Just love the conversations being posted here. Interestingly personal stories, recipes and ideas for reading. Susan, your efforts to create these postings on Substack are much appreciated.
As a naturalist with the US Forest Service for over a decade, I took classes in basketry weaving in my personal time. The basket making was fairly easy. The hard part was gathering and preparing the cattail and western red cedar fibers, sorting, cleaning and working with them damp to create twined baskets. Those hard months of work gave me an enormous appreciation of my 4 generations ago Native American ancestors and how strong and creative they were, both in spirit and physically.
Pamela, thanks for bringing this up! I had a similar experience with making mesquite flour. The outcome (a batch of muffins) was fine. But the work/time that went into the project was huge. It gave me a new appreciation of the daily challenges to survival faced by the nomadic people who moved through this area--and of my own (relatively!) luxurious life.
6 to 7 medium apples (any kind except Red Delicious; I like using a fifty-fifty mix of Granny Smith and either Gala or Fuji), peeled, cored, and sliced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch or tapioca starch
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon (less is fine, too)
½ cup pine nuts, toasted
½ cup green chiles, roasted, chopped, and drained (use more if they’re mild, less if they’re hot)
Pastry for a double-crust pie (see recipe)
1 tablespoon butter, cubed
1 egg white, beaten with 1 teaspoon water, for glaze
MAKES 1 PIE
Preheat oven to 425°. Splash lemon juice over apple slices in a medium bowl. Mix sugar, starch, and cinnamon in another medium bowl, then toss in the apples to coat. Mix in pine nuts and chiles.
Fit one layer of pastry in the bottom of a pie pan, pushing it gently but snugly along the sides. Using kitchen shears or a paring knife, trim overhanging edges of crust to about an inch beyond the edge of the pie pan.
Fill crust in pie pan with apple mixture, letting it mound in the center. Dot with butter. Using a pastry brush, glaze the outer rim of the bottom crust with the egg wash mixture. Then place the top pastry crust over the apples. Trim the outer edge of top crust to about an inch beyond the overhang. Gently press edges of the two layers together with your fingers, to make a seal all around the pie. Slightly lift the overhanging rim of the crust and tuck it under itself, so that it rides on the lip of the pie pan. Decoratively crimp the crust rim, using your fingers or a fork. Cut several ventilation slits in the top crust and glaze with egg wash.
Place a cookie sheet or piece of aluminum foil on the bottom of the oven to catch any juices that may drip. Put the pie in the center of the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Turn temperature down to 350° and continue baking for approximately 40 to 45 more minutes, or until the top is golden brown and juices are bubbling through the slits. (If using a glass pie pan, visually check the bottom of the crust for doneness; it should be brown.) Cover the edge of the crust with a crust shield or strips of aluminum foil if it begins to burn before pie is done. Cool pie on a wire rack for one hour.
Loved this post Susan and Bill's trencher. I have a vase Bill made that I treasure. I think it's pecan? Could that be right? The leaves here in Ohio are just starting to change... Love it so!
Yes, your vase is pecan, Jude--made from a native (wild) pecan that grew here at MeadowKnoll. Likely planted by a squirrel around the time of the first world war.
Last week, someone on Substack was bemoaning the change of the seasons from summer to fall. I need to find that post and direct them to your post today, Susan! It celebrates all that we love about October! Even Hedge Apples, which sound quite otherworldly.
Interesting that your witch hazel blooms this time of the year. My old fashion yellow type blooms in the spring. It seems to like a rather shady spot under a old aspen tree. I have harvested many goodies from this spot that apparently was a dumping ground for a previous owners plant cast-offs. Some lovely dark blue Siberian Iris, several types of old fashion daffodils and narcissi as well as Hyacinths and little yellow violets grow there. I am mentioning all of this as I need to grab a few of these things to transplant to a little 'spring flowerbed' by the mailbox and driveway. I will be scaling back on most of the plants for next summer. It is just too time consuming to tend to them with 3-4 months of high temperatures with almost no rain. Instead I will focus on keeping the soil viable for late summer-early fall planting. I am thinking Dahlias and sunflowers with a splash or two of cosmos and snapdragons. 😎
Bill's trencher is so perfect! One of the many jewels in this post. Love thinking of Danny Kaye! Always a favorite of mine. We could use a few more Danny Kayes about now! Lemon Pasta sounds very intriguing, as does Ruth Reichl! I will be checking into more about her!
Thank you for the links regarding fibers. Always of interest to me, too. I miss the issues of Wild Fibers by Linda Cortland. Each one was a treasure. I do get her Sunday Reads online which are fabulous for fiber lovers, and I dream of finding the money and time to go on one of her amazing tours. But, how does one decide, which one to take!?!? I would love to hear an interview with her! 😉
Well, the GF pumpkin/pecan/raisin bread is about to come out of the oven and it is lunch time!
Interesting that you're planning to scale back, Sandy. I've done that--balancing what I can do against the increasing demands of the climate, and my age. Thanks for mentioning Wild Fibers Magazine and Linda Cortright! I admire her writing--and especially her glorious photography--about fiber. There are some samples of her Sunday Reads here, if people want to take a quick look: https://www.wildfibersmagazine.com/sundayread. As a writer, she takes us close in to look at something that is too often simply invisible: the fiber that is the very warp and weft of the cultures of the world.
Wish we could all share some of that bread you're taking out of the oven!
It makes me a little crazy that Linda's talents in both writing and photography, let alone adventure! seem to get overlooked. When she takes me to a little town somewhere in the world or aboard a ship at sea, I am there with her! I can highly recommend her series in the Sunday Reads on the history of St Kilda in the Scottish Isles. A truly remarkable bit of history of just how strong some human beings have been and are now all but forgotten, if ever known of today. I also love her quirky humor! I wish I could share the pumpkin bread with you, too! 🙂
World Pasta Day, not National Pasta Day. Spotted the inconsistency.
I learned a lot about fibers because of your links! Reminded me that I want to get nettle established in some out-of-the-way spot. It didn't take the first time I tried. Also witch hazel. Time to read up on their preferences and try again.
Found a new herb friend at church yesterday. Happiness!
HI everyone -My goodness, you learn something every day. I have never heard of hedge apples. and I think the phase "ecological anachronism " is just right.
Love the trencher Bill, My Grandfather was a baker, and in the "old days" used to make bread by hand working it in a huge trencher. He would rise in the early hours of the morning and put on the ovens and start the bread. In London and most big cities at the turn of the century .the working people did not take much holidays and weddings were no exception. Folks would come to the bakehouse with the roast or turkey whatever it may be, and Great Grandad would cook it in the hot ovens when he had finished baking. There is a wonderful family story about the birth of my Father. Grandma was serving in the shop on Christmas morning, when she went into labour . As luck would have it a Bride was in collecting her food, in her wedding dress. She sent my Nan upstairs and took over the counter . So Dad used to gets socks for his birthday and Christmas one foot for each occasion (and other things of course). ha ha.
The Witch hazels are indeed a useful tree, we have two of them on our property one yellow one planted in remembrance of my parents and one red one to celebrate the late QE2s platinum jubilee .
Liz, I have to share that you're a Canadian Substacker, born in Chelmsford (is that right?), Essex, England. What a lovely story about your father's birth--and your grandfather's bakehouse, which was also a neighborhood oven! For those who don't know, many women cooked on open fireplaces and could only roast with a spit. So the village baker kindly (or maybe with a trade or a few pence) allowed them to use the hot ovens when the early baking was done. There's more about the tradition here: http://www.oldandinteresting.com/communal-bread-ovens.aspx As always, thanks for sharing. You have such a unique perspective!
This time of year, I dig out all the stunning needle felted pumpkins my sister made me. I've made them myself, just not as well as she does. I also like to freeze pumpkin puree in 1/2 cup batches. They make terrific smoothies. Just break up the frozen puree in the blender with a cup of almond (or your choice of milk) with sweetner and pumpkin spice to taste and hit puree. Tastes like liquid pumpkin pie.
Yes, definitely pumpkin time of year--and such a good idea about the pumpkin smoothie! Good fiber, beta-carotene, many nutrients. Maybe yogurt as another possibility?
Your trencher is beautiful! I love anything made out of wood. We have a lot of the black walnut trees around here and when I mow in the fall, I know when I run one over. It makes a loud 'clunk clunk clunk' in the mower. I just pray one on a tree doesn't come down and conk me on the head. I cannot wait to read your walnut post in the future Osage oranges do look like they are from the mastodon / mammoth era. I never thought about that before. And what interesting uses for this prickly tree. We have them here in Upstate New York, too. BTW, you encouraged me to journal in another post's comments, and my older brother just bought me the 30th anniversary package of 'The Artist's Way' book and journal, where you journal three pages in the morning as a mind dump to clear your mind and make way for creative ideas. It is by Jennifer Wright. I'm excited to get started!
Pamela, the morning pages are a wonderful way to get started journaling, and The Artist's Way is a great book! Glad you're taking the plunge--and what a nifty gift from your brother! Let us know how you get along.
I downloaded your book about Laura Ingles, and clicked on your links about fibers. Your link to Ruth Reichl's substack is a gift! I had no idea she was here. I love her writing, so am now subscribed. Thank you for all this! A great post today, Susan!
I did this last year, for one of my favorite thriller writers. I learned that rereading a series (especially if you read in the publishing order) is about more than just seeing the characters' arcs of personal growth, the development of the settings, etc. It also reveals the author's growth as a writer and the broadening (or narrowing) of her/his interests. Turned out to be a major commitment for me--enjoyable, lots of learning!
He cracked a few for my brother and me to eat as we wandered the large family farm that bordered the Mississippi River separating Missouri and Tennessee. He also cracked pecans - more pecan than walnut trees on the farm. I don't remember stains on his hands from the nuts - they were gnarled from years of manual labor.
He sat on the shore of the river, his rifle at the ready, watching out for water moccasins as we swam.
Georgeann love hearing this memory of your grandfather. You reminded me that my grandmother in Baton Rouge would send us a gunny sack full of pecans each winter from the trees that grew in her front yard. My dad was the only 'kid' that did not live within hollering distance of the family home! I learned to crack pecans by placing 2 together and squeezing them. As a kid I was very proud of being able to do this! I cannot imagine cracking black walnuts with my bare hands!?!
Sandy, had to smile at "gunny sack." I grew up with that phrase but nobody calls it that now--it's "burlap bag." I looked it up once, out of curiosity. "Gunny" comes from "goni," a word for coarse-weave fiber in India. Thanks for the reminder!
We had hickory nuts growing up, very hard to crack unless you hit them just right (with the hammer on the pavement)--smashed my fingers half the time. 🔨 And the nuts were so bitter they were hardly worth eating.
I too remember the term "gunny sack" as a child. Often it contained "critters" that had been killed - and were often fed to the farm dogs after some "cleaning." Thanks Susan for looking up the origin of the word.
Thanks for the info on 'goni' verses burlap. I can still remember the smell of those gunny sacks. We got some of our horse feed in them, too. I have watched the transition to other materials these days, too. I once watch a competition at a little country fair of men and women showing their skills in sewing the bags shut by hand. They were fast! And it was fun.
Oh yes, I have banged my fingers trying to crack walnuts with a hammer. too! Ouch! Though I have heard of hickory nuts, I have never seen or tasted them. One of my uncles was sometimes referred to as 'An old hickory nut, if there ever was one!' ... a bit of a family joke. 😊
Just love the conversations being posted here. Interestingly personal stories, recipes and ideas for reading. Susan, your efforts to create these postings on Substack are much appreciated.
I'm enjoying it, too, Christine--love hearing from so many far-flung!
As a naturalist with the US Forest Service for over a decade, I took classes in basketry weaving in my personal time. The basket making was fairly easy. The hard part was gathering and preparing the cattail and western red cedar fibers, sorting, cleaning and working with them damp to create twined baskets. Those hard months of work gave me an enormous appreciation of my 4 generations ago Native American ancestors and how strong and creative they were, both in spirit and physically.
Pamela, thanks for bringing this up! I had a similar experience with making mesquite flour. The outcome (a batch of muffins) was fine. But the work/time that went into the project was huge. It gave me a new appreciation of the daily challenges to survival faced by the nomadic people who moved through this area--and of my own (relatively!) luxurious life.
6 to 7 medium apples (any kind except Red Delicious; I like using a fifty-fifty mix of Granny Smith and either Gala or Fuji), peeled, cored, and sliced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch or tapioca starch
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon (less is fine, too)
½ cup pine nuts, toasted
½ cup green chiles, roasted, chopped, and drained (use more if they’re mild, less if they’re hot)
Pastry for a double-crust pie (see recipe)
1 tablespoon butter, cubed
1 egg white, beaten with 1 teaspoon water, for glaze
MAKES 1 PIE
Preheat oven to 425°. Splash lemon juice over apple slices in a medium bowl. Mix sugar, starch, and cinnamon in another medium bowl, then toss in the apples to coat. Mix in pine nuts and chiles.
Fit one layer of pastry in the bottom of a pie pan, pushing it gently but snugly along the sides. Using kitchen shears or a paring knife, trim overhanging edges of crust to about an inch beyond the edge of the pie pan.
Fill crust in pie pan with apple mixture, letting it mound in the center. Dot with butter. Using a pastry brush, glaze the outer rim of the bottom crust with the egg wash mixture. Then place the top pastry crust over the apples. Trim the outer edge of top crust to about an inch beyond the overhang. Gently press edges of the two layers together with your fingers, to make a seal all around the pie. Slightly lift the overhanging rim of the crust and tuck it under itself, so that it rides on the lip of the pie pan. Decoratively crimp the crust rim, using your fingers or a fork. Cut several ventilation slits in the top crust and glaze with egg wash.
Place a cookie sheet or piece of aluminum foil on the bottom of the oven to catch any juices that may drip. Put the pie in the center of the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Turn temperature down to 350° and continue baking for approximately 40 to 45 more minutes, or until the top is golden brown and juices are bubbling through the slits. (If using a glass pie pan, visually check the bottom of the crust for doneness; it should be brown.) Cover the edge of the crust with a crust shield or strips of aluminum foil if it begins to burn before pie is done. Cool pie on a wire rack for one hour.
Bill will love the addition of green chiles, Michelle. Pecans okay to substitute for pine nuts for the crunch? Thanks for sharing!
My favorite fall recipe is for Witches Cake (a heavy, delicious apple cake). I will try and hunt up the recipe.
Loved this post Susan and Bill's trencher. I have a vase Bill made that I treasure. I think it's pecan? Could that be right? The leaves here in Ohio are just starting to change... Love it so!
Yes, your vase is pecan, Jude--made from a native (wild) pecan that grew here at MeadowKnoll. Likely planted by a squirrel around the time of the first world war.
Last week, someone on Substack was bemoaning the change of the seasons from summer to fall. I need to find that post and direct them to your post today, Susan! It celebrates all that we love about October! Even Hedge Apples, which sound quite otherworldly.
Interesting that your witch hazel blooms this time of the year. My old fashion yellow type blooms in the spring. It seems to like a rather shady spot under a old aspen tree. I have harvested many goodies from this spot that apparently was a dumping ground for a previous owners plant cast-offs. Some lovely dark blue Siberian Iris, several types of old fashion daffodils and narcissi as well as Hyacinths and little yellow violets grow there. I am mentioning all of this as I need to grab a few of these things to transplant to a little 'spring flowerbed' by the mailbox and driveway. I will be scaling back on most of the plants for next summer. It is just too time consuming to tend to them with 3-4 months of high temperatures with almost no rain. Instead I will focus on keeping the soil viable for late summer-early fall planting. I am thinking Dahlias and sunflowers with a splash or two of cosmos and snapdragons. 😎
Bill's trencher is so perfect! One of the many jewels in this post. Love thinking of Danny Kaye! Always a favorite of mine. We could use a few more Danny Kayes about now! Lemon Pasta sounds very intriguing, as does Ruth Reichl! I will be checking into more about her!
Thank you for the links regarding fibers. Always of interest to me, too. I miss the issues of Wild Fibers by Linda Cortland. Each one was a treasure. I do get her Sunday Reads online which are fabulous for fiber lovers, and I dream of finding the money and time to go on one of her amazing tours. But, how does one decide, which one to take!?!? I would love to hear an interview with her! 😉
Well, the GF pumpkin/pecan/raisin bread is about to come out of the oven and it is lunch time!
Interesting that you're planning to scale back, Sandy. I've done that--balancing what I can do against the increasing demands of the climate, and my age. Thanks for mentioning Wild Fibers Magazine and Linda Cortright! I admire her writing--and especially her glorious photography--about fiber. There are some samples of her Sunday Reads here, if people want to take a quick look: https://www.wildfibersmagazine.com/sundayread. As a writer, she takes us close in to look at something that is too often simply invisible: the fiber that is the very warp and weft of the cultures of the world.
Wish we could all share some of that bread you're taking out of the oven!
It makes me a little crazy that Linda's talents in both writing and photography, let alone adventure! seem to get overlooked. When she takes me to a little town somewhere in the world or aboard a ship at sea, I am there with her! I can highly recommend her series in the Sunday Reads on the history of St Kilda in the Scottish Isles. A truly remarkable bit of history of just how strong some human beings have been and are now all but forgotten, if ever known of today. I also love her quirky humor! I wish I could share the pumpkin bread with you, too! 🙂
World Pasta Day, not National Pasta Day. Spotted the inconsistency.
I learned a lot about fibers because of your links! Reminded me that I want to get nettle established in some out-of-the-way spot. It didn't take the first time I tried. Also witch hazel. Time to read up on their preferences and try again.
Found a new herb friend at church yesterday. Happiness!
Thanks, Patricia--I'll make that correction. Sharp eyes! Good luck with the nettle. Such an interesting plant.
Tasty greens in the springtime, too!
HI everyone -My goodness, you learn something every day. I have never heard of hedge apples. and I think the phase "ecological anachronism " is just right.
Love the trencher Bill, My Grandfather was a baker, and in the "old days" used to make bread by hand working it in a huge trencher. He would rise in the early hours of the morning and put on the ovens and start the bread. In London and most big cities at the turn of the century .the working people did not take much holidays and weddings were no exception. Folks would come to the bakehouse with the roast or turkey whatever it may be, and Great Grandad would cook it in the hot ovens when he had finished baking. There is a wonderful family story about the birth of my Father. Grandma was serving in the shop on Christmas morning, when she went into labour . As luck would have it a Bride was in collecting her food, in her wedding dress. She sent my Nan upstairs and took over the counter . So Dad used to gets socks for his birthday and Christmas one foot for each occasion (and other things of course). ha ha.
The Witch hazels are indeed a useful tree, we have two of them on our property one yellow one planted in remembrance of my parents and one red one to celebrate the late QE2s platinum jubilee .
Liz, I have to share that you're a Canadian Substacker, born in Chelmsford (is that right?), Essex, England. What a lovely story about your father's birth--and your grandfather's bakehouse, which was also a neighborhood oven! For those who don't know, many women cooked on open fireplaces and could only roast with a spit. So the village baker kindly (or maybe with a trade or a few pence) allowed them to use the hot ovens when the early baking was done. There's more about the tradition here: http://www.oldandinteresting.com/communal-bread-ovens.aspx As always, thanks for sharing. You have such a unique perspective!
This time of year, I dig out all the stunning needle felted pumpkins my sister made me. I've made them myself, just not as well as she does. I also like to freeze pumpkin puree in 1/2 cup batches. They make terrific smoothies. Just break up the frozen puree in the blender with a cup of almond (or your choice of milk) with sweetner and pumpkin spice to taste and hit puree. Tastes like liquid pumpkin pie.
Yes, definitely pumpkin time of year--and such a good idea about the pumpkin smoothie! Good fiber, beta-carotene, many nutrients. Maybe yogurt as another possibility?
Your trencher is beautiful! I love anything made out of wood. We have a lot of the black walnut trees around here and when I mow in the fall, I know when I run one over. It makes a loud 'clunk clunk clunk' in the mower. I just pray one on a tree doesn't come down and conk me on the head. I cannot wait to read your walnut post in the future Osage oranges do look like they are from the mastodon / mammoth era. I never thought about that before. And what interesting uses for this prickly tree. We have them here in Upstate New York, too. BTW, you encouraged me to journal in another post's comments, and my older brother just bought me the 30th anniversary package of 'The Artist's Way' book and journal, where you journal three pages in the morning as a mind dump to clear your mind and make way for creative ideas. It is by Jennifer Wright. I'm excited to get started!
Pamela, the morning pages are a wonderful way to get started journaling, and The Artist's Way is a great book! Glad you're taking the plunge--and what a nifty gift from your brother! Let us know how you get along.
I downloaded your book about Laura Ingles, and clicked on your links about fibers. Your link to Ruth Reichl's substack is a gift! I had no idea she was here. I love her writing, so am now subscribed. Thank you for all this! A great post today, Susan!
I love Reichl's posts--and have read all of her memoirs. She's one of the very best food writers, IMO. Glad you found her, Sandra!
Me too, I loved her memoirs.
I think it might be time to reread all of the China books.
I did this last year, for one of my favorite thriller writers. I learned that rereading a series (especially if you read in the publishing order) is about more than just seeing the characters' arcs of personal growth, the development of the settings, etc. It also reveals the author's growth as a writer and the broadening (or narrowing) of her/his interests. Turned out to be a major commitment for me--enjoyable, lots of learning!
I cannot wait for the tale of the walnut. My maternal grandfather, a man of few words, could crack walnuts with his hands.
Were his hands stained dark? Walnuts were used to make ink, back in the day. Here's an interesting tutorial on the process https://rebeccadesnos.com/blogs/journal/stamping-with-homemade-walnut-ink/
He cracked a few for my brother and me to eat as we wandered the large family farm that bordered the Mississippi River separating Missouri and Tennessee. He also cracked pecans - more pecan than walnut trees on the farm. I don't remember stains on his hands from the nuts - they were gnarled from years of manual labor.
He sat on the shore of the river, his rifle at the ready, watching out for water moccasins as we swam.
Georgeann love hearing this memory of your grandfather. You reminded me that my grandmother in Baton Rouge would send us a gunny sack full of pecans each winter from the trees that grew in her front yard. My dad was the only 'kid' that did not live within hollering distance of the family home! I learned to crack pecans by placing 2 together and squeezing them. As a kid I was very proud of being able to do this! I cannot imagine cracking black walnuts with my bare hands!?!
Sandy, had to smile at "gunny sack." I grew up with that phrase but nobody calls it that now--it's "burlap bag." I looked it up once, out of curiosity. "Gunny" comes from "goni," a word for coarse-weave fiber in India. Thanks for the reminder!
We had hickory nuts growing up, very hard to crack unless you hit them just right (with the hammer on the pavement)--smashed my fingers half the time. 🔨 And the nuts were so bitter they were hardly worth eating.
I too remember the term "gunny sack" as a child. Often it contained "critters" that had been killed - and were often fed to the farm dogs after some "cleaning." Thanks Susan for looking up the origin of the word.
Growing up on a farm can be an early introduction to death, loss, change. Valuable prep for later life.
Yes, Sandy my preferred tool is a small hammer and a quick removal of my other hand Ha!
Thanks for the info on 'goni' verses burlap. I can still remember the smell of those gunny sacks. We got some of our horse feed in them, too. I have watched the transition to other materials these days, too. I once watch a competition at a little country fair of men and women showing their skills in sewing the bags shut by hand. They were fast! And it was fun.
Oh yes, I have banged my fingers trying to crack walnuts with a hammer. too! Ouch! Though I have heard of hickory nuts, I have never seen or tasted them. One of my uncles was sometimes referred to as 'An old hickory nut, if there ever was one!' ... a bit of a family joke. 😊