Hagerstown, Indiana & Roasted Asparagus Soup
From Clara and Jesse's Victorian kitchen to the path of totality, roasted asparagus soup celebrates spring's arrival and my great-grandparents' legacy
Tomorrow, April 8th, Hagerstown, Indiana, will lie in the path of totality of the Great American Solar Eclipse. The moon will completely block out the sun, turning day into night. It’s the perfect place to experience the total solar eclipse with its clear skies and wide-open spaces.
Hagerstown is like stepping back in time. It has a small-town charm. Many historic homes, churches, and buildings have been well preserved throughout the years. There are festivals, farmers’ markets, antique shops, and family activities.
And, after tomorrow, they can add the solar eclipse to the list of what’s already best known about Hagerstown: Perfect Circle, Tedco, Welliver’s Restaurant, the Nettle Creek Players, and Abbott’s Candy. And the home of my great-grandparents, the Bakers.
My great-grandparents were born in the late 1800s. Jesse Isaac Baker was born on February 7, 1896, in Sulphur Springs, Henry, Indiana. Clara Bell Weidman was born August 12, 1897, in Jefferson, Wayne, Indiana. They were married on Clara’s birthday in 1919, and had 3 children, John Augustus (my grandpa), Mary Lou, and Sally Ann. They moved to Hagerstown, survived the 1929 stock market crash, lost their business, and carried on. They were married for 60 years!
In Hagerstown, they lived in a beautiful Victorian home on West South Market Street with a swing on the front porch, red velvet carpeting covering the stairs to the second floor, mahogany built-ins, a backyard filled with plants, fruits, and veggies, a clawfoot tub in the offset, nooks and crannies on every floor, in every room - which was perfect for hide and seek when you’re just a kid and you’re running around with your cousins.
It was a welcoming home appointed with a large, imposing, elegant dining room that was always filled with people, food, laughter, and stories.
Clara, Mom Baker, was a strong, smart, generous, brave woman. She was a high school home economics teacher and worked as a candy dipper at Abbott’s Candy. She was always cooking or baking something… roast chicken, mashed potatoes, homemade potato chips, wedding cakes, pan haus, elaborate breakfasts, desserts, ice cream… and hosting family dinners and holiday celebrations. Exactly what you would expect from a culinary teacher.
Jesse, Pop Baker, was a quiet, kind man. He was class president of his middle school, at the age of 13, a U.S. Army Sergeant in WWI - sharing his rations with starving Russian soldiers, and a fertilizer manufacturer before the stock market crash (he refused to take money from customers, instead accepting trade, which eventually put him out of business), and became a machinist for Perfect Circle. He always made sure the fridge on the back porch was filled with ‘real Coke’ in a ‘real Coke bottle’ when the kids came for a visit. He was renowned for shoveling snow in a sleeveless T-shirt without getting cold and was the head dishwasher at Mom Baker’s dinner parties.
Here’s to my great grandparents, Hagerstown, Indiana, and the path of totality!
Roasted Asparagus Soup
If you happen to be on the path or catch too many rays sunbathing by the pool, roasted asparagus soup will help your eyes recover. It tastes delicious, and it’s good for you, containing a wealth of vitamins A, C, and E, and antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin.
Kitchen Tools
Ingredients
2 lbs. asparagus, on the thinner side
1 tbsp. EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 tbsp. butter
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
Heavy whipping cream, room temperature
Chives, snipped with scissors
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 450 ºF.
Cut off the woody ends of the asparagus. Place on a rimmed baking sheet, then sprinkle with 1 tbsp. EVOO, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper, then place in the oven and roast for 10-12 minutes. They’re ready when they are soft and begin to brown - you don’t want them crispy. Remove from the oven and let cool, then slice the stalks in thirds.
Meanwhile, if you’re using bouillon, make the broth in a saucepan and set it aside.
In a stockpot or Dutch oven, sweat the shallots in butter for 3-5 minutes, until translucent.
Add the roasted asparagus and broth to the pot with the shallots. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
Blend with an immersion blender.
Add seasoning as needed.
Serve in white bowls. Drizzle a spoonful of cream into the base of the bowl, then fill with the asparagus soup. Sprinkle with chives.
Voila. Enjoy!
Tips
I recommend a vegetarian, no-chicken bouillon or seasoned vegetable base for the stock. It’s lower in sodium than store-bought broth or stock and adds a ton of flavor.
1 shallot typically has 2 bulbs; use both.
Round up your meal with crackers and Kaukauna cheese; a sort of dessert after the soup, a French tradition.
I recommend a monitoring thermometer for your oven. It’s small and easy to place in your oven. Just hang it on one of the racks, and you’re good to go.
When you find an old recipe and need to translate ‘cool oven’ to an actual temperature, these ranges should help:
Cool: 200 ºF (90 ºC)
Slow: 300-325 ºF (150-160 ºC)
Moderate: 350-375 ºF (180-190 ºC)
Hot: 400-450 ºF (200-230 ºC)
Another great article & I love the photos of your great grandparents! They were a beautiful couple inside & out! And, thx for the asparagus soup recipe to help our eyes recover from the eclipse!🌞