Apple Pie Day

Apple Pie Day © Jill Wellington / pixabay / 2013 / CC0 1.0 / https://jill-wellington.pixels.com

The 13th of May is Apple Pie Day.

It’s hard to know why anyone would pick May for Apple Pie Day, when apples are not in season (in the Northern Hemisphere, at least) and even the longer-storage ones are fast approaching their best-before date — though maybe the idea is to use up the ones that are on the edge of going manky and disguise them in a pie.

Perhaps this time of year was chosen for those places in the Southern Hemisphere, such as Australia and New Zealand, where apple harvesting season is just getting into swing.

Or perhaps the idea just is that it will have been so long since people had an apple pie in the fall, that they will be longing for one.

Some schools make Apple Pie Day a day when grandmothers come to school and teach young students how to make apple pies. The pies are then donated to charitable organisations. Some schools in the states hold such Apple Pie Days in the fall, so that the pies can be donated at Thanksgiving to organizations feeding the poor or homeless.

Oregon holds its Apple Pie Day in May for people who educate their kids at home. The parents bring in apple pies for their legislators (all 90 of them, as of 2005), and one for the state governor. They use the opportunity to show their faces and promote home schooling. They bring their children, too — it is not known what legislators think seeing the kids not at home in school. The children do get to visit the legislators, volunteer as honorary pages, sing in a home school choir, tour the Capitol Buildings, etc. The parents get educated on the legislative process and hold an Apple Pie Day rally;
In Virginia, the 26th of January is recognized by the state government as Apple Pie Day, by virtue of State Resolution § 2.2-3303;
The town of Rifle, Colorado, holds its Apple Pie Day in September;
Other locations hold theirs in October.

Want to lighten it up today? You could try a baked apple, with some cinnamon and oatmeal sprinkled on it.

#ApplePieDay

History

The earliest print mention of an “Apple Pie” CooksInfo is aware of dates from 2004. It appeared in several affiliated newspapers across the states at the same time:

“Today is: National Apple Pie Day.” — Port Huron, Michigan: The Times Herald. 13 May 2004. Page 1E, col 1.

Recipes

Literature & Lore

There’s even a song for Apple Pie Day. It’s sung to the tune of “Happy Birthday to you”.

“Apple Pie Day to you,
Apple Pie Day to you,
Apple Pie Day, Apple Pie Day,
Apple Pie Day to you.”