"You mean 'The Merry Picknickers Came,'" said Fritz Schmidt, as Mary
finished, "and here we are at home. Good night, all."

CHAPTER XIX.

MARY IS TAUGHT TO MAKE PASTRY, PATTIES AND "ROSEN KUCHEN."

Mary's Aunt taught her to make light, flaky pastry and pies of every
description. In this part of Bucks County a young girl's education was
considered incomplete without a knowledge of pie-making. Some of the
commonest varieties of pies made at the farm were "Rivel Kuchen," a
pie crust covered with a mixture of sugar, butter and flour crumbled
together; "Snitz Pie," composed of either stewed dried apples or
peaches, finely mashed through a colander, sweetened, spread over a
crust and this covered with a lattice-work of narrow strips of pastry
laid diamond-wise over the top of the pie; "Crumb" pies, very popular
when served for breakfast, made with the addition of molasses or
without it; Cheese pies, made of "Smier Kase;" Egg Custard, Pumpkin
and Molasses pie.

Pies were made of all the different fruits and berries which grew on
the farm. When fresh fruits were not obtainable, dried fruits and
berries were used. Pie made from dried, sour cherries was an especial
favorite of Farmer Landis, and raisin or "Rosina" pie, as it was
usually called at the farm, also known as "Funeral" pie, was a standby
at all seasons of the year, as it was invariably served at funerals,
where, in old times, sumptuous feasts were provided for relatives and
friends, a regular custom for years among the "Pennsylvania Germans,"
and I have heard Aunt Sarah say, "In old times, the wives of the
grave-diggers were always expected to assist with the extra baking at
the house where a funeral was to be held."

It would seem as if Bucks County German housewives did not like a
dessert without a crust surrounding it.

The Pennsylvania German farmers' wives, with few exceptions, serve the
greatest variety of pies at a meal of any class of people I know; not
alone as a dessert at twelve o'clock dinner, but frequently serve
several different varieties of pie at breakfast and at each meal
during the day. No ill effects following the frequent eating of pie I
attribute to their active life, the greater part of which, during the
day, was usually spent in the open air, and some credit may he due the
housewife for having acquired the knack of making _good_ pie crust,
which was neither very rich nor indigestible, if such a thing be
possible.

The combinati