Sitting here with the wood stove humming along, the woods out the window shimmering in fall light, it occurred to me that New England has a lock on fall. For me at least, fall or autumn in New England is painfully beautiful and too short. All the rituals of this time are compressed into a few weeks, and they vary between landscape and region.
For example, there is an archipelago southwest of Cape Cod called the Elizabeth Islands. Until modern times, these islands were a world away from the mainland. Originally they were the fishing and hunting grounds of the Wampanoog, but later the island chain was bought by wealthy individuals who put tenant farmers on them to raise livestock, mostly sheep. During the Revolution, the British attacked these islands and stole 10,000 sheep to feed their warships.
For the tenant farmers on these islands, fall was the harvest and it was work. Rituals included sheep round-up from the sea-blasted hills, sea harvest, salt hay harvest, and firewood gathering. The sea harvest consisted of salting cod and eels. Salt hay or cord grass—a native species that is common to coastal New England—was gathered from the marshes as fodder for livestock and to insulate the foundations of homes.
Putting food by without refrigeration was tricky. Winter storms were brutal, which made fishing dangerous and, in some cases, prohibitive. Root cellars stored potatoes, apples, and squash; mutton and beef were dried or salted, but the process was time-consuming and the resulting product tasted awful. Gardens needed to be cut back and livestock readied for the winter that was coming in a blink. These were cohesive communities and neighbors could rely on one another and they did.
Regardless of the region, one of the delicious rituals of fall was pie. Specifically pumpkin pie, that luscious orange custard that appears at many Thanksgiving tables. Albeit not everyone loves it, but regardless of taste or opinion, this custard recipe was invented by Amelia Simmons in 1796, appearing in her cookbook American Cookery (published by Hudson and Goodwin in Hartford, Connecticut). Simmons identifies herself on the cover of the book as an American orphan—a rather forlorn description (but perhaps an apt one for us all). Amelia also invented the concept of the cupcake and pioneered pearl ash—a precursor of baking soda. Her recipe book was reprinted for 35 years.
Another pie shares pumpkin’s spotlight in the fall: apple. The most common variety of the apple, often thought of as the symbol of Americana and autumn, has a wonderful name—Westfield Seek-No-Further. This apple variety was considered the finest eating apple well into the 19th century. Although often thought of as an American invention, apple pies have existed since at least 1390s Britain. One recipe found in a medieval cookbook: The Forme of Cury, includes threads of saffron and figs, additions I’ll be trying this season.
Regardless of where you live, but especially in New England, fall is a time of harvest and celebration. What better way to do so than with a piece of pie.
-Bird Jones
