Thanksgiving & Christmas are right around the corner, so here is a traditional old western pie recipe to enjoy by your homestead fireside just as my family has done so for generations
Dave Rodgers is Chief Editor of the Frontier American Illustrated News. He is a tribal member and westerner descended directly from Squire and Edward Boone (father & brother of Daniel Boone). With an old-west family lineage of farmers, ranchers, railway men, lawmen and desperadoes, he takes pride in the rich story of the land his family came from. As a resident of rural Arizona, he continues in the traditions of the American West and promotes the western culture as it continues on today.
A Farmhouse Tradition - This one comes from the well-worn pages of a dog-eared cookbook that has been with my family for a long time. This pulpit bible of traditional home cooking came from a small country store and my family used it heavily throughout the 1870s, 80s, and 90s. Imagine the smiling faces and hearthside holiday cheer of that small farmhouse kitchen outside of Fort Smith, Arkansas. Perhaps, the aroma of our family pies pleased the senses of famous lawmen like Bass Reeves, or Isaac Parker along with the countless hearty western souls as they passed by on the road to town.
This book with decades of family recipes added to it, later crossed the prairie with my family, arriving at what would become our farm in the Indian Nation town of Oologah, Oklahoma. Five generations and two World Wars passed before this book finally arrived here in rural Arizona. For nearly 150 years, this holiday recipe has fed, cowboys, farmers, railroaders, oil workers, and now you fine folks reading it here in America's heartland.
The Traditional Way to Do This Recipe
(makes 3-pies)
Take one quart of rich milk (preferably raw) - it is better if you add a little cream.
Add 3-cups of boiled and strained pumpkins - (MODERN METHOD: You can substitute canned pumpkin pie mix but why would you want to do that when I'm giving you the pumpkin instructions below?)
Add 2 cups of sugar.
Add about 2-tbl. of soft butter.
4-eggs - (My Aunt Coot would have preferred brown leghorns but you all use whatever hens you want for the chore.)
Separate the yolks; beat them well and then stir them in first.
The whites will be beaten to a froth and then stirred in only after the rest of the filling ingredients are mixed and right before the pie is filled and placed in the oven.
Spice - The recipe calls for a scant tablespoon of ginger & cinnamon to be added but you all go ahead and add more if you want a little more bite in it.
If you want to depart from my family recipe in favor of your own family's spicing methods, remember the top 5 Christmas spices: Allspice, Cinnamon, Cloves, Ginger, and Nutmeg. There is always some old family member who knows the magic blend to give my family recipe a little personality of your own.
Make an 1870's Pie Crust - This pie crust recipe also comes from the same family cook book. From paste to pan, here are the original ingredients without modern cheats.
Hand-mix 1-quart of sifted flour with 1 tsp. of salt.
Take 1/2 cup of butter, wash it in ice water and set it aside on ice (today, just take it out of the refrigerator).
Rub in 1/2 cup of lard, then gradually mix in about 1/2 cup of ice water to make the paste.
Lightly dredge the baking board with flour and turn the paste out and roll it out away from your body into a long, thin sheet. Never roll it back toward you; only roll it away in one direction.
Take the 1/2 cup of chilled butter off the ice and break it into bits and scatter it entirely over the face of the paste. Dredge it in flour.
Fold over the sides of the paste until they touch, then fold the top to the bottom in the same way.
Turn the paste so that the last fold will run to and from you and roll it out again in a motion running away from you.
Repeat the fold over and roll-out 4-more-times.
Stand it on ice or in a cold place for one hour and the crust will be ready to shape and take the pie filling.
How to Bake
Your pie tin should be well greased. Mealy-dough pie crusts are best. Other crusts may be flavorful but pumpkin pie filling tends to make other crusts soggy. There are many how-to videos online but more important, online archives provide a variety of
Put the filling in a rich open crust and bake in a Quick Oven (375° - 400°)
Some prefer a Moderate Oven (350° - 375°)
Dutch Oven Baking - If you are using a Camp or Dutch Oven, Cowboy Chuckwagon Cook, Kent Rollins recommends using a 5" trivet on dry-flat open ground with light coals circling all the way around. (Note: no coals in the center directly beneath the trivet, just surrounding the Dutch Oven so that it will create a hot updraft.) Cover the lid of the Camp Oven with coals.
This may take about an hour but check in on it. Test the side of the crust with a touch from a spoon handle. When it will set tight and not mash, the pie filling should be spongy and the pie is ready. (If you watch Kent's videos, you'll know where I learned this, and it does work.)
How To Prepare Pumpkin for Pies
Select a deep, ripe yellow pumpkin, halve-it crosswise, then cut it in thin slices and pare. Put it over a stove in a sufficient quantity of water and cover tightly. In cooking the pumpkin, be sure that it cooks slowly without scorching. Cooking will take several hours. When it is thoroughly done, take off the cover so that the water will evaporate. The drier the pumpkin is, the better. Press it all through a colander and it is ready.
Special Thanks for the Imagery and Insight
Some of the images used in this article come from knowledgeable folks who have made the Holidays their specialty. An in-person visit to each should be on your bucket list.
Stone Soup Farm - Nestled among mountain apple orchards in rustic Oak Glen, California, this alpine farm straddles a meandering creek beneath the majestic canopy of alders and apple orchards dating back to the 1800s. Tim Riley and his wife Faith are the proprietors of this beautiful location that hosts private events, educational seminars and pick-your-own harvesting from wild blackberries to heirloom apples and other produce. It is a rare opportunity for people to escape urban congestion and feel the earth with their hands, experiencing traditional farming methods in a postcard-perfect rural setting.
Riley's Farm - Adjacent to Stone Soup is the 18th century edifice of the Hawke's Head Tavern. This is the starting point to a near-magical living history experience known as Riley's Farm. This venue features employees in period attire introducing you to a world of trades, foods and farming methods of 18th - 19th century rural America through full living history immersion. Jim Riley has devoted decades to creating a living monument to America and knowing the hearts of our Nation's founding fathers.
Kent Rollins - He is a man whom I greatly respect because of his strong character and the fact that he is the real deal. Kent is a career cowboy who became a world famous chuckwagon cook with a strong media presence. He promotes the virtues of faith and tradition that that makes up the core of hard-working folks who are still bringing meat to our tables through an age-old tradition.
Merry Christmas and have a wonderful Holiday Season - Take time to enjoy the cold bite of a winter breeze from the warm glow of a hardwood fire. Whether this is an outdoor firepit or a cozy iron stove, it is a time for spiced coffee, hot cider, or some champurrado. Add a slice of pumpkin pie and it makes a welcome reward for anyone coming in out of the cold. Savor such moments with family and friends; they are what echo in your memories whenever someone asks what the "good stuff" is.
Enjoy the season my friends; here's to the good stuff.
-DR
Great work, Dave. Love the attention to our favorite time period. I'll have to try making that crust!