Wendell and Eula Mae Moore brought their produce to the Farmer's Market in Hayesville, NC last Saturday. They loaded their pickup with a fall harvest. The old-fashioned butternut squash grabbed my attention.
Wendell said they had never raised butternut squash until their son, Phillip, suggested they plant it. The crop thrieved on their farm in Tusquittee. They made a wise decision. Wendell said they sold 50 butternut squash on th townsquare. I bought some before they sold out.
I recall when I was a child, my mama made butternut squash pies from scratch. Back then she baked on a woodstove in a hot kitchen. I can still taste that delicious dessert. Here's Mama's favorite squash pie recipe:
SQUASH PIE
1 cup squash, cooked and mashed
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
3 T. self-rising flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs, well beaten
1 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 9-inch unbaked pie shell
Mix squash, nutmeg, cinnamon, flour and sugar. Add eggs and milk; mix thoroughly.
Pour into pie shell.
Bake at 350 degrees 40-50 minutes or until done.
Yield: 6 servings
I didn't realize how much time it would take to make a squash pie from scratch. Fortunately, Mama supervised each step of the baking. Now I know how hard the old-time mountain women worked to prepare food for their families.
If you should decide to use this recipe, you might need to bake the pie longer than the time indicated in the recipe. I had a hard time getting the pie done. Sometimes I think maybe it's the weather that makes the difference or the temp. of your oven. You will need to judge for yourself when the pie looks firm and done.
The pie tasted good with vanilla ice cream. You could also put Cool Whip on each slice of pie. Some folks just like the pie plain. Anyway you like to serve it, I sure hope you will enjoy this fall recipe.
