Schramm Farms & Orchards has been operating its farm and market, off the Harrison City-Export Road in Westmoreland County, since 1981. The only daughter of four children, Kathy Schramm Young owns and operates Grandma's Country Oven Bake Shoppe beside the Schramm Farms & Orchard Farm Market owned and operated by her three brothers, Hillary, John and Ralph.
The bake shop opened in 1991, but Kathy Young has been baking for the business, which moved here from the North Hills, since she was 10 years old. She is "Grandma" Young, but she is a young grandma. The business, she says, is named more after her Grandmother Schramm, who was the first Schramm Farm baker and who taught Kathy how to bake. Before the bake shop opened next to the farm market, Young did all the baking at her home, five minutes away.
Now the bake shop is her second home. She is in-and-out for hours at a time at all hours of the day. Her schedule depends on seasons and orders. She fills individual orders and keeps the shop stocked with seasonal treats as well as a variety of breads and cookies. She also bakes and designs wedding cakes and cookies.
Next door, in the farm market, her brothers stock seasonal produce from the farm and other local growers. For both businesses, fall is the busiest season with harvesting of pumpkins and apples.
Schramm's berry seasons are as follows: strawberries: June 1-July 1 (strawberries are still available today, but not for long); black raspberries: now through July 10; red raspberries: July 4-31.
If you found yourself in a pie-baking duel with Kathy Young, owner of Grandma's Country Oven Bake Shoppe at Schramm Farms & Orchards near Harrison City, take this advice. When choosing your weapon, just pick up a fork. Because before you could say Strawberry Filled Angel Food Cake With Buttercream Icing, she'd have a Fresh Strawberry Pie ready for you to dig into.
This Grandma is fast.
In fairness, her swiftness comes partly from being prepared. She's always ready to fill any pie to order. Crust baking and glaze making is done in mass, but each pie is assembled to order, using fresh strawberries usually picked that day on the farm.
Young says the best variety of strawberry for pies is the Early Glo. Slightly smaller than the huge berries grown for market in California, Early Glo is, according to Young, "the deepest, reddest, most fragrant and most flavorful" strawberry. She uses it at her shop and at home, for her pies, jams and jellies.
Other berry baked goods fill the shop throughout the year, using frozen berries. This partial list should whet your appetite: Old-Fashioned Red Raspberry Pie, Old-Fashioned Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie, Peach-Red Raspberry Pie, Chocolate-Red Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake, Chocolate-Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake, Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake, Black Raspberry Pie, Blackberry Pie, Blackberry Strudel and Blueberry Strudel.
Fresh Strawberry Pie
- 1 baked 9-inch pie shell (recipe follows)
- Whipped cream
CRUST:
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tablespoons, plus 2/3 cup shortening
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Combine flour, shortening and salt. Add cold water until dough can be formed into a ball. Dough should be stiff, not wet.
Roll out dough, place in pans. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Makes two 9-inch pie shells.
FILLING:
- 1 quart plus 1 pint fresh strawberries
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch
- Dash of salt
Crush 1/2 quart strawberries in a pan. Bring to a boil. Combine sugar, cornstarch and salt; stir into boiling strawberries. Cook glaze, stirring constantly with a wire whisk, until thickened. Chill.
Place small amount of strawberry glaze in bottom of baked pie shell. Place strawberries (cleaned and stems removed) to fill pie shell. Add remaining strawberry glaze.
Before serving, top with whipped cream.
Keep pie chilled until ready to serve.
