Grace's Worms in Dirt

As Beatrice's mother would say, "Eat your dirt!"

Happy Halloween, everyone! Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, and I'm always excited to get a chance to celebrate it. Admittedly, that usually gets a little harder to do when you get older and trick or treating if off the table, but now that I'm finished with school and employed, I decided this year I'd throw my first ever Halloween party. 

The theme? A certain animated miniseries that perfectly blends Americana, folklore, fairy tales, and general Halloween fun called Over the Garden Wall. Jessi and I carefully planned a menu full of treats inspired by the show and one of them is an old favorite classroom treat of mine: worms in dirt. Read on to learn a little about the history of this perfectly spooky treat!

Nellie's Remembrance Cookies

An interesting treat to enjoy while sharing stories of the past!

Halloween is fast approaching, and if you want to try something a little different this holiday season, I can't recommend these cookies enough. They're unusual, and probably not for everyone, but if you're a fan of unusual flavors and cookies that are sweet, but not too sweet, this is definitely worth a shot. 

The historical accuracy of this recipe is maybe a little questionable, but if you'll stick with me, you'll see there's an interesting story in here, along with a nice way to pass along memories of those who have gone before.

Jane's Apple Pie in a Mug

Just the thing if you need a quick fall treat!

So after talking all about apples in early America in my last post, I decided to roll the clock even further back. One thing I don’t think a lot of people realize is just how few comforts of home early European settlers to the Americas actually had. It took a really long time to import and cultivate crops, and farming techniques you were familiar with back in Europe didn’t always translate to New England or Virginia. 

It also meant you had to make some tough decisions about what kind of crops you brought first. Sweet apples weren’t cultivated in early Jamestown. Instead, their bitter cousins were grown for – you guessed it – cider! So kids like Jane would have had to learn to make do without some old favorites, including apples paired with cheese. 

This very modern take on apple pie is a quick, easy way to bring a taste of a very classic pairing. Ready in minutes, it can be enjoyed year round and doesn’t involve fussing with pastry! What’s not to love?

Caroline's Cider Cake

A brief history of apple cider and a look at a forgotten favorite!

Fall is my favorite season, although I feel like between moving further south and the increasingly worrying trends of climate change, I haven’t really gotten to experience it the way I’d like to in a few years. Still, it’s fun to get excited about Halloween, and to indulge in some of my favorite seasonal fruit: apples. 

Of course, you can get apples all year round, but the best kind are only available from September through October, and I’ve already bought a couple bags full. They’re not as good as the ones from Bishop’s Orchards back home, but they’ll do in a pinch. 

It’s also meant I’ve had apple cider on the brain, and so it really just seemed obvious that we’d have to give this recipe a spin to really get into that fall spirit. 

But first, I just want to say another congratulations to Ashley for winning our giveaway! I hope you enjoy the recipe cards and can’t wait to hear what you try out first. Thanks to everyone who entered. Hopefully we’ll have another five years of exploring America’s culinary history to come!