As American as Apple Pie

So, I think that I mentioned that I won first place in a pie-baking contest at our local rodeo. I saw a request in the local paper for pies that they then sell to make money for the rodeo. Since I love to bake, and don’t really have anyone to bake for, I decided to give it a try. I was pleasantly surprised and quite proud when my strawberry rhubarb pie won first place…and happy to receive a $100 gift certificate to a kitchen store and a blue ribbon that now hangs in my kitchen. But word travels fast in a small town. The next day, everyone at the bar knew that I had won the contest. A couple of the guys were judges. So, it was kind of fun.

But then last week, Doc, (one of the judges), asked me if I would be willing to bake four pies for a Jr. Rodeo barbecue they are having this weekend…and asked me how much I would charge. I told him that of course I wouldn’t charge anything, because I just enjoy baking. Then he talked about how he was going to advertise that he would have pies from and “award winning pie baker”. Which made me laugh. Because that’s dumb. But it also worried me. That’s a lot of pressure. What if it was just a fluke that my strawberry rhubarb pie was so good, and they are really disappointed in these next pies I make?

And then, Bob, a kind older man who brings my sister and I fresh fruits and veggies on almost a daily basis, brought me some blackberries last week and requested a pie. He later reported that his pie, was “out of this world”, and better than the ones he makes. He asked if I could make him four pies to take to a church social this weekend. He brought me almost 5 gallons of blackberries to use and offered to pay me to make them. That’s a lot of blackberries…and 8 pies is a lot of pies to make. But I think it will be fun!

Though I’m not sure how I got myself into this pie making business.