The key ingredient to a good cookbook is variety.

That’s something Debbie Garcia knows well.

Garcia is president of the Navy Wives Club of America Whidbey Island.

The club recently created “What’s Cooking in Whidbey Island,” which members are selling to raise money for scholarships and charities.

“We have a lot in here, really,” Garcia said. “It’s a good cookbook. We’re really happy with it.”

With about 50 recipe contributors and more than 300 recipes, the cookbook is divided into sections including appetizers, main dishes and desserts.

“We just went wild,” Garcia said. “We didn’t try to limit it or steer anybody in a certain direction.”

This isn’t the first time the Navy Wives Club of Whidbey Island has published a cookbook. About 20 years ago, they tried selling one. That one didn’t work out well.

This time, however, less than a month after the cookbooks arrived printed and bound, the club is considering a second order.

The group started with 220 cookbooks. After members purchased copies for friends and family, Garcia estimates there are only 80 copies left. They plan to sell the books at various holiday bazaars on the island, including at the Independent Order of Odd Fellows’ Rebekahs table.

Though the official divvying of profits won’t be decided until after all the proceeds are in, Garcia knows where they plan to put it.

After using the proceeds to pay off the cost of printing — which Garcia says they’ve already raised enough for — proceeds will go to scholarships, North Whidbey Help House and toward taking care of a section of Maple Leaf Cemetery adopted by the club.

That area of the cemetery, “Babyland,” is where children who died are buried.

Years ago, Garcia said, military families moving away asked the club to take care of their children’s graves. Eventually, the club started taking care of the entire area.

The annual scholarship is awarded to a military dependent graduating from Oak Harbor High school.

“Our scholarship is small … We’re giving $300,” Garcia said. “We kind of look at it like, whatever we can do to help.”

The cookbook sells for $12.50, plus shipping, if necessary.

Garcia said she is hoping the group will sell out the first printing by year’s end.

“Hopefully it’s a hit,” she said. “It’s got a lot of really good recipes in it.”