Evening star., 1900-07-14
UNUSUAL PIE RECIPES.
Queer TL-ngs Used in Various Parts
of the Country.
From the American Kitchen Marazine

Queer TL-ngs Used in Various Parts
of the Country.
From the American Kitchen Magazine
Ihe pie-belt is generally supposed to be
best developed in New England but
doubt If in quantity or kinds of pies any
state therein can quite equal some of the
middle states. Marvellous ingenuity has
been shown in the invention of certain pies
tnat are more or less local, and that In a
lew more years will doubtless have be-
come absolutely unknown. 1t is only in 10
cai1ties too remote from railroads to have
variety OF foreign fruits brought at all
seasons OF the year, that such recipes as
some am about to describe still survive
In farming districts, where pie is consider
ed necessary article of diet in at least two
out OF three meals, when the season of
small Ia fruits mas passed. housewives have
only apples and dried fruits to fall back
upon with which to make pies So it is not
strange that some recipes quite unknown to
urban families should have been devised.
mere TOO, In pies as in preserves, variety
is counted OF consequence. In localities
"here eloerberr1eS are made into Jelly and
marmalade, they are also used for pies
fies made Of dried apples. stewed and
mashed, are common in springtime in vari-
Gus parts of the United States, but as far
as can learn, it is less customary to make
them or a mixture of dried apple sauce
and green currants. AS a little girl, many
quart OF green currants have l picked
and stemmed, some for plain currant pie,
others to sprinkle in the dried apple pie
nllins, and others to stew for sauce. Where
fresh fruits save apples are rare or un-
known, any acid flavor l suppose. is CRATE
ful after a long winter. l have been told
that the sour leaves of both wood and field
sorrei toXaais and Rumex) are sometimes
pressed into service in pie-making in some
OF the Canadian provinces. In parts of
the west, farmers wives gather the green
fruit OF the wild frest-grape for pies,
though l think this lis more Ito make
change, as they say, since the grapes bios
som and mature so late that in most places
there must be other fruits before the
grapes are large enough to cook.
Speaking of these wild grapes wonder
1t country housewives still preserve them
according to fashion well knew a gen.
GRAFTON ana more ag1 1t was always called
Laying down" You would hear one neigh
Dor say to another, I've been laying down
my grapes One or two frosts were con-
sidered necessary to ripen the fragrant
clusters hanging from the wild vines that
gracefully clambered over our Virginia rail
fences. or festooned tall tree trunks on
the edge of the woods. A stone jar or
milk crock was filled with fine punches of
the wild fruit, which was then almost
covered with molasses and put away in
some cool closet or down cellar. After
some weeks, or even months, both fruit
and liquid had a sweet-sour, spicy tang
that was very pleasant. The grapes, with
a little of the rich juice, were served as
sweet pickle, or in some families the grapes
We're removed from the stems, and, covered
with the juice, used to make pies.
The cream pies of my day. still surviv-
ing in the part of Ohio where I was reared,
We're very different from the cream-cakes
of the bakeries. The pie pan was lined
with crust, then 1t was filed with rich
cream that had been well sweetened. Into
this was sifted very slowly from a dredg-
ing box little flour-perhaps a desserl-
spoonful to one pie. About a dessert
spoonful of butter was cut up into small
pinch of cinnamon was added This made
an indigestibly rich but delicious dessert.
Another queer northern Ohio dish is known
as cheese pie. cup of the curd obtained
from sour milk by draining off its whey is
beaten with two eggs, little sweet milk
and sugar to taste"