October Tidbits & Tidings

Who can think of October without also thinking of church suppers? There was a time when the children were grown that we decided to treat ourselves to a fall of church suppers. We caught up with friends and neighbors locally and also traveled to other towns in the area, a few further away. Out quest started in late September, and we never had a “real meal” at home until early December! I found the Yankee magazine’s Church Supper Cookbook at the library. The turkey casserole on page 120 sounds particularly appetizing, as does the Cranberry Pot Roast on page 122.
Gardens are winding down. Thanks to the blight, there will be no tomato juice canned this year. However, it’s a great apple year. Applesauce, apple jelly, and several apple pies for the freezer will soon be prepared. Walnuts will be dropping and then pears. To take advantage of this harvest, you might want to explore The Church Supper Cookbook edited by David Joachim and try the Fresh Pear Cake on page 181 or Walnut Cake on page 193. The book also offers a recipe for Pastitsio or Greek Macaroni Pie on page 25, which is good, easy to make and feeds an army.
Speaking of which, a small army filled the library’s Welcome Center recently to learn about the history and making of the Log Cabin quilt block. Brad Flint dropped in with a gorgeous Log Cabin quilt made in 1835. Our thanks to Carol Dingman for a terrific presentation and Emily Loadwick who was on hand in period costume to serve refreshments. Everyone had a great time.
Readings from the Mohawk Valley Sampler will be held at the Margaret Reaney Memorial Library, St. Johnsville, on October 10th beginning at 10:00 a.m. On November 12th, the Fort Plain Free Library will offer The Power of Place from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. Both programs are designed to motivate area residents to share their memories about a person, place, or event that illustrates their feelings about living in the central Mohawk Valley. Hope to see many of you there.
October ends with mention of a work synonymous with Halloween, Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. First published in 1820, it is one of the earliest examples of American fiction still read today. The story takes place in the Dutch settlement of Tarrytown, New York. Anyone growing up near Tarrytown as I did…anyone who happened to see Walt Disney’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow in the fall of 1958…and anyone, I reiterate anyone, who was thirteen at that time and in charge of two younger siblings on a dark, cold, still Halloween night will recall, as if it were yesterday, the need for looking back over their shoulder every so often and listening for the sounds of echoing hoof beats.
Finally, don’t forget that the library’s used book room is a cornucopia of winter reading. Stop by and see for yourself.
Submitted by Board of Trustee member Sally-Jean Taylor