Fruit Pies In June

Today is the last day to enter the Strolling of the Heifers fruit pie competition. You can use any old dough recipe, they say, as long as it includes the sponsor’s product, but “the filling and overall pie recipe MUST be original.” Ingredients should be local.

I am a pie nut, and have been making them since I was a kid. I have quite a few pies that would amaze judges, but not in June.

The only fruit pie that might possibly be made fresh from local ingredients in June would be strawberry-rhubarb, if one got lucky and those were available. Apples, peaches, cherries, berries, and so on all come later in the season around here, and would be great for a harvest festival fruit pie competition. Key lime and such aren’t local.

The contest allows for frozen or canned fruit fillings, but who does that? : )

I also continue to quibble with the Stroll’s baking contest rules, requiring ownership of original recipes. That’s not how recipes work. There’s no such thing as copyrighting a recipe. If I make a blueberry-peach pie infused with vanilla, there’s nothing “original” about it other than I made it using my proportions (ie, too much vanilla, of course!), and chose my fresh ingredients from specific vendors. Anyone else could do the same.

Brattleboro comes so close to having great promotional contests. The Stroll’s fruit pie contest would be great – in season. The golden ticket in a chocolate bar was a fabulous kid-friendly idea – but the parking pass prizes were not for children, and a bit underwhelming for adults. The list goes on. Kevin Bacon.

It’s no big deal, but it is frustrating. One wants to participate and help out, but it isn’t always easy, or even possible.

Don’t let this grumpy ol’ pie pie maker stop you, though. Enter your fruit pie recipe at www.stroillingoftheheifers.com