A Traditional Farm Life - MeeMaw’s Pumpkin Pie

A Traditional Farm Life - MeeMaw’s Pumpkin Pie

By Shasta Hamilton

Greetings from Enterprise, dear friends!   Have you ever watched a boy make pumpkin pie?  I had the privilege of doing so this morning.

As I write it is the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, and this year we are baking the pies a day ahead.  (Last year, they took longer than expected Thanksgiving morning, making us late to the big Hamilton gathering.  After my husband received repeated hints regarding the correct time to arrive this year, I decided arriving on time with day-old pie was a win-win situation.)

We will be taking seven pies tomorrow:  three pumpkin, two apple, and two cherry.  When finalizing this over the phone with my mother-in-law, she commented, “You have MeeMaw’s pumpkin pie recipe, right?  She made the best pumpkin pies.”

My ears perked up, as I did not have this treasured family recipe in my recipe box.  MeeMaw was my husband’s beloved maternal grandmother, so I had my pen and paper ready when my mother-in-law came back to the phone—with an time-worn label from a can of Libby’s pumpkin, marked “MeeMaw.”   I transcribed the recipe over the phone and made a mental note to buy a can of Libby’s and compare.

As my 12-year-old son’s favorite pie just happens to be pumpkin, he quickly volunteered this morning to help make the pies.

We used MeeMaw’s method (hers was slightly different from today’s Libby’s label) when preparing the pie filling, mixing ingredients in the order listed.  We got out our largest stainless steel bowl and a whisk, and got started.

Because we had found earlier this week on a pumpkin pie trial in the Test Kitchen that this pie recipe makes more than our 9-inch pie pan could hold, we decided probably two 8-inch pans would be about right.  With this advance knowledge, we doubled the recipe for three 9-inch pies.

First came beating the eggs.  My son asked, “Do I beat them like scrambled eggs?”

“Yes,” I replied.

Next thing I knew the whisk was vigorously circling the bowl, and the eggs were lemon-colored in a matter of seconds. 

As I turned to get the sugar from the cabinet, I directed, “Go ahead and add the pumpkin.”

I turned just in time to see him give the can a hard shake to release the pumpkin—from about three feet above the mixing bowl.  The resulting splash of lemon-colored eggs up and out of the sides of the bowl is permanently etched in my memory.

The mess wasn’t nearly as bad as I feared, so we pushed on and added the sugar, salt, ground cinnamon and ginger.  After that was vigorously whisked, it was time to add the evaporated milk.

I got out the can opener and directed him to punch a hole in each side, one for the pouring of the milk, and the other to release the vacuum.  It was a teaching moment, as his first pouring hole was too small to allow much to come out. After it was enlarged, he lifted the can up and down—with a big grin and a playful look in his eyes--as the milk now flowed freely into the pumpkin mixture.

Taking no chances with Thanksgiving’s pumpkin pies, I divided the filling evenly between the three prepared pie shells.  It filled them perfectly—just full enough to carry them on their baking sheets to the oven without causing them to spill over the sides of the nicely fluted edges.

We followed the baking time as directed, switching baking pans top for bottom around halfway through.

All in all, we’re looking forward to a day full of food and family tomorrow.  There’s a chance, however, that my growing boys may be putting slightly greater emphasis on the former.  As we were preparing the pies this morning, my “bottomless pit” boy helper tentatively asked, “What’s my pie limit at Thanksgiving?”

MeeMaw’s Pumpkin Pie

2 eggs

1 can (15 oz.) Libby’s pumpkin

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (optional)

1 can (12 oz.) Carnation evaporated

    milk

unbaked pastry for 2 (8-inch) single

    crust pies, or 1 (9-inch, 4-cup   

    volume) crust

1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Place pastry-lined pie pans on baking sheet.

2.  Combine filling ingredients in order listed:  Beat eggs, mix in pumpkin. Add sugar, salt and spices; mix well.  Slowly whisk in evaporated milk. 

3.  Divide filling between the two pans; carefully place in oven on rack near bottom to ensure a crisp bottom crust.

4.   Bake 15 minutes; reduce heat to 350 degrees.  Bake an additional 40 to 50 minutes or until thin-bladed steak knife inserted near center comes out clean.

Yield: 2 (8-inch) pies.

Copyright © 2015 by Shasta Hamilton

Shasta is a fifth generation rural Kansan now residing in Enterprise, Kansas.  She and her husband own and operate The Buggy Stop Home-Style Kitchen with their six home-schooled children.  You can reach The Buggy Stop by calling (785) 200-6385 or visit them on the web at www.thebuggystoprestaurant.com.

"Bear Sign" Buttermilk Doughnuts - A Traditional Farm Life

A Traditional Farm Life - "Bear Sign" Buttermilk Doughnuts

By Shasta Hamilton

Greetings from Enterprise, dear friends!  Our town’s new Grist Mill has bones and skin, but unfortunately it doesn’t have a head on its shoulders!

Turnout was great last Saturday morning for the mill’s “barn raising.”  The girls and I took a break from preparing the crew’s lunch to walk down the block that beautiful morning, and were rewarded with an awe-inspiring sight.  Just as we came to the corner with the site within view, the first 32-foot wall was “walked” up into place by a large group of men.  It is always amazing to see how something that would be impossible for one or two is relatively easy for a group of folks with a goal in mind.

Work progressed well that day—the four framed walls were put up and were in the process of being “skinned,” but there was, and still is, much to be done to make the dream a reality.  The amount of behind-the-scenes planning that goes into such an endeavor is incredible.  Joe Minick has spent a lot of time and effort putting the plans in order and coordinating the building old-fashioned building “bees” that have got the project on its way.

Work on the mill did not begin last Saturday, of course.  Men were on site the week before, cutting wood so the walls could be quickly framed, as well as other preparatory work. 

Work has continued since Saturday.  Both stories are now skinned and doors and some of the windows have been installed.  Although work has on hold for the time being, by the time you read this, trusses will probably be installed in preparation for putting on the roof.

As a lover of history and a resident of this fine city, it’s exciting to see the Hoffman Mill rising again.  It’s been encouraging to see folks from our community coming together to see this nod to Enterprise’s founding fathers become a reality.  Our family is honored to be able to contribute our boy’s time to help with construction and have been delighted to feed hungry crews of workers as needed.

In the spirit of the community “work bees” of days gone by, the girls and I whipped up a batch of buttermilk doughnuts this morning.  The crew we were feeding was limited to a bunch of hungry Hamilton’s--and perhaps that’s all right, because there would not have been enough left to feed the construction crew.

Buttermilk doughnuts would have been a familiar treat when the original Hoffman Mill was founded.  The following recipe was handed down to the King Arthur Flour Company from a farmwife in Wisconsin, and was believed to be over one hundred years old.  We’ve made it several times over the years to the delight of the children.

Made the way I’ve revised the recipe, it resembles a cowboy treat we’ve read about called “bear sign.”  Bear sign was the cowboy term for doughnuts made out on the range for hungry cowhands by the dishpan full, and from my research I’ve learned the cook who made them was highly regarded. 

They were not particularly difficult to make in my home kitchen, but I can only imagine how difficult it would be to whip these treats up for the boys on the range from the tailgate of the chuck wagon. 

Though I won’t be traveling down the Chisholm Trail next week with a chuck wagon ready to feed my hungry boys, I will be in the kitchen preparing pies and other goodies for the Thanksgiving holiday.  Please note:  The Buggy Stop will be closed November 25-28.

“Bear Sign” Buttermilk Doughnuts

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in

            1 cup buttermilk

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking powder

about 4 cups all-purpose flour (enough to hold a spoon upright)

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

6 cups (3 lbs.) lard or vegetable

shortening, for frying

confectioner’s sugar

1.  In medium bowl, beat together the sugar and eggs until smooth.  Beat in the baking soda/buttermilk, butter, and vanilla.  Add baking powder, flour, and nutmeg, stirring until well combined.  Dough will be sticky, but should be stiff enough to hold a spoon upright.

 

2.   Place dough on a well-floured surface, sprinkle flour on top and roll 1/4 inch thick.  (Dough may be divided in half for easier handling.)  Cut dough with a 2 to 2-1/2 inch biscuit cutter or rim of a large drinking glass.  (Dough can also be cut into traditional doughnut shapes.)

3.  In a large, deep kettle, melt the lard or shortening and heat to 375 degrees.  Carefully slip doughnuts into oil and fry 1-1/2 to 2 minutes per side or until golden brown.  Remove and drain on paper towels; cool slightly.  Put confectioner’s sugar in a paper bag, add a couple donuts at a time, and shake to coat.  Excellent served warm with a cup of coffee strong enough to float a horse shoe in.  

Yield: 1 dishpan of doughnuts.

Copyright © 2015 by Shasta Hamilton

Shasta is a fifth generation rural Kansan now residing in Enterprise, Kansas.  She and her husband own and operate The Buggy Stop Home-Style Kitchen with their six home-schooled children.  You can reach The Buggy Stop by calling (785) 200-6385 or visit them on the web at www.thebuggystoprestaurant.com.