Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1902-11-16
THE SWEET POTATO PIE.

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II the manufacture Of pie in Virginia
does not receive tremendous impetus
within the next few weeks. we shall be
greatly surprised, for our out-of-town cor
respondents are writing US some wonder
full stories about the huge sweet potatoes
and pumpkins that have been harvested
this fall
Indeed. If we may Judge from many OF
the communications received at this Office
recently our agriculturists are much
wrought up over the matter OF big pota-
toes. One hardly announces in print that
he has raised a colossal tuber before an
other pops up and goes him several
ounces better And thus ounce by ounce
and pound by pound, the record-breakins
avoirdupois of the BrobdinSnaGian ia
ters' has crept up until, at last accounts,
the champion tuber was holding the tort
with eight pounds Of charming personal
iiy.
If there are other potatoes which can
beat this, but are too modest to appear In
print we beg them to overcome their
diffidence This is an tannus mirabilis"
in Virginia's agricultural history and we
want to be the John Dryden who cfron-
icles the glad news.
But that in passing. There IS some
thing to be said In behalf Of pumpkins.
too, and to make our climax thrilling,
we shall sing of pie. While the sweet
potatoes have been undergoing The sub
tie processes Of self-aggrandzemen the
Virginia pumpkin has not been idle.
Day by day and hour by hour, since the
frost has wrinkled the pereimmon and
stolen the astringency of that coy fruit
the jocund pumpkin has been stealing
the sunshnes gold and waxing fat. Now
he wallows on the brown autumn earth
like stranded whale and lightens the
sombre landscape with huge patches of
yellow. Our Roxbury correspondent, than
whom there is no more loyal denizen Of
Charles City county, thinks his county
has produced the king of all pumpkins.
The giant weighs-or did weigh a few
days ago-eighty-seven pounds. And in
from brethren whose aggregate avoirdu-
pois was 1856 pounds-an average weight Of
over fifty-sx pounds.
When one with healthy digestion
contemplates the foregoing figures
glorious aureole Of pie comes cleaning
before his vision and he ticks his chops
III fancy at the thought Of what house
wives will do. Truly theirs is golden
opportunity now-an opportunity which
offers noble field for philanthropy. Our
only hope is that the size Of the pros
pective pies may be proportionate to the
dimensions Of the potatoes and pumpkins
we have described. But If, when the pre-
parations are made, it is found that there
is plethora Of tie raw material, we hope
it will be the pumpkins and not the pota-
toes which are discarded. The pumpkin
pie is brilliant exotic, but the potato
pie-ah that's the greatest of all our
home institutions!
If We may do so without being ar
raigned on the charge of disloyalty. We
venture to concede that our New Eng
land friends can beat the Virginians and
Caroinians in making pumpkin pie.
Such is their skill in seasoning and bak-
ing it that when served it tastes like, and
is almost as good as sweet pota topic.
And that's glory enough for any pie
Here in Virginia, We make two sorts OF
potato-pie-the sliced and the mashed:
but in either case much depends on the
seasoning. One must put into it butter,
eggs, sugar, lemons, and cinnamon. Also
a dash of brandy or wine. The
potatoes should be thoroughly cooked.
but not dried up. The crust-usually
there Is no upper crust-should be light
and crispy.
To our mind-our palate, rather-there's
no pie superior to the well-made sweet
potato-pie. and we have to deplore the
fact that the art of cooking it is not
part OF the curriculum In the girls
schools and colleges in the State.
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