NAPPANEE – There’s an old saying that too many cooks spoil the broth.
But that’s definitely not the case for a unique baking project that’s part of the celebration at this weekend’s Nappanee Apple Festival.
It’s not something you’re likely to see at a bakery near you – a 7-foot apple pie.
It’s not the kind of project for the faint of heart. You have to get it right the first time. There are no do-overs. A lot of care and planning has to go into this to make it turn out just right.
“Let’s start with the dough,” chief pie maker Mim Hartsman starts to describe. “It takes 100 pounds of pie dough, and it takes approximately 19 bushels of apples. Then, the pan weighs 200 pounds, so we have about a 600-pound pie by the time it’s ready to go into the oven.
As always, it’s the focal point of the family-friendly festival that started on Thursday and runs through Sunday.
“Everybody that is new to Nappanee comes in and the first thing they ask is about the pie, where it’s done and how it’s done and how many people, how long,” said festival organizer Dustin Geyer. “The questions are never ending when it comes to the pie, that’s for sure.”
“Not everybody has the privilege of seeing this in their lifetime,” Hartsman noted.
For those who take part in the effort year after year to make the giant apple pie, it is indeed a labor of love, plus there are some bragging rights. How many people can say they helped make the largest apple pie in the state of Indiana?
“It’s not every day you hear about somebody making a 7-foot apple pie, and the fact that you can have your name attached to it, that’s awesome,” said Hartsman.
In this project, it is definitely the more, the merrier.
“I have never had a day of too many cooks here helping me,” Hartsman added. “A lot of helping hands and willing hands make it a light and fun day.”
The pie was put into a giant oven Friday afternoon at 2:00. It’s set to come out of the oven at 7: 30 a.m. Friday when you can grab a slice if you’d like.
The festival has food, entertainment and all things apple.
