I resisted winter squash and apples as long as I could, aided by the warm weather that lingered through September and early October. I continued to savor zucchini and tomatoes and peaches while they were available.
Now that we are in mid-October, however, I have given into the inevitable. I am finally embracing apples and the various seasonal squashes. Since it’s soup weather, I just made Polly’s Pumpkin Soup.
The Polly in question is the late Polly Bartlett (1927-2021) of Buckland. Polly and her husband Dave moved into their elderly home in 1967, she told me when we met 25 years later.
Almost immediately, they became immersed in community. An athlete, Polly taught physical education at the local elementary school and led numerous young and not-so-young people on hikes and rides. She was often seen riding a horse or skiing down slopes, and she served for decades on ski patrols.
An athlete, Polly Bartlett taught physical education at the local elementary school and led numerous young and not-so-young people on hikes and rides. She was often seen riding a horse or skiing down slopes, and she served for decades on ski patrols. / Courtesy of the Bartlett family
When the Bartletts arrived at their historic house, Pine Brook Farm, the place hadn’t been used year round in years, and it suffered from major neglect. “Everything that had not broken took the first month to break,” Polly remembered. “Everything you touched was ready to give up.”
The pair and their children had to use camping equipment to get through the first few weeks, which unfortunately fell in December. The furnace hadn’t been used for years, and the Bartletts found themselves stuffing rags under every door in order to keep even vaguely warm.
Little by little, they brought life back to the place. They turned it into a cozy home that reflected its age but also the love they expended on it.
The Bartletts had horses they cherished and maintained a large garden with beehives. Their gardening arrangement took advantage of their differing skills: Dave grew, and Polly picked. Polly then made delicious concoctions from garden products and fresh-from-the-hive honey.
I didn’t know Polly and Dave well, but I liked them at once when folk-artist Judith Russell brought me to their home to meet them. Judy and I were just starting work on our “Pudding Hollow Cookbook.” She wanted me to see the Bartlett’s house and pick up a recipe or two from Polly.
Judy was already working on a picture of Pine Brook Farm for the book. In it, two people are riding horses in front of the house. I’m sure one of those figures is Polly.
Judith Russell’s painting of Pine Brook Farm. In it, two people are riding horses in front of the house. I’m sure one of those figures is
Polly Bartlett. / Copyright 2004, The Estate of Judith Russell
My favorite of the recipes Polly generously gave me is the Pumpkin Soup. It’s unexpected and delicious. It gets its texture from the mushrooms that float in it. It gets unique flavor from the combination of curry powder and honey.
I no longer have the Bartletts’ honey on hand, of course, but I still use local honey when I make Polly’s recipe. The honey doesn’t make the soup overly sweet; there’s only a little of it in the recipe, after all. It mellows the curry powder, however.
The whole thing is very Polly: in some ways homespun, in some ways wildly sophisticated.
When Polly died, her family crafted a loving obituary. “Polly was a role model for extending friendship to new acquaintances, and she approached life with a sense of adventure and grace,” it noted. “Pictures, journal entries, and memories from all who knew her illustrate her radiant love of life.”
Polly was felled by a stroke one evening in April 2021 while making dinner with her daughter-in-law, Marie. She had just been looking with joy on the apple trees she and Dave had planted decades earlier. I think we’d all like to die that way, cooking and laughing with people we love and immersed in nature.
The family’s tribute suggested any number of activities readers could do to honor Polly. These included hiking, skiing, sharing camp songs, baking something sweet for a loved one, practicing yoga, patronizing the Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum, and “growing your own vegetables (especially tomatoes).”
I would of course add making Polly’s Pumpkin Soup to that list.
Polly’s Pumpkin Soup
Polly’s Pumpkin Soup. The whole thing is very Polly: in some ways homespun, in some ways wildly sophisticated. / Photo by Tinky Weisblat
Ingredients:
for the soup:
1/2 cup diced onions
10 to 12 ounces mushrooms, cleaned and sliced (actually, I chop them into tiny pieces rather than slicing them, but Polly sliced.)
sweet butter as needed for browning
3 tablespoons flour (this may be omitted if you want to go gluten free)
2 teaspoons curry powder (a little extra is fine)
3 cups chicken broth
1 pound cooked or canned pumpkin (a 15-ounce can will work)
1 tablespoon honey
a dash of nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups half and half, evaporated milk, or mixed regular and powdered milk (I often use less, about a cup; I may lose a serving, but I get more flavor.)
for the green sauce:
1 cup yogurt
chopped chives, parsley, and green onions
for additional garnish:
oven-roasted pumpkin seeds (optional)
Instructions:
In the bottom of a 4-quart pot, brown the onions and mushrooms in butter. Stir in the remaining soup ingredients except the half and half (or milk), in the order indicated, and simmer for 15 minutes. Throw in the half and half (or milk), and heat just until warm.
Mix the green sauce ingredients together and put a dollop of the sauce on top of the soup in each bowl. Toss on seeds if desired.
If you have used fresh rather than canned pumpkin for your soup, you may want to rinse, drain, and then roast the seeds for an additional festive garnish; they should be placed on a thin layer of oil on a cookie sheet or iron skillet and baked for 1 hour at 250 degrees.
Stir every 15 minutes, and sprinkle salt to taste over the seeds after 45 minutes.
Serves 6 to 8. You may double this recipe, although you may have to cook it a little longer. (You’ll know it’s done when you taste it and the flavors have melded nicely.)
Tinky Weisblat is an award-winning cookbook author and singer known as the Diva of Deliciousness. Visit her website, TinkyCooks.com.
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