#174: A Letter to a Friend and a Pie to Share

I wrote to Anne Byrn in Nashville about letters written by hand, sealing wax, gardens, garlic, cherries, and a pie to share.

Sharing thoughts, stories, and recipes with others is one of the things I love most about writing here at Substack. Over the two years I have been publishing here, I have also become friends with some wonderful Substack writers, one of whom is Anne Byrn who is well known for her books on cake, dinner, and more. So, for my wonderful paid subscribers, I’m sharing with you the letter I wrote by hand and sent to Anne in Nashville earlier this month along with my favorite recipe for cherry pie. So you can enjoy our fun, here’s the link to Anne’s reply and her Substack newsletter. You’ll find her recipe for a summery blackberry crumble pie there, too. Cherries and berries! What could be better than that?

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Dearest Anne,

Do you remember learning to address envelopes back in grammar school so we could send letters and thank you notes? And going to the stationery store to buy a box of pretty paper and envelopes? And sealing wax? Do you remember that? All of that seems to be a thing of times past.

Photo by Mélanie THESE on Unsplash

In these days of emails, senders seem to think that my first name is “Hey,” and when I see that show up, 99.9% of the time it goes straight to the Trash file. So, I thought I’d send you an update on how things are going here at Pie Cottage by hand.

This morning the mountains are peeking out above soft gray clouds that will burn off soon. I love cuddling up with a cup of tea and book as they change. I never tire of their beauty and I so wish you were here to see them with me. I’m crossing my fingers, and lattice strips, too, that we’ll be spared smoke from forest fires and heat bubbles from climate change. Our first hot spell this year was in early May and the temp went up into the 80s. I imagine you are chuckling about that but days like that used to be a rarity here and, honestly, I’m not sure if I’ll ever get used to these warmer temps. Fortunately, I now have a ductless heat-pump that includes air conditioning and a filter to keep the smoke out of the house. When I put it in, my son Duncan said he never thought he’d see the day I heated with anything but wood. I will still set a fire when the temps go below freezing but I have to tell you that after 45+ years of bringing in wood, setting fires, and sweeping up dust and ashes, pushing one button to have my cottage warm up quickly is pretty darn cool!

So, how’s your garden doing? I picture you with a plethora of gorgeous tomatoes for sauce. Harvest time here is usually September and I love the ritual of making tomato sandwiches from the first ones. I planted about 200 head of garlic in the fall, clipped the scapes on Flag Day in June and turned them into pesto. This month I’ll be harvesting the crop. Does garlic grow well for you? May I send you some to plant?

As water is becoming more of an issue, I’m happy that they seem to be thriving with just our rainfall. The Olympic Mountains that I see out my window used to be snow-covered all summer long but this year they were nearly bare before the summer solstice. That snow melt is our water supply, too. I've practiced dought-tolerant gardening for years, primarily as a way to keep my water bill down. Now as water is more scarce on our dear Mother Earth, I plant edibles and ornamentals that can handle a once a month irrigation when well mulched. If not, then out they go. It’s kinda the survival of the fittest.

I love keeping tabs on the fruit trees in my ‘hood. There are a few where I trade pie for picking rights. There’s a beauty of a sour cherry tree just a few blocks away. I’ve been watching it like a hawk to make sure that I get first crack at its fruit before the birds do. In a good year, I put enough into the freezer for crisps, crumbles, and pies for later.

I remember in April 2019 how stunned I was to read in an AP article that the FDA rules for frozen cherry pies said they only have to weigh 25% cherries by weight. The next year the FDA said, “…the standards of identity and quality for frozen cherry pie are no longer necessary to promote honesty and fair dealing in the interest of consumers and revoking these standards will provide greater flexibility in the product’s manufacture, consistent with comparable, nonstandardized foods available in the marketplace.” Here’s a link to that piece, too. IMHO, fillers, stabilizers, artificial flavorings are no substitute for the real thing. OK, I’ll get down off my soapbox now.

This pie is full of real cherries.

I’ve been meaning to ask what your favorite style of rolling pin is. I grew up using my grandmother’s red double-handled pin but switched to a French tapered one twenty or so years ago. I really like the control I get with it...plus I feel kinda fancy using it. Have you tried one? I have three French pie plates from back then too and they’re still going strong. What’s your favorite? I do have a pile of glass pans in the pantry but after one too many shattered on me, I gave up on them. I suppose I could use them to bake pies for throwing into the faces of a few select politicians but I would hate to waste a good pie. ‘Nuff said.

A shattered glass pie pan.

Anyway, I’m serious about you coming to Pie Cottage for a visit, Anne. We can walk and I‘ll introduce you to my favorite neighborhood fruit trees. Until then, I’ve included the link to the recipe for my tried and true sour cherry pie that won Best of Show at my county fair years ago.

If you come in July, we can pick the cherries and make one together!

Love to you and yours,

P.S. Let me know if you would like some garlic.