I hope you saw the photos on my Instagram page @marthastewart48 - three amateur bakers are now winners of the first-ever Stissing House - Substack Pie Fest!
Stissing House, owned by chef Clare de Boer, is a charming country restaurant in the historic town of Pine Plains, New York in Duchess County. Last weekend, 33-bakers from around the region competed in the event for "best pie" and a spot on the restaurant's dessert menu. I was one of 14-judges. We were given one hour to taste the pies and then 30-minutes to decide the winners. After lots of deliberation, sometimes quite intense, there was sweet success - the top three pies were selected. Third place went to a #24, a Dutch Apple Pie. Second place was #19, a Shaker Lemon Pie, and First Place was #33, the Salted Maple Bourbon Pie. It was fun and filling!
Here are some photos, enjoy.
Here I am at the “pie table.” I knew there would be a lot of pies, but I never thought there would be 33 to judge. Good thing I did not eat a big breakfast!
The décor at Stissing House was very fitting for the season – autumn leaves, pumpkins, and bales of hay on a giant table. (Photo by Olya Vysotskaya)
For the competition, the pies were displayed around the bales. 27 hay bales were ordered from a local farm for the centerpiece. (Photo by Olya Vysotskaya)
And then all the judges were given their task. We were told to taste every pie within one hour. (Photo by Olya Vysotskaya)
I attended the event with friends Christopher Spitzmiller and Danielle Vadai. They both walked around with me as I carefully tasted and reviewed every submission. (Photo by Olya Vysotskaya)
I made very detailed notes on each pie as I walked around. Christopher and Danielle were in charge of my forks. All the aprons were personalized by Ben Lewellyn. (Photo by Olya Vysotskaya)
It was exciting for all those involved. Stissing House and Substack also co-published a community cookbook including all the recipes of the pies entered in the pie fest.
Among the pies there were decorative pies…
Crumbles…
And traditional lattice tops.
This Paddington Station Pecan Pie had a tasty filing.
And this Salted Rosemary Apple Pie had a good crust.
As time progressed and the tasting forks pile grew, so did the suspense.
Every pie was down to crumbs by the time all were tasted. (Photo by Olya Vysotskaya)
And then deliberations began. Seven of us selected the three champion pies. The other seven judged other superlative entries. (Photo by Olya Vysotskaya)
I was then asked to present the winners. (Photo by Olya Vysotskaya)
It was a full room and everyone listened intently. (Photo by Olya Vysotskaya)
Third place went to the youngest contestant, Rosie, just seven years old, with pie #24. Her Dutch Apple Pie was excellent. My comments included: classic, great apple texture, and delicious chunky crumb topping.
Second place went to pie #19, which was baked by Lauren Hildreth. She made a spectacular Shaker Lemon Pie. The pie was elegant and lemon-perfect. I thought it also had an excellent crust.
I asked for a drum roll to announce first place. The Pie Fest Champion Pie was #33, a Salted Maple Bourbon Pie made by Nikki Freihofer. It was a delightful, comforting and delicious pie with the perfect balance of salty and sweet. The crust was great and so was the maple flavor.
Here are all the winners at the podium. (Photo by Olya Vysotskaya)
And here I am with Christopher Spitzmiller and Danielle Vadai who attended the event with me. What a fun event and a great way to kick off the holiday season. Happy pie baking!
Among my favorite trees is the Japanese maple - I've planted so many of them here at my farm.
Yesterday, a nearby friend contacted me and told me she was redoing the landscaping around her home and had a 40-year-old Japanese maple she no longer needed. She asked if I would be interested in taking it and of course, I said yes. My outdoor grounds crew picked it up right away. It's a big task to plant mature specimens, but I had the perfect spot for it in mind.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
I was happy to be able to transplant this Japanese maple at my farm. Few trees are as beautiful as the Japanese maple. With more than a thousand varieties and cultivars including hybrids, the iconic Japanese maple tree is among the most versatile small trees for use in the garden. Here it is getting loaded up onto a flatbed truck at its original home.
I sent my crew with large dump truck to get the tree, but it was not wide enough to accommodate this specimen. Luckily, it wasn’t traveling a great distance – just a few miles – and the owners had their own flatbed vehicle.
Meanwhile, back at my farm, Adan started digging the hole for the Japanese maple. I decided to plant it across from my long pergola and behind my gym building not far from my stand of bald cypress.
The hole did not have to be too deep, but it did have to be wide. As each scoop of soil is removed, it is carefully placed on a tarp and saved for backfill later. The best location for Japanese maples is a sunny spot with afternoon shade. Red and variegated leaves need relief from the hot afternoon sun but need the light to attain full color. This area is perfect.
Ryan pours a generous amount of fertilizer in the hole and on the surrounding soil. It is very important to feed the plants and trees.
Phurba then mixes the fertilizer with the existing soil.
I use Miracle-Grow Shake ‘n Feed for trees. This feeds the tree above and below the soil for three months.
Carter and his wife, Kirsten, are so happy the tree could continue to thrive in another garden. Here’s Carter ready to unload.
Carter, Kirsten and their baby Colette, are so happy to see the tree go to a good home.
My outdoor grounds crew foreman, Chhiring, uses our trusted Hi-Lo to transport the tree from the flatbed to its new location.
Slowly and carefully, Chhiring positions the tree over the newly dug hole.
But the crew needs to make a few adjustments to the hole to get it just right. Adan is widening it on all sides, and adding back soil to the bottom, so it does not sit too deep. It is crucial for the tree’s longterm health and stability to be planted properly. Too deep could suffocate the roots – too shallow and the roots could be exposed and dry out.
Once the hole is correct, the tree is gently lowered into it with the best side facing the carriage road. I instructed the team which side looked best. Once in place, the crew looks at it from all angles to make sure the trunk is completely straight.
Phurba begins to remove the twine wrapped around the root ball.
Then he removes the burlap and roughs up, or scarifies, the root ball to stimulate new growth.
Some gardeners prefer to leave the burlap in place, but I always remove all the wrapping to ensure there is nothing blocking the tree’s natural root growth.
More fertilizer is spread on the top of the root ball.
A generous layer of mulch is spread over the area surrounding the trunk or the tree pit. Phurba rakes the soil, so it is spread evenly.
Notice the interesting growth habit – I wanted this side facing the carriage road, so it could be seen when driving by. It reminds me of the Japanese art of bonsai.
Phurba removes any soil too high up on the tree’s flare. The rule of thumb is “bare to the flare,” meaning do not bury above this point, where the first main roots attach to the trunk. The roots need oxygen to grow. By placing the root flare at or slightly above ground level when planting gives the specimen the best chance for survival, growth and development.
Using a hard rake, Adan finishes the raking around the tree.
Japanese maples grow slowly, but they can live more than a hundred years. I am looking forward to seeing this tree develop and flourish here at Cantitoe Corners. Thanks Kirsten and Carter.
My dahlia tubers are now well-protected for the winter.
When in bloom, dahlias provide some of the garden's biggest and most spectacular flowers in many different sizes, forms, and colors. However, native to Mexico, dahlias are not winter-hardy and tend to split in freezing temperatures or mold in soggy, wet soil. In most areas outside the warmest regions of the United States, dahlia tubers must be dug up and stored or covered before the cold season. In previous years, I always uprooted my dahlias and kept them indoors for the winter. Now, I cover the entire bed with a thick layer of compost and an industrial strength tarp, bordered by bales of hay. It's proven to be a great solution for protecting the plants so we have viable dahlias come spring.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
Remember all the gorgeous, colorful dahlias I had this year? Dahlias are among my favorite flowers. They begin to bloom with great profusion just as other plants pass their prime, and they last right up until the first frost – this season, they lasted through Halloween.
I grow many flowers every year, so they can be cut and used for photography shoots, videos or to display in my kitchen, servery, and sitting rooms. I always make lots of dahlia arrangements to decorate my home.
The dahlia garden is located behind my vegetable greenhouse, in an area protected from any damaging winds.
After the season, when the petals are wilted, faded, or have started to turn brown around the edges, it’s time to start cutting them and leaving them to dry.
Once the plants are dried out, they are cut all the way down to the ground. Wait until all the foliage has turned brown before any winterizing. This is important so the plant can gather energy for the following year. It will store starches in the tuber which will fuel the initial sprouting in summer. The best time is a couple weeks after the first frost when they’re well into dormancy yet haven’t been harmed by the cold.
Dahlia stems are hollow making them quickly susceptible to rot. This is also why dahlias often have to be staked to help support their very large flowers.
My process for winterizing has changed over the years. I now keep my dahlias in the ground. First, all the tubers are covered with an eight to 10-inch thick layer of nutrient-rich compost.
Matthew rakes the compost evenly over the dahlia tubers.
This thick layer acts as a barrier to protect the plants. At the edges of the bed, Cesar blows any compost clumps back into the garden, so everything is neat.
Next, to keep excess moisture from saturating the tubers, the crew covers the compost and the tubers with an old industrial tarp left from another project.
It is big enough to cover the entire bed. Adan neatly unfolds the tarp and lays it down carefully, making sure to cover all the tubers and compost.
I grow a lot of hay here at the farm. The newer bales for my horses are kept in the stable hayloft; however, the bales that my horses won’t eat are saved and used to help winterize and insulate areas around the farm.
The bales are delivered to the dahlia bed in large batches.
And a border of hay bales is created on top of the tarp at the edge to help keep the bed protected and insulated.
Here, one can see how the tarp is placed under the bales and weighted down by the hay.
Each standard two-string hay bale weighs between 40 and 75 pounds each – they will keep the tarp in place nicely.
Chhiring counts how many bales are still needed. It’s important to weigh it down all around the bed, so wind cannot blow the tarp off the tubers.
And finally, aside from the hay to help keep the tarps in place, Pasang uses old, heavy chains on top of the bed. Here he is placing one across the center.
I am always looking for better, more efficient ways to care for my gardens. This process of burying my dahlias and protecting them in the soil has worked for me for several years. Store your dahlias or cover them like this now. Protecting them this way through the winter will ensure lots of healthy plants next spring.
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