Friday, January 23, 2009

National Pie Day


Today is National Pie Day. Well, it's probably not an official holiday because I'm pretty sure you have to go through Congress to get that status. But it's an unofficial holiday, all the same. I'm not a huge pie person, but there are a few I love like chocolate cream, banana cream and peanut butter cup pie. However, my all-time favorite pie is boysenberry. There is only one place you can get good boysenberry pie -- Knott's Berry Farm.

For those of you who aren't familiar with that place, it's a theme park in Southern California, fairly close to Disneyland. It started out as a berry farm, selling berries from a roadside stand. Walter Knott learned that Rudolph Boysen had developed a new berry using a combination of blackberries, raspberries and loganberries. However, he had given up on the project and sold his farm. Knott got together with George Darrow and scrounged up some of the dying berry vines from Boysen's old farm. Walter Knott began growing them and called them boysenberries.

Times were hard in the 1930s, so Mrs. Knott started selling chicken dinners to attract more costumes. She served the dinners on her wedding china and for dessert she offered boysenberry pie. It became so popular that the lines for the restaurant were several hours long. To entertain people while they waited, Walter built a ghost town to represent the Old West. He added a train and a panning for gold area. Pretty soon the place grew and became the very first amusement park in America.

To this day, Knott's Berry Farm still has the best boysenberry pie I've ever tasted. It's absolute heaven when you get a fresh warm slice. And they still have lines going out the door for their world famous chicken dinners. I found a recipe online for Knott's Berry Farm's famous boysenberry pie. Click here if you'd like to try it. However, if you're ever in Buena Park, you really should stop and get yourself a slice of pie. You can go to the restaurant without having to enter the park. This pie is so worth it. So whether you like cream pies, fruit pies or meat pies -- today is the day to enjoy them!

Also, for those who are following CPSIA of 2008, there is a new article by the American Library Association. Click here to read it. As it is now, this law still goes into effect February 10th. I urge everyone to write to your representatives to encourage them to rewrite this absurd law. Check out Elysabeth's blog too, as she has some good information as well.

15 comments:

  1. MMMMM, PIE! My favorites are blueberry, cherry, and french silk. I bet boysenberry would be tasty too!

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  2. I've never been a huge pie fan either. But Banana Cream, Chocolate Cream, Coconut cream - hey, maybe I'm a cream fan ;-)

    And I love Disney, Knotts, Magic M. I'm a kid that never grew up.

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  3. Hey, I used to love french silk too! I'm not so much of a pie eater anymore. But on the holidays, I make a Grand Marnier infused apple pie and a killer pecan pie. (It's pretty tasty).

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  4. The first time I ate at the chicken restaurant, I was with TH (we weren't married yet), his BF and the BF's girlfriend (now his wife, let's call her BFW). We had had a huge day at Knott's and we were all pretty tired. BFW swore to us that the restaurant was soooo good, so we went. Of course there was a line. We were tired, hungry and I kept thinking, "This better be damn well worth the wait. Argh, why is this line taking so long?!" BFW saw the look on my face and said, "Just trust me. You'll love it."

    We finally got in and, yes, the long wait was absolutely worth it and BFW was totally spot on. I'll never forget the boysenberry punch. I could've drunk a gallon of that stuff, it was so good. And the chicken, of course, was divine. But we were so full and content, plus it was getting late, so we didn't eat dessert.

    Now that I know of this wonderous pie, I shall partake in it's splendour the next time we're there. :)

    Gale

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  5. Sounds wonderful. I love pie, my husband makes killer apple pie! mmmmm My favorite is Strawberry Rhubarb! Thanks Rena.

    p.s. I hope you're feeling better!

    Nancy

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  6. Oh I forgot to mention my fave pie, lol.

    Marie Callender's Double Cream Blueberry.

    O.M.G. *Homer drool*

    Gale

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  7. I am not a big pie fan either - though I do love dutch raspberry! Yummy!
    I have always wanted to go to Knott's Berry Farm though - it is on my 'to do' list!
    Thanks for the history though!

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  8. my favorite is blueberry pie. Now, if it weren't for the mess . . . and the unneeded lbs. . . I'd be really tempted to make one!

    Happy Pie Day! ;0D

    Christy

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  9. Oh, my, now I'm really hungry for pie.

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  10. I've never tried boysenberry pie. Thanks for the links about the books!!!

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  11. French Silk Pie is my favorite!! :P

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  12. I love pie...as long as someone else makes it...grin...

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  13. Is that Knott's farm the one that sells all the different types of jams? I like pies but they have to be fresh. Usually I never make them because I think they'll took difficult to make.

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  14. I've been to Knott's Berry Farm and had their pie! Delish!

    Still, my favorite pie is pumpkin pie made by me with my own recipe. My husband, who was not a big fan of pumpkin pie when we got married is now a devoted eater of it. I make it off and on through out the year.

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  15. Very interesting, just think, there may never have been a boysenberry but for Mr Knott, and how great to use the Boysen name, after the original grower.

    I love hot berry pies, any will do!

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