Making Pies With Grandma

Making Pies With Grandma

Every Tuesday and Saturday, for as long as she was able, Elizabeth Wilcox made fruit pies. The entire first floor of her circa 1895 home was saturated with the fragrance of cinnamon and fruit. The kitchen was equipped with a metal lined flour bin built into the glossy, white cabinetry. The bin held 25 pounds of flour and tilted out for easy access to the staple ingredient she used so often.

My grandmother was my idol. The called me Teesha, her nickname for Patricia. I never heard her raise her voice, say a bad word, nor speak negatively about anyone. Although she suffered from health problems, including leg ulcers that made walking a struggle, she frequently verbalized her gratitude to “the Dear Lord” for what pleasures she did have. The memories I have of her are as precious to me now as they were when I was a child.

During our annual vacations to western New York from Florida, usually in the dog days of summer, I was always ready to “help” her make pies. In reality, all I did was sit on a high chair, as close to her as I could, and watch intently until it was time to use up the excess pie dough.

This is when the real fun began for me. I carefully formed all the scraps into a dough ball, often kneading it too much. I rolled out the dough with Grandma’s well-used wooden dough roller, making it as large as I could, and placed it in a metal pie pan. Although some parts were thicker than others, to me, it was a work of art. An ample sprinkling of sugar and cinnamon completed my creation, and Grandma baked my pie until it was a beautiful golden brown. Of course, the best part was eating my pie, while Grandma told me how proud she was of me for doing such a good job.

I am now sixty-three years old, and a great-grandmother. I can only hope that I have provided some memories for my grandchildren as precious as my grandmother did for me.

Oh, what a precious story. Grandma's are our treasures. I especially love the description you give of your grandma. One day you will make pies with her again with our Heavenly Father.

That was a beautiful story...thank you for sharing.