Wholesome carrot pie
Lovina Eicher
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
It has been another busy day at the Eichers. Besides working outside, we processed 25 quarts of pickled red beets. These are the red beets we serve for the church meal when services are held at our place. I had a small dish of beets left that wasn’t worth filling another quart jar. So the children soon emptied it enjoying the beets for a snack. They also thought it was fun helping skin the beets.
Children Susan, Benjamin and Loretta pulled all the beets from the garden. We had some that were baseball sized. I only had 1 1/2 short rows of beets planted so I was surprised to get 25 quarts.
Daughter Elizabeth mowed the grass while the other children hitched Stormy (our pony) to the wagon. They then used him to haul weeds and cornstalks from the garden out to the field. Doing the work with the pony helped make their work easier and more fun. Even our youngest, Lovina and Kevin, enjoyed the rides out to the barnyard and back.
This was the children’s last week at home, so they were eager to get in as much fun as they could. Where has the summer gone to?
On Tuesday after Labor Day, our school will open their doors for another term. Five of our children will go to school this fall. Susan will be in the fifth-grade, entering middle school. Verena will start third-grade, Benjamin is in second and Loretta in first-grade. Then Joseph, age five, will go 1/2 day to a pre-kindergarten. This is to get them used to school and to learn the basics so they will be ready for kindergarten next year. It also will help Joseph get used to the English language as he mostly talks in German at home
My oldest daughter, Elizabeth, will be a seventh-grader and I will home school her. She wanted to, so I thought I’d give it a try. I will be able to give her German lessons this way. She’d also like to learn to use the sewing machine. She is a good student and has great grades so I’m not worried about teaching her. It’ll probably help me renew a lot of the academic skills myself. I look forward to having her here at home with me.
My husband, Joe, just had a four-day weekend. He will keep working on preparing to tear down our old house. We also have our third cutting of hay to cut so if it doesn’t get rained on, it should be ready to put in by Saturday.
On Sept. 2 our “baby,” Kevin, will have his second birthday. He is sure a big boy, weighing 30 pounds, one pound more than 3-year-old Lovina. They keep each other entertained, playing and fighting for the same toys. After a “fight,” though, they will always hug one another again. Such darling angels are a good example for us grown ups!
With carrots ready in the garden, try this carrot pie recipe. God bless you all!
CARROT PIE
1 9-inch unbaked pie shell
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups chopped carrots
2 eggs
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup milk
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Press the pie crust into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Bake the pie shell for 3 to 5 minutes, just to firm it up, then remove from the oven, and set aside. Place carrots in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain water and mash carrots until smooth. In a medium bowl, mix together the carrot puree, sugar and eggs. Mix in the cinnamon and vanilla. Gradually stir in the milk. Pour the mixture into the partially baked pie shell. Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce heat to 350 degrees. Bake for an additional 40 to 45 minutes at the lower temperature or until firm. Can be served as a dinner or dessert.