope, Brooklyn. The two couples bonded over their love of type, crafting, and food. When the Bergmans relocated to Cambridge four years ago, the couples remained close by constantly discussing projects that they could collaborate on.

One such discussion arose while the Bergmans were both battling colds. It had been suggested by their Barbadian crossing guard to use black pepper and rum in their Neti Pot as a cure. This got the group thinking a lot about home remedies. They began to ask friends, family, and literary acquaintances to share their own remedies for the hiccups, hangovers, and the common cold, as well as other food-related stories that they may have. The group knew right away that the final product would be a print magazine– Jillian tells TPB that nothing is better then curling up in bed with a good book, and you certainly cannot take a Kindle in to the bathtub. Remedy Quarterly hopes to fill the gap between cookbooks, magazines, and food blogs. It’s a print space to share thoughts about food, remedies, and interviews with local foodies.

The group pored over old recipe books, and were particularly inspired by old community cookbooks from churches and synagogues. From that inspiration they pulled together a two-color off-set print magazine which was then placed on Kickstarter, a the funding platform for artists, designers, musicians and other creatives. The fledgling project was soon noticed by a number of design blogs, including Design Sponge, The Donut Project and ReadyMade magazine. From this attention, RQ raised $7,400 to publish their first issue.

Now, the group is just getting ready to publish their second issue and the focus is on cravings. It’s slated to include an interview with pastry chef David Lebovitz, a tale of Yorkshire pudding, a recipe for meatballs, and many new home remedies.

To learn more about them or to subscribe be sure to check them out at their website. You can make a pledge to help them get the second issue published here.

–Rachel Ganin