Mountain pies are a campfire treat and long have been.
Bob Frye/Everybody Adventures
They weren’t fancy, but oh were they good.
We were camping at Leonard Harrison State Park, on the rim of Pennsylvania’s Grand Canyon. We’d spent the day hiking and exploring.
Now, with the sun setting and the campfire going, it was mountain pie time.
We had the makings for pizza mountain pies and several kinds of fruit mountain pies. But, figuring we’d burned enough calories to be a little decadent, we went all in on the sugar.
That meant buttered bread, with molten chocolate bars and marshmallows melted in between. With, for those not allergic, some peanut butter added to the mix.
Sinful, that’s what they were.
Maybe you’ve had something similar. Lots of campers have.
But how about a mountain pie with maple bacon, cinnamon, light and dark brown sugar, vanilla, maple syrup and Granny Smith and pink lady apples?
Or how about one with boneless pork loin, garlic, onions, cheese, salt and pepper, brown sugar and barbecue sauce, among other things?
Sounds fancy, to be sure. But such elaborate concoctions are what it takes if you want to be named one of Pennsylvania’s top mountain pie makers.
And the quest to find the best is underway.
The Pennsylvania Campground Owners Association is once again holding its annual Mountain Pie Championship contest.
Contestants compete in two categories: sweet, for dessert pies, and savory, for those involving meat, seafood, eggs or vegetables.
Three judges at each of the participating campgrounds will pick winners – one in each category – based on flavor, crust, overall visual appeal, creativity and consistency. The winners at each local event are then invited to compete in the statewide championship.
It’s set for the Gratz Fair in Dauphin County on Sept. 23.
Top prize in each category is $500 cash. Second- and third-place winners will get $200 and $100 in camping certificates, respectively.
Time’s running out to get involved, though. There are just seven qualifying events left, five of them this weekend, one in August and one in September. And you may have to travel to get to one of those campgrounds, depending on where you live.
But do you have a recipe that’s worthy of taking on the road?
To learn more
Details on the Pennsylvania mountain pie championship, with complete rules, can be found by clicking here.
