Emerald's 5th letter + Pumpkin pie

(Photos are at the bottom of page)

Dear sweet Emerald today is the 8th of September. You have been here for 19 days. Not even a full month yet and I can't remember what life was like without you; I don't want to anyway. 

I hope that by the time you read these letters we have already shared countless hours laughing and probably some crying as we baked and cooked a million things together. It is hard to tell what you are going to enjoy doing at this stage in your little life, but we did bake two pumpkin pies together on the 3rd. Of course you slept through it. What do you expect of a brand new being? 

When we ordered seeds for the garden back in April I immediately wanted to grow pumpkins for you. Yes, I knew you would be a newborn when they were ready to harvest. That didn't matter to me. I wanted you to have something special in the garden. It was our first year planting and I wanted you to be included as well. I picked gorgeous jarrahdale pumpkin seeds along with small orange pumpkins called, we-be-little. Both organic and heirloom. The jarrahdale pumpkins are also called Cinderella pumpkins. They are large and light blue in color. They came from Australia and anyone that visits has said they are the prettiest pumpkins they've seen. That was my goal; to make your first autumn season in this world magical. Subconsciously I'm sure it will be woven into you although you are way too small at the moment to fully participate. 

I cut up the first jarrahdale pumpkin from the garden and roasted it while you napped on the bed. That was on the 2nd and on the 3rd we baked pumpkin pies together. Our first time baking together even if you stayed in dream land while we did it, I enjoyed every moment with you. 

I saved a few seeds from the pumpkin to put up for you. I had to dig them from the trash. I forgot them in the bowl, covered with a cloth for a couple of days and when I remembered they looked yucky. I threw them away. An hour later all I could think about was how I wanted to save those seeds for you. I dug some out of the trash, washed them, and dried them. Hopefully when you plant your very first garden as an adult you will plant the jarrahdale pumpkin seeds I rescued for you and bake lots of pumpkin pies. 

I have become pretty sentimental as you can tell. I think that happens to a person when they have "lost" every single thing they ever cared about over and over throughout life. They either become extremely bitter or extremely sentimental. Thank goodness I haven't lost myself to the harsh bitterness although there have been plenty of times I did come close. 

Here is our first family recipe for your book. Pumpkin pie! 

Emerald's whimsical pumpkin pie 

This recipe yields two pies because why on earth would you make only one? I never make only one pie; it is senseless to do such a thing in my opinion. 

You'll need: 

Pie crust (the pie crust recipe makes 2)

For the filling

4 cups of pureed pumpkin (you can use canned if you must. Trust me little Emmy, it is more special to roast a fresh pumpkin in the oven for an hour and puree your own) 

1 cup of sugar. Yes, that is a lot of sugar. We will make a healthier version soon. 

3 eggs, whisked.

1 cup of unsweetened coconut milk. If you consume dairy you can use half and half, whole milk, or whatever you desire. I used coconut milk because I cut out dairy so I could nurse you, my sweet Emerald, without you spitting up or having tummy issues. 

Pinch of sea salt 

Pumpkin Pie Spice You can either use a TBS of your favorite organic store bought one or you can use a homemade blend. I'll share the homemade blend next time we make this pie. This time I used a TBS from the jar I purchased last summer from a co-op in Michigan. 

1/4 cup of flour If you use coconut milk or if the filling is really thin you can whisk in some flour to thicken it up. 

Now, some people make things complicated. I try not to. Take a stainless steel pot and put all of the pie filling ingredients in.

Cook over medium heat. Whisk the whole time to prevent burning. 

Once the sugar is melted and the filling is hot and smooth, pour half into one pie crust and the other half into the 2nd crust.

You'll bake it at 350°F for about 40 minutes. I like to turn the oven off after 40 minutes and let the pies stay in there for about an hour then transfer to the refrigerator until cool. Remember, the hour in the oven- the oven is OFF. 

Shhh, don't tell your father but there will be extra filling, not much though. Just enough for you to try a taste. That is one of the rewards of being the baker, you get samples. If your father is around I treat him to the extras but on this day he was slaving away in the matrix to provide for us. Now that I wrote that, I feel bad for not saving him that extra filling in the bowl, but he did eat half the pie after dinner so I guess it all turned out fine. Spoil your father as often as you can Emerald because he does love you more than words could ever tell. We both do. We all do, anyone that knows you. Your father deserves to be spoiled just like you. 

Hopefully, you'll read this letter as an adult and bake your father 2 pumpkin pies, not one and you two will enjoy it together on a porch or down by the garden and talk about how beautiful life is.