Shoofly Pie and Thoughts

I've heard a lot about Amish Shoofly Pie, but have never made one. I've been reading some Amish-themed books lately and with a name like that I had to finally try the pie out. So, I found a recipe for it at The Splendid Table website. I should have known when I read the recipe what I was in for. It has one cup of molasses in it.

See, molasses and me - we don't get along. Ever since I was pregnant with my first child molasses has made me a bit nauseous. It's gotten better over the years, but it still gives me the shivers. Well, somehow the molasses part got past me and I made the pie anyway. From the recipe description, my pie turned out great; a perfect balance between cakey and gooiness. I had me a big ol' slice and.... it was disgusting. But, I assure you, it was all me. My taste buds just couldn't take it. It's still sitting on my counter and every day I encourage my husband to eat another slice of it. (He doesn't mind molasses like I do.) You know, I like the idea of molasses, but for some reason the rest of me doesn't agree. So, I am resigned to a life of avoiding the sticky black stuff, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try it. If you're a fan of molasses, or can at least tolerate it, then go for it!

This weekend we finally found a farmers' market that was open on Saturdays. (Granted it was 25 miles away in Annapolis, MD. We live near Baltimore. Oh well.) Out here in Maryland there are different markets open during different times of the week. It was good to get out to a farmers' market, be surrounded by people of the community and smell all the plants and baked goods. I got some honey soap, found a killer deal on local lettuce ($1.75 for 2 heads! Beat that Walmart. :-p), some spinach, and some amazing, amazing local strawberries. I forgot how sweet and delicate fresh non-shipped-from-California strawberries can taste!

Today I realized something. I was surprised how my bread-making has slipped into my weekly routine. I don't even think about buying sandwich bread anymore. This transition has really made me happy. I'm one tiny step closer to reaching my goal of self-reliance. It really does only happen with one little step at a time. In the somewhat distant future I see chickens, a huge garden, and maybe even some pigs. Can't wait for that day! But in the meantime I'm going to enjoy a slice of fresh bread with homemade jam. Oh yeah!

P.S. I just found a Mennonite recipe for Shoo Fly Pie that just uses "dark syrup" but doesn't specify molasses. Hmmm... Maybe I could use dark corn syrup? Too bad I can't get sorghum around here.