One of my last trips to Oklahoma, I had the pleasure of going with my friend, the Candidate, to Coweta, OK located in Wagner County. Georgianna had been invited to come and meet the crowd gathered at the Disabled American Veteran's Hall for a good old-fashioned pie auction.
We were running a little late due to the road construction in Tulsa, but arrived just in time for her to take the microphone before they started their fundraiser. She introduced herself to the crowd and told them how much she was looking forward to having homemade pie for dinner that night. When Georgianna was done, I said: "What happens now?" She said: "Now we watch to see which pie we are going to take home to my family for dessert tonight." She whispered to me that her husband liked nuts, so we should bring him home something with nuts.
After the first couple of pies were literally auctioned off to the crowd, it hit me. Most of these pies were seasonal, made with the last of the summer fruit and using some of the new fall fruit. These were homemade pie crusts filled with fresh local fruit fillings, hand-picked and then baked into these pies. I turned to ask the candidate if I could borrow her bidding paddle, a pie was definitely going home with me.
For Georgianna's husband, Jack, we ended up with a still warm in the pan, locally picked, Pecan pie and a bag of Pecan brittle. Georgianna popped open the bag of brittle and offered me a taste. It was not at all hard and teeth-cracking crunchy, but instead was light and crispy breaking easily in my mouth and the brittle appeared to have air bubbles - a sign that baking soda was used. Very interesting.
The candidate had a fresh, homemade pumpkin pie purchased for her and given to her by a supporter which was so very nice, and I ended up purchasing a Texas Buttermilk pie from a lady who told me her Mother-in-Law was from Texas and taught her how to make them. It was lip-smackingly delicious and I took it home to share it with my mother and brother.
But fruit pies seemed to be the most popular, especially the peach pies. And having tasted the juicy peaches we had this season in Kansas City, I could only imagine how good the local Porter Peaches from Porter, OK tasted when baked up in a flaky pie crust.
The nice Veteran man across the table from me bid and won not one, but two, Porter peach pies. I couldn't help but lean across the table and ask him if peach pie was his favorite. He was a gentleman probably in his mid-seventies and he responded, "Yes, ma'am it sure is, and I won't get peach pies much longer this year so I am stocking up."
He was a man hoping to make his peach pie stash last "at least until Election Day", he told me with a smile.
Jenny V. - Foodie
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