In my forthcoming novel The Blue Bottle Tree, two female point-of-view characters, matriarch Susan Pea Butler and housemaid Letta Davis, bake pies together. Set in Georgia during 1970 the women, on different sides of the racial divide, nonetheless enjoy sharing kitchen time and jawing.

One of summer’s sweetest traditions is homemade Georgia peach pie with fruit picked at its peak, nestled in a buttery crust. During the season, the two women usually baked several pies for the Butlers and one for Letta’s family.

Letta’s baking took the entire morning and early afternoon, concluding with a cinnamon-scented kitchen and dessert for supper. Susan Pea confesses to missing their kitchen time while she lived in New York hence gladly reenters the communal activity when she returns to Georgia. She talks about her life in the North, comparing it to the South. Letta, especially skilled at baking flaky crusts with a fancy lattice top, listens to those tales of city lights, sweet tea adventures, and metropolitan living.

Letta’s Peach Pie Recipe: Only Eight Ingredients

• 3 pounds fresh peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced (about 7 cups)
• 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar, divided
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground Cinnamon, divided
• 3 tablespoons corn starch
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon water

INSTRUCTIONS for the Beginning Cook (or senior cook reminders)

• Mix peaches, 1/2 cup of the sugar, lemon zest, juice, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt in large bowl until well blended. Let stand 30 minutes. Drain peaches but reserve at least 8 tablespoons juice separately. Sprinkle fruit with 1/2 teaspoon of the cinnamon. Set aside.
• Letta made her own crusts but for purposes here we’ll use premade crusts. Roll each crust into 12-inch circle on lightly floured surface. Press one crust into bottom of 9-inch pie plate. Refrigerate bottom crust in the pie pan. From the second crust, cut 1-inch-wide strips for the lattice. Set aside.
• Preheat oven to 425°F. Mix 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1/8 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and corn starch in small bowl. Add 2-3 tablespoons of the reserved peach juice. Wisk into the cornstarch mixture; set aside.
• Place remaining tablespoons peach juice in small saucepan with the cornstarch slurry. Bring to simmer on medium-low heat. Cook and stir until slightly thickened and smooth, about 30 seconds. Stir in vanilla. Remove from heat. Pour syrup mixture over peaches and toss. Cool slightly.
• Spoon peach mixture into chilled pastry-lined pie plate. Arrange strips over filling in a lattice pattern with three quarters inch between. Crimp or flute edges to hold. Trim excess dough. Brush lattice with water and sprinkle evenly with remaining tablespoon of sugar. Work quickly as warm pie filling can make dough too pliable. Dot with a tad of butter.
• Bake 25 minutes until crust is lightly browned. Reduce heat to 375°F. After 15 to 20 minutes of baking, cover crust edge with foil strips to prevent excessive browning. Rotate and bake until crust is browned, filling bubbly. Usually about 30 to 35 minutes.
• When done, allow pie to cool on wire rack at least 30 minutes. Cut it too soon and the slices will not hold their shape. Serve with ice cream, home churned if available.

Pie Making and Memories

Some of my fondest memories involve making pies with Granny. We gossiped while we worked. She often told me about my mother as a young woman, people in our community, and
family misadventures while we baked.

Did you or your family have a pie making tradition that created bonding time for the womenfolk? Tell us about your memories and how they affected you.