Which New Sweden historian wrote that apple pie was eaten year-round in Delaware?

New Sweden historian Israel Acrelius wrote that apple pie was eaten year-round in Delaware.

Acrelius was a Swedish Lutheran priest and historian who served the Swedish congregation in Wilmington, Delaware, beginning in 1749. His work documented the religious, social, and everyday life of the communities descended from New Sweden, the Swedish colony established along the Delaware River.

The observation is notable because it describes preservation as well as preference. According to the quoted account, fresh apples were used when available, while dried apples supplied the filling after the fresh season ended. Drying fruit was an important premodern preservation method, allowing households to use orchard produce through winter and into the next harvest.

The question’s alternatives are tempting because William Penn was strongly associated with Pennsylvania, Cotton Mather with colonial New England, and Peter Kalm with Swedish natural history. None is the source of this Delaware apple-pie observation. Acrelius later published A History of New Sweden, which became an important account of the colony and its Swedish-American heritage.