Barbara Reutlinger of Corvallis prepares a pie - one of many - to enter in the 2008 Ravalli County Fair. WILL MOSS - Ravalli Republic

“Do I really want to turn on the oven in August?”

Luckily, Thursday’s cool summer rains quelled at least one anxiety.

Barbara Reutlinger of Corvallis took advantage of the temperatures and baked all day - first large huckleberry and apple pies for her family coming into town next week and then, a berry pie in a disposable tin to be judged at the fair.

She rolls her pastry dough between sheets of wax paper with a miniature-size wooden rolling pin.

“I used my mother’s glass rolling pin from the Depression for a long time,” Reutlinger said. “I never could handle the big ones, so now I use this toy rolling pin I swiped from my daughter.”

She tucks the top crust under the lower crust to prevent the juices from leaking and then uses her signature pinch and vent cuts.

“Everyone does it different,” says Reutlinger.

That’s what Ravalli County Fair Baked Goods Superintendent Kathy Good wants the public to see as well.

“That’s part of what the judges see is the appearance and how they’re decorated so to speak,” Good said. “It’s not just the pies, now everybody gets to see what a crack in the whole loaf of bread looks like because they’re judged on that. It’s going to be a much prettier display.”

Good confirmed she will have plenty of room to keep and display the pies in her coolers in the First Interstate Building during the week of the fair.

In the past, a baker has brought her whole pie to the fair in a disposable tin. Then the superintendent cut out two pieces - one for the judges and one for display. The public has then perused over the shelves of slices that sometimes look less than perfect by the end of the fair, even with award-winning ribbons hanging from them.

The pies or loaves, minus two pieces, have then traditionally been auctioned at the fairgrounds with proceeds going to the Ravalli County Historical Society endowment fund to support educational programs at the museum.

This year, the auction is still scheduled for Wednesday at 6 p.m. under the big tent, but the goods will not be partial fair entries. Bakers have been asked to bring extra treats to donate as the entire entries will remain on display.

The new regulations and higher prices of baking supplies have some worried that the auction will net less than it has in the past. Last year was a banner year for the fundraiser as auctioneer Cliff Trexler worked the crowd and brought in more than $1,500 for the historical society.

“It was our highest earning to date,” said Tamar Stanley, executive director of the Ravalli County Museum. “Everyone who won a bid was fortunate enough to take goodies home or to the office and share them with friends and family.”

The donations will be easier for those submitting cupcakes or cookies since only three on a plate are needed to be judged. Bakers can bring a dozen of the leftovers and leave them at a designated table for the auction when they submit entries to the fairgrounds on Sunday afternoon.

But pies for the pie auction might be a rare find.

“It will be hard for me to make another whole pie,” admit Reutlinger who plans to enter a peach pie as well as her berry and rhubarb. Last year, she took home a special award for her rhubarb pie sponsored by an individual with an additional $15 award.

She entered 46 items last year and took home more than 30 ribbons - everything from canned goods to flower arrangements and quilts. In her craft room, she has many purple grand champion ribbons hanging on the wall as well as a plastic bin full of more than 300 blue, red, white and pink ribbons.

“I plan to make a quilt out of them someday,” she said. “I think if I get a few more this year I’ll have enough to do it.”

She says she is most proud of those she’s won on her quilts.

“This county is crawling with quilters, so the competition is stiff,” she said. “I love to do the flower arrangements because it’s always a challenge to come up with something for the theme that’s offered.”

With her husband’s career as a forester, the Reutlingers moved 18 times and she entered county fairs wherever she lived.

“But we’re lucky here because this is a real old fashioned country fair,” she said. “It’s still a family thing and hasn’t gone commercial yet. I’m so intimidated when I walk into the 4H barn and see all the things our kids are doing. 4H is really active here which is a good program for our kids.”

The pie auction organizers are hoping even youngsters donate items for the fundraiser.

“The more variety, the better,” said Good.

In the past, a loaf of zucchini bread has been tucked in with every pie auctioned off, “We always get a lot of zucchini bread,” she said. “We’re hoping people are kind enough to bring a duplicate to be auctioned ... or anything they want to bake. A lot of people have indicated they are planning to bring something to auction so we may have a lot of donated items that may not have anything to do with the fair entries. ”

As Reutlinger finished pinching the edges of her pie crust, she completed her masterpiece with something she called, “a grandma thing, which is right for me to do since I’m a grandma and a great-grandma.” She dipped her fingers in water and spread a thin wet layer on the top of the crust and then sprinkled cinnamon and sugar over the top.

Then she took the extra pieces of pie crust and re-rolled them into a tart-size shell and filled it with the extra berries.

“This is the one I get to eat all by myself,” she said.

“Are you making a Democrat?” her husband, Bob, joked from across the room.

Barbara explained, “His father was a good conservative Mid-Westerner who said that anything that’s only half there is a Democrat, so that’s what they call it. My dad called them a ‘dough gob.’ He was a cowboy from Montana with an illustrious dialogue and never called anything by its real name.”

The county fair pie auction is open to “Democrats” “Dough gobs,” cupcakes, cookies and anything else homemade - no matter the size.

“The more the better,” said Good.

For more information on the pie auction, call Tamar Stanley at 363-3338.

Reporter Stacie Duce can be reached at 363-3300 or sduce@ravallirepublic.com

---

Reader's Comments >>

Name:

Email: (optional)

Comments:

Image Verification: (Case sensitive)   

---