Pies, pies and more pies filled a church kitchen in the days leading to Thanksgiving. Baked fresh and placed in crisp, white boxes, the 102 desserts were prepared by members of the 4-H Clovers, Lenhartsville, during their first annual pie sale. Proceeds will purchase kitchen equipment and cookies supplies.
The Clovers, including children and teens, learned to make pies from scratch. They took orders from family and friends for holiday get-togethers, then gathered the week before Thanksgiving to make 102 pies in three varieties.
At the top of the list was the traditional favorite, pumpkin. A donor provided local pumpkins, which were chopped, baked and pureed then turned into pumpkin custard pies.
Jaxon Seidel, a fourth-grade student, carefully measured and mixed ingredients for the pumpkin treats. This was his first time to make pies.
“I only make toast at home,” Jaxon said, adding, “well, sometimes I make sandwiches.”
Jaxon said he likes learning to cook new things, and is willing to try foods he might normally avoid because he cooked them himself.
“It’s fun, mixing the stuff,” he added as he worked on the pies. “I just followed the directions. I just looked at the recipe.”
For the next variety, sliced granny-smith apples were piled into pans and topped with an oatmeal-crumb topping. Mackenzie Hoover, a third-grade newcomer to the Clovers, manned a mixer to create the topping.
“You get to do different things, things you might do at home,” Makenzie said of what she’s learned so far. “Now I’ve made breakfast for my family.”
A third pie option highlighted a Pennsylvania Dutch favorite, the milk tart. Using ingredients like flour, sugar, butter, cooking syrup and whole milk, the Clovers learned how to turn pantry staples into a tasty and economical treat.
The pie is a favorite of Karen Mohn, who has lead the Clovers for 19 years. Mohn emphasizes whole foods and old-fashioned cooking skills in her classes. She thought the first-time pie fundraiser went well.
“And yes, I would do it again,” she laughed as she looked through notes used to convert single-pie ingredients into quantities for dozens of pies.
The pies spotlighted regional ingredients and classic treats. For expediency, Mohn ordered pressed pie shells from the Virginville Grange.
The Clovers meet in the kitchen of Salem EC Church, Lenhartsville. Proceeds from the 102 pies sold will be shared between the two organizations and used to purchase kitchen equipment and cooking supplies.
As the fundraiser wrapped up, 4H members washed dishes and wiped down counters in the large, commercial kitchen. As she dried mixing bowls, seventh-grader Laura Aulenbach said she has learned a lot through the club.
“When I first did this, I didn’t know how to use a knife,” she explained, but has since picked up kitchen skills and sometimes cooks dinner at home.
Her friend, Leah Wilson, joined the 4H Clovers this year.
“I have cooked at home, but not as much as I’d like to,” Leah said, adding that her favorite meeting this fall was a mystery-ingredient cooking contest held in November.
Laura’s mother, Sherry, helps during most of the Clover’s cooking meetings through the fall and winter. This is the third year the two have been in the 4H group.
“She likes the camaraderie,” Sherry said, noting her daughter has enjoyed meeting people outside of her Fleetwood school district. “We’re with a new group of kids.”
“I like to see young minds learning good things,” Sherry added, watching the tweens and teens hustle around the kitchen as the smell of baking pies filled the air.
The 4-H Clovers will continue to cook through December, baking Christmas cookies and mailing them to military personnel overseas, then inviting family members to enjoy a holiday feast on their last meeting of 2016. In January, the group will start a sewing unit.
The Clovers are part of the greater Berks 4-H Penn State Extension. Groups range according to interests. For more information visit extension.psu.edu/4-h/counties/berks/clubs.
