My husband’s parents came to the desolate new Wyoming country when their children were small. For many months they did not taste pie. There was nothing to make a pie of – no fruit except buffalo berries, and they were 10 miles away on the river.
They went to an auction sale, and the woman gave Mother a piece of a pie she had made for the auctioneer and bookkeeper. Mother was astonished to see and taste pie again.
“My goodness, Mrs. Hawkey, where did you get anything to make a pie? What is it?” That’s how our family got this recipe for vinegar pie.
“Boil one-fourth cup vinegar and two cups of water together. Mix one cup sugar, a pinch of salt, four tablespoons flour and two beaten egg yolks together. Then add water and vinegar slowly. Cook until thick. Add one teaspoon lemon extract and one teaspoon butter. Pour into a baked crust. Top with meringue made from two egg whites and brown in a slow oven.”
Melba Davis
Greybull, Wyoming
Back in 1955 a call went out from the editors of the then CAPPER’s Weekly asking for readers to send in articles on true pioneers. Hundreds of letters came pouring in from early settlers and their children, many now in their 80s and 90s, and from grandchildren of settlers, all with tales to tell. So many articles were received that a decision was made to create a book, and in 1956, the first My Folks title – My Folks Came in a Covered Wagon – hit the shelves. Nine other books have since been published in the My Folks series, all filled to the brim with true tales from CAPPER’s readers, and we are proud to make those stories available to our growing online community.
