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DessertFood/Recipes

Three Pies You Can Make from Scraps

by Bull Garlington July 20, 2022
written by Bull Garlington July 20, 2022
850
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Three pies you can make from scraps.

Pies. Your family is chanting this word as they corner you in the kitchen. You’ve been on lock-down for two weeks. You’re between deliveries. They’ve ravaged your fridge, your pantry. The cupboard isn’t just bare, it’s antiseptic.

How do you make a pie from scraps with this dearth of ingredients?

Your great-grandma has an answer. In the Great Depression, food was scarce, so exasperated cooks got creative using simple ingredients. In some cases, literal scraps were turned into scrumptious treats. Sweets were especially hard to make since the infrastructure was still a thing of the future, as were grocery stores and Costco and Instacart. Cooks had to get resourceful and creative.

The following three pies were developed from a scarcity of ingredients by thrifty cooks. You can probably make these right now with whatever remnants are rattling around in your pantry.

Add some fresh or frozen fruit and enjoy!

What if You Forgot Milk and Only Have Water?

Use it to make Water Pie or Hot Water Pie. This is essentially a light custard pie made without milk. I would love to go back in time to meet the cook who invented this pie. Imagine having no berries, no fruit—nothing but water —and thinking, I can make pies out of this.

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Hot Water Pie

Water Pie


No reviews

  • Author: Bull Garlington
  • Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
  • Yield: 1 Pie 1x
Print Recipe

Description

This is essentially a light custard pie made without milk. I would love to go back in time to meet the cook who invented this pie. Imagine having no berries, no fruit–nothing but water and thinking, I can make pies out of this.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 9-inch unbaked pie crust
  • 1.5 c. water (lukewarm tapwater is fine)
  • 4 T. all-purpose flour (Lily White for regional accuracy)
  • 1 c. sugar
  • 2 t. vanilla
  • 5 T. butter, divided

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  • Pour the water directly into the pie crust.
  • Combine the sugar and the flour in a small bowl. Here’s the weird part: Sprinkle this mixture over the surface of the water–but do not stir!
  • Add the vanilla a few drops at a time around the surface.
  • Carefully place the butter pats evenly around the pie.
  • Bake for 30 minutes, then reduce to 375 and bake for another 30 minutes.
  • Very carefully remove the pie to a cool spot. It will be jiggly and watery in the center (cause, you know, it’s a water pie). Let it cool completely, then refrigerate until chilled before serving.

Notes

You may find it helpful to build this pie on a baking sheet and then use that to put the pie into the oven — because it’s made out of water.

  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: Southern

Keywords: pie, water, Southern, Depression

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag us — we can’t wait to see what you’ve made!

Wait, Can You Put Vinegar in a Pie?

Yes, yes you can. And it’s delicious. This is the classic vinegar pie recipe, though there are as many variations as there are great-grandmas who lived during the depression. Some recipes skip the eggs. Some add a pinch of salt. Some don’t use cinnamon. Some use more vinegar, some useless. The recipes, handed down through family, written in longhand on a lined card, were drawn from whatever was on hand. Mix it up as you wish.

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vinegar pie

Vinegar Pie


No reviews

  • Author: Bull Garlington
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 1 pie 1x
Print Recipe

Description

Another simple, weird, non-intuitive pantry pie that tastes better than you think it will.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 eggs
  • 9-inch unbaked pie crust
  • 1.5 c. sugar
  • 8 T. butter (1/2 c.), melted
  • 2 T. apple cider vinegar (or white vinegar)
  • 1 T. all purpose flour
  • 1/4 t. ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 t. ground nutmeg
  • 1 t. vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425°
  • Mix all ingredients thoroughly, pour into crust.
  • Bake 30 minutes; remove to cool completely.
  • Chill before serving.
  • Prep Time: 10
  • Cook Time: 30
  • Category: dessert
  • Method: bake
  • Cuisine: Southern

Keywords: vinegar, pie, depression

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag us — we can’t wait to see what you’ve made!

I Have a Little Milk and a Little Sugar

Cool. Use it to make Sugar Milk Pie. Like all great cheap pies, you make this one right in the crust. No bowl required. This would be a pie made not only because ingredients were scarce, but because many homes lacked refrigeration and the milk would not last. This is a way to finish up the last cup of milk.

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Sugar and Milk pie

Sugar Milk Pie


No reviews

  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 1 pie 1x
Print Recipe

Description

This southern favorite uses milk and cream.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 9-inch unbaked pie crust
  • 1 c. of white sugar (or any variation of white and brown)
  • 1/4 c. all purpose flour
  • 1/2 c. cream or half-n-half
  • Milk to fill
  • Nutmeg, grated.

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400°
  • Pour the flour and sugar into the crust and gently stir to mix.
  • Add the cream or half-n-half.
  • Fill with milk.
  • Sprinkle with nutmeg.
  • Bake for 15 minutes then reduce heat to 350° and bake an additional 15 minutes.
  • Remove to cool, chill to serve

Notes

Variations:  Use buttermilk. Add a single dot of vanilla.

  • Prep Time: 10
  • Cook Time: 30
  • Category: desserts
  • Method: bake
  • Cuisine: Southern

Keywords: pie, milk, Depression

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag us — we can’t wait to see what you’ve made!

Please note: Nutrition facts and calories per serving are approximate.

© Photos / Brooke Lark / Unsplash/ iStockphotos.com

This post is not intended to substitute for medical advice or prescribed medication. Especially if you have special health needs or a special diet, consult a physician before undertaking any new diet or exercise plan.

The author has not been compensated for any of the products mentioned in this post. In some cases, we may earn a small affiliate fee from certain links, including Amazon and the Health Food Radar shop. This helps compensate our staff for their time. Thanks for supporting us by clicking on the links!

Statements made on this website have not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Any information or products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Information provided by this website or this company is not substitute for individual medical advice.

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Bull Garlington

Bull Garlington is an award-winning author and columnist from Chicago. His newest book is The Full English, a humorous travel memoir (a Foreword Indies Book of the Year Finalist).

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