Turning the corner I ducked into the nearest doorway. The scent of coffee, spices, vanilla, and . . . pumpkin smacked me in the face. Uh oh. Cold air hit me in the back as the door opened and the two heavies stomped in behind me. Beefy paws grabbed my arms and then I was "walking" toward the back of the Cannery cafe and grill. "Hey fellas," I said, "Come here often?"
"The boss wants to see ya."
"Really? I thought you guys just wanted to dance." I said, grinning at both of them while willing my feet to reach the floor so maybe I could escape.
"Shuddup," the one on my right said.
My feet hit the ground in front of a shadowy table in the back corner.
"Farm Agent Braeburn," said the large man sitting there, "How nice of you to join me. Please have a seat." And then I was sitting, thanks to his two employees.
He stuck out a hand. "Jack Lantern, CEO of Pumpkin Spice Enterprises, I've been wanting to meet you."
"You could have just called, or come by the office, even." I responded.
He grinned at me. His teeth, a little broken and jagged in places, and his eyes, the way they glowed, sent shivers up my spine. "I thought we'd be more comfortable here." He gestured to a barista. "Bring Mr. Braeburn here a selection of our seasonal dishes." Turning his attention back to me he said, "It seems you and your rosy-cheeked colleagues have been meddling in our pumpkin season, and I'm politely asking you to stop." He grinned again. Scary. Before I could reply, a slab of pumpkin pie, some pumpkin cookies, pumpkin bread, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin soup, granola with pumpkin seeds, pumpkin muffins, and 2 pumpkin lattes ( one hot, one iced) were set in front of me. "Please," he said, "Enjoy."
I was afraid not to.
"You see, Braeburn, we're not against apples--"
I cut him off. "You could have fooled me. For years, starting in mid-August, it's been pumpkin everything, everywhere. How is that not interfering with the apple market? It's prime apple season!"
"Marketing?" He smiled apologetically. "Our PR people found what people like and, well, they ran with it. It's not my fault that Granny's team hasn't pushed cider and pie and all the rest as hard as I have my pumpkin products."
"Yeah, but . . ." I swallowed a mouthful of doughnut and pie at the same time. I had to admit it was delicious. Gulping down more latte, I said "It's hard to push hot apple cider, baking hot pies, and fried apples in the middle of a late summer heat wave."
"But it seems Granny Smith and her colleagues rose to the challenge, or we wouldn't be having this chit-chat, now would we?
He continued. Before pumpkin spice became a cultural phenomenon, all we had was Halloween and the Thanksgiving pie industry. We've changed all that."
"At the expense of the apple market," I said, taking a bite of the pumpkin cheesecake.
"Like I said, I'm not against apples, I'm just trying to survive until Thanksgiving, just like Granny Smith." He watched me try the pumpkin granola. "Whaddya say to a little friendly competition?"
Mouth full, I nodded. When I could talk I said "What did you have in mind?"
"Pumpkin has been baked in the America's before the first English settlers thought about coming here. Apples came with them around 400 years ago. In the last 250 years cooks in this country have perfected the pie. You tell Granny Smith to pull out all her best recipes, and I'll get mine and we'll see which ones show up on the Thanksgiving table."
I raised my latte. "May the best fruit win."
He scowled and nodded at his henchmen. "Get him outta here."
Two minutes later, I picked myself up off the sidewalk, grabbed my hat before it blew away, and checked that the pumpkin doughnuts stuffed in my pockets had survived before I started back to the office, thankful that Jack Lantern hadn't decided to end the rivalry--and me.
*Part 1 September 6, 2026
Which pie do you bring to your holiday gatherings? Or do you bring both? Do you have a favorite? Let me know in the comments, and I'll post the results by November 26. (U.S. Thanksgiving Day)
One of America's first Apple pie recipes from 18th century Virginia
From "The Virginia Housewife" by Mary Randolph
"Put a crust in the bottom of a dish, put on it a layer of ripe apples pared and sliced thin, then
a layer of powdered sugar; do this alternately till the dish is full; put in a few tea-spoonfuls of rose-water
and some cloves; put on a crust and bake it."
For the 21st century recipe: https://www.colonialwilliamsburg.org/discover/resource-hub/recipes/to-make-an-apple-pie/
The following recipes are taken from www.tastinghistory.com "The First American Apple Pie" and "Pumpkin Pie from 1796-- A History of Pumpkins"
From American cookery by Amelia Simmons 1796
Ingredients:
Crust
3 3/4 cups (450 g) flour
1 1/2 cups (340 g) butter, cut into about 1 tablespoon pieces
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Filling
2 lbs (900 g) granny smiths
1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp mace*
A pinch salt
1 tsp rose water
2 TBS (30 g) butter, cut into small pieces
*See notes below.
Instructions:
Crust: In a large bowl, toss the pieces of butter in the flour and use your fingers to break up the butter and work it into the flour until the butter pieces are pea-sized or smaller.
Mix the eggs into the flour mixture until it forms a dough. Knead it a few times to bring the dough together (too much kneading will result in a tough pie crust, so do this just until the dough is cohesive). Divide the dough into roughly 1/3 and 2/3 pieces, then flatten each piece out into a disc, wrap well, and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
For the filling: Peel and core the apples, then slice into eighths.
Mix the sugar, cinnamon, mace, and salt together in a bowl.
To assemble the historical way: Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
On a floured surface, roll out the larger disc of dough and line a 9 inch (23 cm) pie dish.
Lay the apple slices evenly in the crust.
Roll out the smaller disc of dough and cut out a round that will cover the filling of the pie, reaching almost to the edges. Lay the round of dough on top of the apples.
Bake for 30 minutes, then take the pie out and lower the oven to 375°F (190°C). Gently remove the top crust. If you have better luck with this, let me know. Mine came off in pieces, which I don’t think is what was supposed to happen, but it still tasted good in the end.
When the top crust is off, sprinkle the sugar and spice mixture over and gently stir to coat the apples. Sprinkle the rose water over it and stir gently again. Dot the top of the filling with the small pieces of butter, then lay the top crust back on. If your top crust broke like mine did, you can crumble it up and sprinkle it over the top.
Bake for another 30 minutes or until the filling is bubbling.
Cool, and serve it forth.
To assemble in a less historical, but easier way: Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
In a small bowl, combine the sugar, cinnamon, mace, and salt.
In a large bowl, toss the apples with the sugar and spice mixture. Sprinkle in the rose water and toss to combine.
On a floured surface, roll out the larger disc of dough and line a 9 inch (23 cm) pie dish with it.
Arrange the filling in an even layer in the pie dish. Dot the top of the filling with the butter.
Roll out the smaller disc of dough and lay it over the pie, crimping the edges in any decorative way you like. Cut a few vents in the top crust.
Bake for 1 hour, or until you can see the filling bubbling up through the vents.
Cool, and serve it forth.
Notes:
Mace comes from the outside of a nutmeg seed and tastes similar to nutmeg with notes of cinnamon and black pepper. It's used in a lot of historical recipes and is definitely worth getting.
One of America's first pumpkin pie recipes from 1796
From American Cookery by Amelia Simmons
Filling:
1 quart (1liter) whole milk 1 1/2 teaspoon allspice
4 eggs 2 teaspoons ginger
1/2 cup (190 grams) sweet molasses 2 cups (450 grams) pumpkin
Cut sugar or pie pumpkin in half and scrape out pulp. Roast it at 350 F (175 C) for an hour.
While hot, remove skin, let cool a bit then mash
Add beaten eggs, molasses and some of the milk, and beat
Add allspice and ginger and while whisking add rest of milk, combine well
Mix will be very liquid
Crust:
1 pound (450 grams) flour
3/4 pound butter
2 eggs
Rub butter into flour until you get a breadcrumb consistency
Mix in the egg until you have pie dough consistency
Roll pastry out and place in deep pie pan (or make 2 pies)
Line with foil and pie weights and blind bake for 15 minutes at 350 F (175 C)
Remove from oven, remove foil and pie weights and cook another 15-20 minutes until crust is completely done.
Fill crust about 3/4 full then move pan to oven to finish filling (to avoid spilling)
Use foil or a pie shield around outer ring of crust to keep from burning pastry
Bake at 350 F (175 C) for 75-80 minutes
After 75-80 minutes turn off the oven and leave pie inside, wedging the door open with a wooden spoon, and
letting the pie cool down very slowly. this helps keep the pie from cracking
Once completely cool, slice.
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