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Written by J J Fields
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While spending time with old friends over the weekend and reminiscing we brought up the subject of mud pies. Some people may not know what a mud pie is so let me enlighten those of you.
A mud pie is more than that of slung together dirt and water which forms a glob. A true mud pie has been mixed with care with just the right mix of good earth and water from an outdoor spigot. Then the pie is crafted to the appropriate size and placed in a protected sunny spot to dry bake.
Children who were mud pie makers in my day were as serious as an uptown chef with their “cooking” skills. Surely it was the girls that were into this kind of thing but maybe there was a boy or two that may have taken part in this activity. Mostly the boys I grew up would steal the pies when they were “done.” These baked mud pies would make great torture devices because the boys would then turn and throw them at us, while chasing us through the back yard.
The ingredients for a great mud pie consist of more than merely mud and water. The great pies were a mixture of mud, water, and other interesting items that were either given to us by our mother’s or taken underhanded from the kitchen. One of the interesting kitchen ingredients I particularly liked was old mayonnaise. Oh, it was rank smelling but helped to hold together my creations like no other item could. Stones, bark or old dry bread could be used for chips or nuts in these lovely pies, which would be about the size of a hamburger bun.
How was the mud pie baked? Well if the pies were placed in the hottest, sunniest part of the yard it took no time at all before they dried or hardened. I had an added advantage to having a “stove” of my own. Dad drove an old bread truck, that hadn’t seen a loaf of bread in many years, with a big step bumper on the back. This platform made a great stove. In no time I could turn out the best mud pies in town. A little girl who lived down the road from us was my friendly competition.
Yes, we made a mess, yes we had to clean up after, but getting dirty and sharing in the fun was all worth the trouble of a bath. And best of all, I had a real “customer” who loved my pies. Our dog, a little Chihuahua, adorable and loyal, would eat my special pies. All the time I thought it was because he loved me so, when in actuality he really probably enjoyed the old condiments used in the baking. Growing up ruins everything!
When my children were small and interested in everything me, I mad mud pies with them but only a few. Soon I discovered they would just prefer to make the mud and then play in it until filthy from head to toe. Still the memories of making pies and sharing with little friends live on.
Now when visiting the beach I can’t resist building sandcastles. Sandcastle building gives me an excuse to play with sand and water, a close cousin to mud pie making.
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