On Monday we gathered for one of our favorite days of the year at the Chesterhill Produce Auction — Pie Day! Early this week, our community was busy baking their best pies to be tasted, voted on, and auctioned off this week to raise funds for our Farm to School project. Individuals, schools, and local businesses donated pies and entered the competition to win first, second, or third place. Every baker brought two of the same pie so that the first could be tasted and the second could be auctioned off. We had a huge variety, from traditional apple and pumpkin pies, to sweet coconut cream and peanut butter pies, to the most unique – bacon apple pie. Attendees paid $5 to taste as many pies as they wanted and were given 10 tickets to vote for their favorites.
The winners? First place went to North Star Pizzeria and Restaurant in Blue Rock for their coconut cream pie, second place went to Tammy’s Country Kitchen in Nelsonville for their peanut butter pie, and third place went to GiGi’s Country Kitchen in The Plains for their pecan pie. Go check these businesses out and try their tasty pies for yourself!
Most importantly, we raised almost $1,500 for our Farm to School project to connect students to local food. These funds will be used to purchase produce that our team will process and offer to school cafeterias to be incorporated into lunches. In the past, we’ve processed fresh lettuce for the salad bar, frozen strawberries and blueberries, canned tomato sauce, and a variety of frozen vegetables to be used throughout the year. Our goal is to connect local farmers to the institutions in our region so that we can provide fresh, healthy food to students, support small farmers, and create a more resilient local food system.
Here’s to supporting local food initiatives and having a good time while doing it! As one customer said, “I went for my first pie auction and it was the most awesome! The pumpkin pie we bid on and got was so delicious, I’ll be there for the next one.”
Finally, our AmeriCorps member, Melissa, has been busy the last couple weeks calling around for pie donations, inviting local stakeholders to the event, setting up and tearing down after the chaos of pie eating and voting ended, and raising money for this important project. Big thank you to Melissa!
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