pie

Ten things to love: #3 Pies from Mourningkill Bakery, Ballston Spa

On my ever-running list of why I do or do not want to move back to Oregon, pie is always on the Oregon side.

Oregon is a state devoted to pie. There are pie restaurants, some are mom and pop places others are big chains devoted to the art of flaky crust and sugar and fruit.

And then there are the berries that grow big and fat and juicy in inexhaustible tangles pretty much everywhere. As kids we would run down the large hill where we lived, white 5-gallon buckets banging against our legs, and pick blackberries on the side of the road until our fingers were stained purple and our stomachs and the buckets were full.

On my deepest, darkest, I-miss-Oregon days I am usually thinking about violent, blood red sunsets, crashing oceans with salty smelling driftwood, and pie.

Well, it has taken me 17 years, but I found a pie here in New York that makes me think of Oregon with something other than desperate longing.

Here is the best bakery-made pie I've found outside of Oregon.

strawberry rubarb pie
The pies are made by Mourningkill Bake Shop in Ballston Spa. If you are in Albany, you can buy them at Gade Farm, which is out Western Avenue in Guilderland. At Gade Farm they are $10.99. You can pre-order the pies to pick up at Gade's if you like. Here is the information:

Mourningkill Farm and Bake Shop
(518) 885-6166
310 Charlton Road, Ballston Spa, NY

I've had the strawberry-rhubarb and the raspberry so far. They are both wonderful. No cornstarchy, gloppy filling. No runny berry soup. Just perfectly sweetened tender chunks of flavorful fruit with buttery crumb toppings. (They have plenty of regular crust-topped pied as well.)

pie on fork

posted October 12, 2007 | link | comments (7)

filed under: Lists, Places, Ten Things to Love, blackberries, Gade Farm, Mourningkill Bakery, Oregon pies, strawberry rhubarb

AllOverAlbany.com

Comments

Hi!
I have been reading various posts, and I completely agree about local pies! Not that I have ever been to Oregon (though thanks to you I now must go), but I digress. My mom devoted over 15 years to her pie crust, which is wonderful, and has ruined me for local pie. That is, with the exception of very small pies my father found at the Jonesville Store in Jonesville, NY (near exit 11 on I-87). They are very small, but deep and decadent. I eat very small slivers and am satisfied. The mixed berry tart is the best one, but the other varieties are still quite good. The pies or tarts are not made by the Jonesville Store, whose other fare is decent but not worth the trip. I cannot remember who does make them. The pies ARE worth the trip, but I would call to see if they are in stock, or maybe they will tell you who makes them...
http://thejonesvillestore.com/

- by wineophile on Mar 29, 2009 at 12:17 AM | link

Hi!
I have been reading various posts, and I completely agree about local pies! Not that I have ever been to Oregon (though thanks to you I now must go), but I digress. My mom devoted over 15 years to her pie crust, which is wonderful, and has ruined me for local pie. That is, with the exception of very small pies my father found at the Jonesville Store in Jonesville, NY (near exit 11 on I-87). They are very small, but deep and decadent. I eat very small slivers and am satisfied. The mixed berry tart is the best one, but the other varieties are still quite good. The pies or tarts are not made by the Jonesville Store, whose other fare is decent but not worth the trip. I cannot remember who does make them. The pies ARE worth the trip, but I would call to see if they are in stock, or maybe they will tell you who makes them...
http://thejonesvillestore.com/

- by wineophile on Mar 29, 2009 at 12:17 AM | link

I am hoping you can help me find a sandwich shop I visited last fall. My memory is that it was in a small town just off 87 north of Albany and it was something like The Bashful Eggplant or The Reluctant Eggplant. They had homemade bread and salads and sandwiches. I had the most wonderful turkey sandwich and a chick pea salad. It seemed mostly take out as there were just a few tables.
As I travel the Northway several times each year, I would dearly love to know where this shop is. Can you help??

- by Pat on Mar 30, 2009 at 3:48 PM | link

Just discovered your "list" ink. If and when you try the Hollywood Brown Derby in Albany, I'm sure it will make your 10 best love to do list.

- by Richard DiCristofaro on Mar 31, 2009 at 7:38 PM | link

I will have to give it a try. It is rare that I make it to such a high-end place these days, but maybe for a special occasion.

- by celinabean on Apr 1, 2009 at 2:31 PM | link

I found the name of the baker of tarts at the Jonesville store! Dutch Desserts
and the website:
www.dutchdesserts.com

...where you can, yes, order for delivery . So you can enjoy a wonderful "tart" in your pajamas. If this is how you are going to enjoy them, alone on the couch, in PJs I suggest the small ones, they are food-high-inducing.

- by wineophile on Apr 23, 2009 at 12:02 AM | link

For more heavenly pie, try the Smith's Orchard Bake Shop, just a little farther afield from Albany than Mourningkill. It's at 4561 Jockey St in Charlton,
where they have fresh baked pies plus local meat and cheese and produce. I just tried the apple-raspberry -- heaven!

- by Valentine on Sep 14, 2009 at 9:09 PM | link

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