On Sunday, Carole said to me, "you do know it is October don't you? Where is the October newsletter?" The past few weeks have been difficult with an out of state wedding and then my shop production manager took his vacation. When someone goes on vacation, I like to fill in to sort of keep my finger on the pulse of the various jobs.  Last week my creeping up of age showed. Between the getting up at 3am and the heavy lifting of 100 lb. sacks of flour and full mixing kettles, I went home pretty tired every day. I guess I learned a lesson. The rye bread is made in 100 lb. batches and lifting them out of the kettle is not like throwing the fish around at Seattle's Pikes Market. What I use to be able to do with ease, my 60+ year old body does not do so easily anymore.

              Yes I do know it is October. I got a clue when, as Mark Twain put it, I was taking a "walk in the park spoiled", and saw a few trees showing signs of red and gold. The other morning it was 42°. I guess I don't have to plant those last few marigolds.

          A drastic change happens at the bakery with the calendar changing to October.  The fresh peach and plum cakes are finished. Apple pies,pumpkin pies, and pretty much anything pumpkin  is the order of the day.  In that vein, we are featuring our pumpkin pie as a Sweet Treat item.  Pumpkin is kind of a bland fruit, but it is the spices that give it, it's true flavor.  Many places buy a pumpkin pie spice blend and thus most have the same taste.     

          An old baker from Westchester had really good pumpkin pies  and when I asked him about it, he said, " It is all about the flavor and texture. I have my own special mixture of spices that I guard with my life".   When I inquired if he would be willing to share, he said "Absolutely not!". That was that.  Well, a few years later, he came up to me at a meeting, and quietly on the side, grabbed my hand and put a little scrap of paper in it.  He said, "  I like you, use this " and walked away. Of course, it was his proprietary spice blend that I have used ever since.  The other part of a good pumpkin pie is the texture.  Reinwald's Bakery uses heavy cream in our pies that give them a silky smooth finish across your taste buds.      

            Since it is apple time across N.Y. State, we are also featuring  two apple items.  The first is an Apple Flan.  It is a butter cookie crust with a thin layer of frangipan filling with fresh apples laid in concentric circles.  Simple and tasty. The other item is Apple Cider Bread with dried apples, cranberries and of course, apple cider.  

            The last item on this month's menu is a caramelized banana cream dessert en glass.  Think banana"s forster with fresh pastry cream.

           Customer's always ask me what is my favorite thing to take home.  It always changes with the season.   Right now, hands down, it is the pumpkin pie.  I can picture myself at home, yellow and orange mums around the fireplace, a cup of tea with rum, and my wife at my side.  I hope it is cold tonight.

          I will be in the Huntington Historical Society booth at this weekend's fall fair.  Stop by and say hello! 

Please join us in our celebration of our heritage  

Enjoy your days,

Rich Reinwald.