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Assembly line dishes out apple pies

No records were set and there was no immediate deadline to meet, but 19 local volunteers produced an impressive amount of dessert in a short period of time.

10/28/14 (Tue)

GooseFest pie production... Donna Weaver, right, was among 19 local volunteers who made 75 pies last week for the 2014 GooseFest. The ladies churned out 75 pies in about an hour. Also identified in the photo are Maureen Munch, Christy Brekhus and Margie Hansen.
By Marvin Baker

No records were set and there was no immediate deadline to meet, but 19 local volunteers produced an impressive amount of dessert in a short period of time.

This hard-charging group, including 2014 “GooseFest Pie Queen” Inez Gravesen, turned the Beer Bob’s banquet room into a makeshift bakery and got busy leading up to the GooseFest banquet.

This year’s mission was apple pies and within one hour, these ladies had approximately 120 pounds of apples peeled, cored and cut, and turned into delicious apple pies you’d expect in a 5-star restaurant.

“We always have a good time,” said Cindy Nieland. “We made 75 pies in one hour. Man we are good.”

Gravesen, who is 85 and has been working this gig for 25 years, said she wouldn’t miss it for anything.

She missed GooseFest’s inaugural pie-making mission, but has been there ever since, punching dough, cutting apples, giving advice and working the assembly line.

Gravesen said over the years the ladies, which don’t have an official name, have produced rhubarb, blueberry, Juneberry and apple pies, but most often settle on apple because ingredients are easier to come by.

“I suppose someone would have to go out and pick Juneberries,” Gravesen said. “So I guess they’re not easy to find.”

She added in past years there have been more volunteers and more pies, as many as 400, but on this day the target was 75 that were immediately transported to Gartner’s Jack & Jill for cooling and baking.

Elaine Schock, Nieland, Silvana Brewer and Gravesen were the ladies who sliced and diced four boxes of apples that weigh approximately 30 pounds each.

Pat Lehman, Twila Essler, Sharon Harris and Anita Essler peeled and cored the fruit to prep it for cutting.

The rest of the volunteers set out recipe ingredients, some staged pie plates while others punched dough and mixed ingredients.

When the pies were done, they were placed in a large plastic crate and carried to a waiting vehicle, only to be whisked away as if they were part of a Secret Service entourage.

Finally, the pies were baked and served as dessert during the Oct. 22 GooseFest Top Shot Chef cook-off and Hall of Fame banquet that saw about 250 attend.

“Community volunteers always provide the dessert,” Nieland said... Read EVERY WORD on EVERY PAGE of The Kenmare News by subscribing--online or in print!