Can you bake the perfect All-American Pie?
Shannon Howard | Aug 10, 2010 | Comments 3
A few delectable entries from the Ferguson Farmers Market's first All-American Pie contest in 2006. The 2010 bake-off is this Saturday.
On a steamy July day four years ago, I saw one of the most magical things ever: a line of 30 people each bringing me a delicious home-baked pie! It was the Ferguson Farmers Market’s first All-American Pie contest, and these ambitious chefs had stopped at nothing to create the perfect sweet-tooth masterpiece for our judges.
Each pie was lovingly hand-crafted, with a rich golden crust and sometimes a fluffy layer of cream. Some of the recipes were old family secrets; others featured fresh fruit from the market. Still others offered surprising ingredients, like beets or zucchini, which caused the throngs of onlookers surrounding the judges (and sometimes the judges themselves) to make all sorts of entertaining faces.
In the end, it was a classic peach pie that snagged the top prize. And the crowd…well, they gobbled up a table full of pie scraps in record time!
A scene from the judges' table in 2006
We had so much fun that day that the All-American Pie contest has been held every year since, always drawing some phenomenal entries. It has definitely become one of the market’s most popular events. That’s why I’m honored to announce that this year, I’ll be serving as one of the judges!
(Of course it figures that I recently started an intensive diet and exercise program, but oh well. A little bit of pie won’t kill me.)
So…if you’ve got a blue-ribbon recipe up your sleeve, get it to the market THIS SATURDAY, August 14, by 10am. You could win a cash prize!
The Ferguson Farmers Market, located at 20 S. Florissant Road, is open from 8am-noon. There is no fee to enter the All-American Pie contest. The only rule is that you must bake your pie from scratch.
Filed Under: Farm & Garden • Food & Drink • Outdoor Fun
My wife Yoli was planning to enter that 2006 contest, and had a pie ready to go. But she worked Saturday mornings and I became very sick the night before, so we ended up unable to enter the pie. To our chagrin, the pie contest was the big A1 photo in the Sunday Post-Dispatch.
So she made SURE to enter in 2007, when she took second place!
Unfortunately this year we will be out of town (vacation in Bolivia), so we will miss the pie contest. But we can’t wait to see who the winner is.
Yep, that was a proud day! Front page of the Post! Sorry you can’t make it this year, Josh, but have a great time in Bolivia!!
Yoli is one of the markets most consistant winners!! we’ll miss her this week, (the other contestants will have a better chance of winning!!)
Wishing the Renaud family a wonderful trip to Bolivia. We were honored to have Yoli’s parents at the market year before last. Enjoy your vacation.. and we’ll see you for next years pie contest, or maybe October 2nd for the apple contest!!