Derby pie is the pie that God himself eats.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen one outside of movies where they are being thrown. I also didn’t think I’d like it. I tend to like sour fruit pies.
I learned it working in vineyards. Grapevines on large operations are pruned in the winter; and the amount of snow makes a whole lot of difference to doing that work.
It may be mostly a farming term these days; though, back before large powerful snowplows run by the state and municipalities kept the roads open, I’d expect this to have been an issue for nearly everybody who lives places that ordinarily get more than a couple of inches of snow on the ground at a time; though in some areas I think you could get around more easily on snow, if dogsleds or the like were common transportation.
I’ve had banana cream pie, and liked it, at least some versions. I didn’t do that poll, though – partly because I don’t even know what some of those pies are so couldn’t do a fair comparison, and partly because some of them I love if they’re made the way I like them but most people don’t make them that way.
Yeah, I couldn’t vote because there were (1) too many choices I was unfamiliar with; (2) too many choices altogether for me to single out favorites, and (3) too much variation within each particular kind of pie. Apple pies, for example, range from absolutely wonderful to not worth eating.
Same.
Same here, and I’ve lived essentially all of my life in regions where snowy winters are the norm. I’m curious as to where the term is commonly used/known, because it certainly isn’t Wisconsin or Illinois.
Click on my avatar.
But again, it may be common among certain groups, such as farmers; and not known to people in some other groups, to whom the amount of snow only matters when they’re driving and then only until the plows come through.
Add me to the list of someone who has never heard of an open winter.
I’ve lived in the northern climes my entire life. And my job, pre-retirement, was such that you were expected to make it in to work regardless of how many inches or feet were on the ground.
mmm
Having taught classes for large groups, I do not have stage fright. But yeah, the moderator and rules will make a difference.
If trump is allowed to bloviate for the entire debate and I can’t get a word in edgewise, it might be a pyrrhic victory.
I had it at a truck stop nearby. It was heaven. But if you don’t like custardy cream pies, it’s probably not for you.
I love banana cream pie! I’ve several really good ones, but even a mediocre one is good. Generally, I prefer fruit pies, though: apple, strawberry, fresh peach, boysenberry. Not a fan of blueberry.
I’ve never lived in a snowy climate and never heard of an open winter.
I used to not like public speaking until I had to do some, and I adjusted to it.
Oh, and I forgot peanut butter (cream) pie. A coffee shop near where I worked had it a few times a week. When a coworker asked me to lunch at that place, I’d always ask if it a peanut butter cream pie day before I’d agree to go.
I live in New Hampshire, and a local supermarket bakery makes wild Maine blueberry pies that are divine. Wild Maine blueberries are small, but packed with flavor, unlike commercially farmed blueberries the size of grapes, with no flavor.
But did you work in the snow?
It’s possible it’s a localism, though. I can’t remember where @puzzlegal is, and it’s not in her avatar.
I try not to post my precise personal details, but i live in the northeast. And I’ve only heard the term used with regards to agriculture. An open winter can be harder for trees and shrubs to survive, because snow provides a lot of insulation.
Also true. Easier for winter pruning, getting into the woods for firewood, etc.; but harder on perennial crops, as well as often not good for the water table.
So maybe it’s a technical farmers’ term; and/or maybe it’s regional either to the Northeast in general or possibly to only part of the Northeast.
@RollOutTheBarrel: in what context and approximate area did you encounter the term?
ETA: I just took a fast look at Google, and found references in Maine, North Dakota, and to a 1939 story from Oregon. There does seem to be a bit of confusion, or possibly variety by location, as to what it means – the ‘no snow’ is pretty consistent, but there’s also some mention of ‘warm’, and one of the sites speculates that maybe in areas with harbors/navigable rivers it refers to the harbors/rivers being open due to a lack of ice.
It’s a term that my relatives in Minnesota use. Most of my relatives live in rural areas. My dad and his siblings all grew up on a farm. I deduced from context that it means “unusually warm” but it’s possible I misunderstood and they were commenting more on the snow cover (or lack thereof) than the temperature.
OK. We’ve got, at a minimum, Minnesota, New York State, Maine, North Dakota, and Oregon (and maybe some other state in the Northeast; and maybe other places if I’d continued past the first page in Google). Doesn’t seem to be a localism, except that it would probably be limited to areas likely to ordinarily have significant snow and/or freezeup. Might be a farmers’ term; or a farmers’, loggers’, sailors’, maybe icefishers’ term.
ETA: might mean slightly different things in different places.
The OED has two quotations that include the term:
Scientific American in 1880 said “The open winter just past is made the occasion of something like an ice famine in this city.” This sounds like they are using it to mean an unusually warm winter.
Jonathan Swift in 1714 wrote (in a letter): “Hay will certainly be dear, unless we have an open winter.” I’m not sure what the meaning is here; maybe he means that lack of snowfall would allow gathering hay into the winter months? I don’t know much about hay.
It might mean that it would be possible for animals to graze on pasture during the winter months; therefore needing less hay.
Some creatures are better than others at digging their food out from under the snow. I suspect domestic animals are worse at it than wild relatives.
There’s a Chinese restaurant in Sacramento that’s been in business since the late 1930s, and is famous locally for serving banana cream pie for dessert. It’s actually considered one of their signature items. It sounds pretty un-Chinese, although I think I heard once that their recipe is based on a traditional Chinese custard, which I guess would make it more of a Chinese-American fusion. I actually just was there last weekend, and had a slice of pie.
I’m also pretty sure I’ve seen it on the menu at diners the serve a lot of pie.