in-law, and there just wasn’t room in the small farm
kitchen. All the husbands and Grandpa would drink
coffee and eat cookies around the big wood stove in the
dining room, laughing about all the “hens clucking” in
the other room; cousins played board games or read
books while our stomachs growled at the aromas from
the kitchen. There wasn’t a bad cook in that bunch, and
they never used measuring spoons—just their hands, a
pinch with their fi ngers, or a splash in an old mug and
“that looks about right.”
The recipe that instantly took me back to those good
old days was Peach Kuchen, which prompted me to
run to the store and make it at once. I followed your
recipe, which is wonderful. My mother presented
this same combination of fruit, custard, and nutmeg
in the form of a deep-dish pie. She used fresh ripe
peaches, still warm from the sun, that she picked
herself at a local farm. There was no top crust. The
custard snuggled down around, over, and under the
peaches, scented with vanilla and nutmeg. It was my
very favorite. Back then I didn’t know sugar wasn’t a
health food, and I never counted a calorie. It was just
homemade goodness.
J. A. DAVIS
Ithaca, New YorkI loved “Royal Blue Beauty” in the January/
February 2019 issue of Victoria magazine. My daughter
visited The Netherlands on a Girl Scout trip in the
1980s. She brought back a vase from De Porceleyne Fles
for me, and I was hooked. I have nineteen pieces of
Royal Delft, all on display in my living and dining rooms.
I was fortunate to be friends with the company’s U.S.
representative and was able to purchase most of my
pieces from him. This collection has brought a lot of
enjoyment over the years, and I never tire of its display.
Thank you for this feature.
GRACE WHITE
Clover, South CarolinaWE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
How do you connect with loved ones over the holidays? Do you host
an annual tea party, open house, or other celebration? Or are there fes-
tive events or destinations that you return to together year after year?
We would love to hear about your traditions. Send correspondence to
[email protected] or Victoria Reader-to-Reader,
1900 International Park Drive, Suite 50, Birmingham, AL 35243; you
can also submit online at victoriamag.com/calling-readers/. Victoria
reserves the right to edit any letters published.
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