Apples of my eye

If you visited the Mabee Farm Facebook page or talked to John Ackner, SCHS Facilities Manager, in the last few weeks, you know it is harvest time at Mabee Farm! The apples and pears in the orchard are abundant this year. John and our volunteers started picking the Wolf River apples and Bartlett pears this week. Wolf River apples are a heritage variety usually used in cooking (rather than eaten raw or processed into cider). These apples are large, often weighing about a pound, with a lovely red and yellow speckled skin. They are mildly sweet and hold their shape when cooked.Wolf River apples are perfect for apple butter.

A gorgeous Wolf River apple picked at Mabee Farm this week, thanks to John and our volunteers!

While most of our produce will be used in the upcoming Mabee Farm to Fork dinner, you can find Wolf River apples and other heritage fruits at farms and markets around the county. Visit the Grems-Doolittle Library for recipe inspiration from the historical cookbooks in our collection. Below are two recipes that I'd love to try, written and collected by women in Schenectady.

Pages 76 and 77 from the 1903 First Reformed Church Cook Book by Ladies' Aid Society

DELICATE APPLES: Fill the place where the core has been removed from apples to be baked, with a raisin, a bit of lemon, cinnamon and as much sugar as possible. When baked, add a spoonful of sherry to each apple (from the 1903 First Reformed Church Cook Book by Ladies' Aid Society)

Page 103 from the 1890 Schenectady Cook Book by Ladies of the First Reformed (Dutch) Church

FROSTED APPLE PIE: Peel and slice tart apples enough for a pie, steam until tender, stir into this the yolks of two eggs well beaten, sugar to taste, one tablespoonful of butter, flavor with lemon and bake; take the whites and frost the top the same as for lemon pie (written by Mrs. H.J. Clute in the 1890 Schenectady Cook Book by Ladies of the First Reformed (Dutch) Church)

Bartlett pear picked (and eaten) at Mabee Farm

Happy cooking and eating!

  

Best,

Marietta

First Reformed Church Book of Indentures, 1788-1823



Portion of the first page in the First Reformed Book of Indentures, 1788-1823.

This blog entry is written by volunteer Paul Contarino.

Over the last couple of months I had the pleasure of working on the First Reformed Church’s Book of Indentures, 1788-1823. For those who are unfamiliar, an indenture can be defined as a legal contract involved with a purchase. In this case, all pertained to purchases of land.

The project involved creating high-resolution digital images of each page and extracting information from the indentures to create a spreadsheet. This spreadsheet serves as a finding aid and guide to the Book of Indentures. Fields in the spreadsheet were created with respect to what information might be potentially useful to a researcher, such as the names of the parties involved. The extracted information is subdivided into numerous categories such as page number, transaction date, and name of grantee. The description field contains information about the property, bordering properties and their owners, and any defining landmarks such as streams, trees, and roads. Information about the area of land is provided in morgans, followed by the payment date and method as well as present value. Any commuted land rent is listed and the date given. Memoranda are essentially amendments made to the indenture itself; these notations have been fully transcribed. A New Ledger book, also in the holdings of the First Reformed Church, is referenced by a number of indentures. There are some transactions in which the church elders signed. Some pages contain either a red seal, a non-red seal or no seal at all. Click here to open the complete spreadsheet.

Until I started working on this project, I did not realize the First Reformed Church possessed a lot of land. The ledger proved to be in surprisingly good condition considering its age, and the handwriting fairly legible. It is important, however, to have a digital copy not only for increased user access but also for preservation. Unfortunately, there is the real possibility of a flood, fire or theft.  I look forward to continuing to work with the First Reformed Church and the Schenectady County Historical Society in safeguarding the past.  On a final note, I extend my gratitude to both institutions.