Southeastern Pennsylvania has had a snowy winter so far, and as I write this, the region is experiencing yet another snowy day. Being stuck indoors makes it a good time to cook or to plan ahead for the comfort foods you want to be…
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Archive | Desserts
Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake for Two
With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, many of you are thinking of giving something sweet to your sweetie. But what should you give? What about something chocolate? What about something homemade? I have just the answer, an answer that works with almost any…
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The Best Pumpkin Snickerdoodles for Your Holiday Parties
Snickerdoodles are simple classics–so simple I learned to make them in Home Economics class, way back in Junior High. I know Home Economics classes bit the dust around the time Junior High changed its name to Middle School–but the tangy taste of snickerdoodles still…
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Simple Quince Galette
As of early November 2018, quince is available in our market! The arrival of quince fruit here in the orchard can easily be missed in the frenzy of the fall season with things like school tours, festivals and apples galore to easily distract you.…
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Canning in the Fall: Vanilla Bean Pear Pie Filling
Now that I am back to my teaching job at Twin Valley High School, I am only at Weaver’s Orchard in pick-your-own on Saturdays. While I love teaching, I will admit it is hard to trade in the crisp autumn air of these late…
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Pumpkin Pie from a 1911 Berks County Cookbook
Toward the end of 1911, a group of “public spirited women” were anticipating the “gloomy prospect of an expensive winter.” They were managing The Home for Widows and Single Women at the northwest corner of 16th and Haak Streets in Reading, PA. In 1911,…
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Apple Dumplings: From Failure to Success
My husband often talks about one of my most spectacular kitchen failures. But he speaks of it fondly, and almost dreamily, because sometimes even the messiest kitchen mistakes are still quite edible. Here’s what happened. I was trying to make apple dumplings. It’s a…
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Chocolate Applesauce Cake with Raspberry Drizzle
When most people think of picking fruit in September, apples are the fruit that comes to mind. And with good reason. At the time I’m writing this, there are five apples to pick at Weaver’s right now, with three more on the way this…
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Meadow View Jerseys: Delighting in Dairy
In April, Meadow View Jerseys became a vendor selling its raw A2A2 milk, kefir, curds and raw, aged cheese at Weaver’s Orchard. Lynford Wenger’s family produces these non-GMO dairy products on their farm in Leola, Lancaster County, where their Jersey cows have 10 acres…
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Cherry Mascarpone “Tiramisu”
When cherry season rolls around, I can’t help but stock my freezer with delicious hand-picked cherries to enjoy all year long. I’ll use them in recipes like this simple cherry sorbet, or mixed with raspberries or strawberries in a berry pie, or in one…
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