Cooperative Living June 2019 - 42

Rural Living | by Margo Oxendine, Contributing Columnist
It's summer and, among many
other things, that means pie!
I
sn't pie
the perfect
summer
dessert? It can be topped with ice cream to
make it even more delectable. And, summer
means peaches. Is there anything more
lovely than a fresh peach pie? No ice
cream necessary! Oh yeah - there are
also blueberries, and blackberries, and
raspberries. It's pie season!
My mother was always making pies.
Her crust was outstanding. She'd make it
from scratch, of course. There were always
some scraps of crust left over, and with those,
she'd make pie-crust cookies. I loved
those, but not as much as I loved raw pie
crust. I'd sneak it at every opportunity.
I don't know why, but I always liked
cake batter better than the cake, and pie
crust and biscuits and yeast rolls better
before they were baked. Mom had to
watch me every minute. That just helped
me develop my stealthy ways.
Mom's pies were always tasty, but also
always a gamble. When they'd go into the
oven, we'd wonder: Would it be pie? Or pie
soup? Half of the time, it was pie soup. But,
there's nothing wrong with that. Simply eat
it with a spoon. Her pies were delicious,
regardless of the utensil needed to
consume them.
There are two pies I never particularly
liked: mincemeat and pumpkin. Yes folks,
I'm one of the few among you who doesn't
care for pumpkin pie. Thanksgiving is not
my favorite meal of the year.
One pie I simply adore is coconut
cream. Few could make a coconut
cream pie better than Mom. A
great little restaurant no longer
in Staunton used to be my
favorite lunch spot: The Beverly.
There was a lady there, Mrs.
Thomas, who made the best pies in
the kingdom. A slice of her coconut
cream was at least 6 inches high. You
had to get there early, before it was gone.
Sometimes, I'd start with pie, and then if
I was still hungry, move on to a roast beef
sandwich. That was pretty darn good, too.
40 | Cooperative Living | June 2019
co-opliving.com
I miss Mrs. Thomas and her fabulous
homey food.
I never developed the knack of making
pie crust, despite my genes. Plus, it's a lot
of work. Then again, there is all that
unbaked crust you can snitch beforehand.
No wonder my homemade pies were
always a little smaller than normal.
There is one pie, though, that I am an
expert at: Key lime pie. There are several
secrets to great Key lime pie. I know them
all, because I was taught by the master.
The first secret is: You must use Key lime
juice - none of that commercial stuff
available everywhere in the green bottle.
The very best of the few Key lime juices
on the market is Nellie & Joe's.
It is difficult to find, but I always keep
my eyes peeled for it, especially in summer.
It's in a clear bottle, and the label has a Key
West scene that makes me nostalgic for
the island. There's quite a bit of pink and
turquoise, which also happens to be the
décor of my kitchen.
Nellie and Joe started their popular
little home business bottling
unadulterated Key lime juice in Key West.
And it was the Joe of Nellie & Joe's who
taught me how to make a
perfect Key lime pie.
You can crush graham crackers, mixed
with butter, for the crust. Or you can
make your own. Or you can do what I do:
cheat. I depend on the commercial readyto-bake
pie crusts in the red rectangular
box, found in the refrigerated aisle. They
always come out perfectly.
And then, there's the topping question:
whipped cream or meringue? A word about
whipped cream: Make it yourself. It is easy,
and tasty. It is not sprayed out of can or
glopped out of a container. It does not
taste of plastic.
But for Key lime pie, I prefer meringue.
Meringue, too, is easy to make, especially
since you have to use egg yolks in the pie
filling. Put the whites in a bowl, toss in some
sugar, and grab your mixer. Voila! Perfect
meringue you can make peaks and drifts
with on the top of your perfect Key lime pie.
Gee. I can't believe it, but I have actually
sat here and, through writing this column,
given myself something to like about
summer! All I must do now is hunt down
Nellie and Joe. 
To order Margo's book, " A Party of One, "
call 540-468-2147 Monday-Thursday 9-5,
or email: TheRecorderOffice@gmail.com.
http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living June 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living June 2019
