Getting a Piece of the Pie

Waa are in the midst of the holiday season when a variety of food graces our tables. Each family has a tradition of whether a turkey or a ham is part of our celebration. While I was thinking about this, I was surprised at the number of pies that were served and have eaten. Mince meat pie was the first that came to my memory. The reason…my mother-in-law Retha Johnson Morrison would always ask for the trimmings from any deer that I got for the filling, and because I just finished processing one, it was on my mind. I didn’t particularly like the heavy spice flavor and would only try a small sliver.

My grandmother Rebecca Rugg Miner baked a lot of pies. The two types I remember vividly were apple pies and egg custard pies. Egg custard was my grandfather Raymond Miner’s favorite and because he was a farmer, she had the ingredients necessary. Granddad worked in the coal mines as well and she needed desserts for his lunch pail. The apple pies were a New Year’s Day tradition. My dad, E. Carl Beck would buy two cans of oysters, the small round oyster crackers, and a gallon of vanilla ice cream. Granddad had the milk and butter from the farm and Gram would make oyster stew. My mouth waters at the memory.

An old friend Leah Geary would often make elderberry pies for our church pot luck meals. I can recall the slightly tart flavor of those tiny berries in her golden brown pies. Although she has passed on, the memory of her pies live on.

My dad, Carl Beck’s favorite pie was coconut cream pie with a tall fluffy layer of meringue crowning it. Other than making the pie look more impressive, I can’t understand its purpose. It doesn’t add much flavor to the pie.

A pie that I remember from my grandmother Anna Kalp Beck was an extension of her frugal nature, but I was enamored by its unique flavor. She had some pumpkin given to her and decided to make pumpkin pies. When she had the filling made and poured into the pie shells, she had a cup of the filling left over. Never in her wildest dreams would she ever throw away food. Her recourse was to make another pie, but there wasn’t enough filling for another pie. She solved the dilemma by making just enough egg custard mixture and blended it with the pumpkin filling for a third pie.  The pie had the extra creaminess of the custard and subtle hints of pumpkin and spices, delicious. There are many other pies that have crossed my palate, but these are just a few.