An Old-Fashioned Pumpkin Pie Extravaganza

October 2026

Gathering for the Harvest

For Halloween this year we invited friends over to celebrate the harvest and the bounty of fall. Any excuse to turn on the oven!

Secrets Hidden in Plain Sight

Some of the farm’s best secrets have been sitting on the shelf all along. The Haw Branch Cookbook gathers original recipes collected during the mid-twentieth century that showcase 200 years of original recipes from Haw Branch— the dishes that fed the families who worked this land. We decided to cook our way through a few of them.

A Pie Extravaganza

One pie was not going to be enough, so we made five. The pumpkin pie is the one we are sharing here. It’s a surprisingly rich version with a full stick of butter, molasses, and less pumpkin than you might think.

The recipe calls for apple butter, so we made our own first, cooking the apples down on the stove until thick.

The Recipe: Old-Fashioned Pumpkin Pie

From Two Centuries of Virginia Cooking: The Haw Branch Plantation Cookbook. Makes two 9-inch pies.

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups white sugar
• 4 eggs, well beaten
• 1 cup cooked pumpkin
• 1/2 cup light molasses
• 1/2 cup apple butter
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup undiluted evaporated milk
• 2 unbaked 9-inch pie shells

Method

1. Heat the oven to 375°F.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together, then beat in the eggs.
3. Mix in the pumpkin, molasses, and apple butter until smooth.
4. Add the spices, vanilla, and salt, and beat well.
5. Stir in the evaporated milk.
6. Divide the filling between the two pie shells.
7. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until the filling is set and the crust is browned.

From Pastry to Pie

Rolling out the pastry. We made the crusts from scratch, sifting the flour in an old measuring sifter and rolling the dough out on a floured board.

Chilling the crusts. The shells went in to chill before baking, which keeps the pastry crisp.

Baking. Then into the oven at 375°F for 35 to 40 minutes, until the filling set.

A Feast

Then came the feast: five pies, good friends, and a full table. A fine way to close out October.