The Apple of my Pie

“Good apple pies are a considerable part of our domestic happiness” ~Jane Austen

Heirloom Depression era pie recipes...in person.

Since opening our licensed kitchen, creating wonderful heirloom foods, I have made a LOT of pies. I was efficient before, but boy, let me tell you, when running a “made-to-order” bakery that gives each customer the freshest and most delicious product possible, you learn to be even better. Yes, there is always room in our heads to learn more.  My customers often comment on how hard making pies is for them, or time consuming…or both.  I’m very glad I can make pies for them.  🙂  I love it and feel blessed to be able to do “work” that is a passion.

Not only do I sell baked goods, but I have also spent years teaching people heritage cooking and baking.

Practice does help, but so does the simple fact…knowing it isn’t that hard.

The intent was to take a photo of a nice pie. My family had other ideas...when I came back to take the shot...there were a few holes in my plan. I suppose that is a compliment.

If I could inspire novice pie makers, I would somehow help them to see that they are “creating” and engaging with the natural world by transforming flour and butter into pastry to hold something as beautiful as an apple or peach.  They are “knowing” their food.  They are serving their creation to others for enjoyment and nurturing.  Pretty cool.

Recently, to dispell myths about how difficult pie making can be, I made two videos and put them on YouTube.  Mind you, they are unusual to say the least.

My point was…HAVE FUN IN YOUR KITCHEN! While showing some basic techniques.

Click the Links below to open the videos on YouTube:

Pie Pastry Fun

Pie Fillings – Easy (and friends love to watch 😉 )

CRAZY INSANE, ALMOST THOROUGHLY, AMAZING WORLD

Squash in the Bygone Basic's garden...before it snuck out of the fence.

Just letting you know that I’m still here.  I’ve …well…you read the title of this Blog….a bit overwhelmed by life.  It is truly amazing, but gets crazy too, doesn’t it?!

Lately, I’ve been putting by everything that doesn’t run faster than me.  And if I can find someone who will do a bit of hunting for me…well then…all bets are off on that too.    We also have had a lot of Bygone Basics guests come to learn how to make these heritage recipes themselves, while immersed in old-farmhouse style atmosphere and tools…they are always surprised how easy old-fashioned baking and home canning really is.  Especially when I show them (if they wish to know) how a few of today’s tools can speed things up with out reducing the quality of the food.

I’ve also added pies to my line of baked goods that you can order through the Bygone Basics pantry.  Right now a lot of various types of apple pies are going through the ovens.  Pumpkin pies are following in popularity.

I’ve submitted an application for a Special Use Permit to turn our old manse into “Amanda’s Bequest – A Heritage Immersion Bed & Breakfast.”  More on this in the future.

As the season changes into autumn and the weather is colder, so is my house (because when I’m the only one in it I can put on a sweater and I hate high fuel bills). 

Did you know that in the past, home baking served a dual purpose?  Food was baked, not only for the table, but also to keep the house warm. 

I follow that principle as well.  Lately, I’ve been baking squash for pies, breads, and savory dinners.  Squash is such a nutritious and versatile fruit.  It is just as tasty in desserts as it is in the main meal.  It is surprisingly cheap and easy too.  Here’s my simple treatment of it:

Cut the squash in half or smaller if it is really large (by squash, I refer to pumpkins and other winter squash such as acorn, Hubbard, and butternut).  About 4-5 inch chunks are good.  Don’t worry about peeling, just wash and cut up.  Remove the seed portion with a spoon easily once it is cut.

Line a large pan (cookie sheet or 13×9) with foil and spray or wipe with oil.  Place the squash cut side down.  Place in oven (as many racks as you can fit for maximum energy use) at 325 F.  Bake until fork slides easily into squash to shell.  This may take two or more hours and is dependent on ripeness, variety, and cut up size of squash (smaller pieces cook faster).  Really easy right?  I must warn you, it will start smelling really good towards the end and you will want to serve some of that for dinner!

Once soft throughout, take out of oven and cool for 15 minutes.  Use a knife or spoon to scrape the flesh from the shell.  At this point it is perfectly useable in recipes and for dinner.  I take it one step further.  I press it through my cone shaped food mill with a wooden pusher (that is ages old, but works like a charm!).  That takes all of a few minutes.  You can use any type of food mill you have.  Voila!  Yellow Gold! 

Make pumpkin pie using eggs from your free range chickens (I do anyway); serve it with butter (or bacon grease) and salt/pepper for dinner; can it for future yums!!  It makes great sweet breads and even baby food.  You can even add brown sugar and butter for a great “Thanksgiving sweet potato” taste…

I promise to look the other way if you decide to add marshmallows to the top.

Squash we grew for the sense of humor in its name...Great Warty Thing. It is true to its name!

If you didn’t have the space to grow squash, it is incredibly reasonable to buy this time of year and stores until you have time to bake it.  I’ve even been known to bake the flesh of my jack-o-lanterns on Halloween eve.  Why not?  I’ve already gone through the work of removing the seeds and since I carve my pumpkins the day of Halloween, it is still fresh.  Waste not – Want not.

New Year, New Digs

Delicious fruit pies in the depth of winter....yum

I found it next to impossible to do a blog the last bit of December. I’m quite frightened by how fast time passes. Before I know it, it seems I’ll be 80 or so!
We are (mostly) all moved to our new “digs” in Montague. It went much faster than expected. Which, I suppose, is in keeping with my time flying lately!
Husband John is busy hitting one task after another and now, with the new year, must tackle the BIG ONE. He will gut out a front room in our new-old home and install a private kitchen for Bygone Basics. We are using a kitchen that came with the house (there were two). We wouldn’t dream of gutting a room in such a fine old house, but someone beat us to it and put in a drop ceiling, stick-on floor linoleum squares, 2 goofy inner walls and a really badly done bathroom. So….putting in the heritage kitchen will be an improvement. It will be a few months before this project will be complete! So we continue to use the big main kitchen in the home for a while.
Speaking of kitchens, Bygone Basics had it’s biggest Experience yet. We had a family of five adults and we did home pressure canning and made three different types of pie from basic ingredients….and had a blast doing it. Check out the pictures on our Facebook page.  Click here to go check it out now. 

Many hands make a FUN time in the kitchen!

Jorgensen family with some of their products made in the Bygone Basics kitchen