A Year of Pies. This is Ashley English's latest book -- an absolute feast for the eyes and chocked full of the most tempting list of recipes. A Year of Pies covers seasonal recipes for pies, both sweet and savory. With a total of 60 recipes, 15 per season, Ashley walks even the novice baker through the intimidating steps of baking a pie.
She was sure to include troubleshooting tips and multiple crust recipes to appeal to a variety of pie leanings including sweet pies, savory pies, galettes, tarts and even gluten-free! Nectarine and Lavender Crostada, Chai Spice Apple Pie, Apricot Almond Galette, Limoncello Lemon Meringue...
Ashley is also an expert and author (Homemade Living Series) on topics like canning, keeping bees, homemade dairy and raising chickens! Of course this begs for more information about how she's living her life in the mountains of North Carolina. I was curious, so I asked:
What inspired you to create the blog, Small Measure?
AE: My husband and I used to discuss at length just how daunting becoming environmentally aware and living a sustainably-minded lifestyle can seem. So, I decided to create a blog that would highlight simple, daily gestures individuals can take to benefit themselves, their families, their communities, and the planet. I want people to feel empowered and emboldened too.
What's been the most meaningful "small measure" you've made/taken in your life?
AE: Definitely becoming a parent was an eye-opener. It made me acutely aware of just how much waste we can potentially create in our lives. To that end, my husband and I have worked studiously since Huxley came along 2 years ago to take every little small measure we can when it comes to caring for a child. That's evidenced from everything to using cloth diapers, to line-drying those diapers, to making our own baby food, to shopping for used clothing. When it comes to kids, the learning curve for multitude "small measures" doesn't stop!
What advice do you have for people looking to make small measure in their own lives?
AE: Keep it small and simple, even taking things room-by-room. When you consider making changes to your entire house all it once, it can seem crippling. If you move slowly, though, and don't beat yourself up about all you might not yet be doing, you'll be able to make whatever changes you can, as you can.
How did you manage to learn all of your endless skills? Chickens, bees, pies, canning…who taught you? Or did you manage to figure this all out on your own?
AE: It was a combination of skills I learned growing up from my maternal grandmother ("Nanny"-she's 87, lives an hour away from me, and we talk daily, and see one another at least 1-2 times a month), and self-taught skills. Lots, and lots of research and mentoring and just jumping in, rubber boots first, and figuring it out as I learned!
At MightyNest, our passion is making it easier for families to live healthier, better lives. And we agree, it can be a daunting experience to overhaul your whole house so we like to focus on the process, step by step.
And now for the Giveaway! We have a copy of Ashley's fabulous pie cookbook, "A Year in Pies" to send along (just in time for holiday baking) to one lucky winner. To enter and in order to be counted, please use the Rafflecopter widget below!
