For the Love of Pie

My husband does love a good piece of made-from-scratch pie…  It was how I first talked him into going to Amish Indiana with me.  And just like his love for me, his love for Amish pies is strong, true, and eternal.  But who can blame him?  Look at these pies!

I am not a pie lover, but I am a pie liker.  And I think the ones at Blue Gate Bakery in Shipshewana are the best I’ve ever had.  (The pies pictured here are from Blue Gate.)  Gary would agree.  But there are other good bakeries in the area, and it’s fun to try them all, especially the smaller mom-and-pop Amish places.  Most tourists are familiar with Essenhaus Bakery in Middlebury and the Blue Gate Bakery in Shipshewana.  But there are other pie bakeries in the Shipshe-Middlebury area that are well worth a visit, including Country Lane Bakery and Rise N Roll, along with great homemade pie in nearly every restaurant in Amish Country.

Fresh fruit pies heaped with whipped cream (strawberry, blueberry, and peach) are available seasonally around here.  The pecan pies are also very good.  Another Amish specialty is chocolate peanut butter pie.  Then there are the other cream pies, like lemon and chocolate and banana; and the pumpkin pie; and the baked fruit pies of every conceivable kind; and then there’s coconut, and rhubarb, and who knows what else?  And the lemon meringue in the photo below certainly speaks for itself!

We never go to Amish Indiana without a cooler in the back of the car.  My husband likes to bring home a few smaller-sized pies and take them to work.  He can polish off one of the smaller ones during a twelve-hour shift.

Some local treats you can order online, but not the pies...  For those, you need to travel there yourself.  My husband would say that it’s worth the trip.