Our black walnuts are falling. Unfortunately, the harvest is very small but fortunately, I have a lot of the nut meat from the bumper crop we had in the Fall of 2009. I love my deep freeze and the pantry. This recipe is from a cookbook from 1950, Pennsylvania Dutch Cooking so it calls for shortening. I still like to use it is the form Crisco. We try to eat fairly healthy so I’ll call a “Mulligan” on the shortening.

• 1 cup Light Brown Sugar
• 1/2 cup Shortening
• 1/2 cup Molasses
• 1 cup Boiling Water
• 3 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour
• 2 teaspoons Baking Soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground Cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground Ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 2 Eggs
• 3/4 cup chopped Walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a large mixing bowl cream sugar and shortening together. Add molasses and water and beat until well mixed. Shift the flour, baking soda, spices and salt and gradually add the dry ingredients to the molasses mixture. Beat well after each addition of the dry ingredients. One at a time add the eggs. Then add the chopped walnuts. Lightly grease a loaf pan and dust with flour. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.   I like this loaf with coffee on a chilly Fall morning.