February 20 is National Cherry Pie Day. If you love the taste of rich cherry pie, you are in for a treat today!
Keep reading to learn facts about cherries and cherry pies and ways to observe this national day. You may not need an excuse to enjoy this delicious dessert, but if you do, today is the perfect reason to celebrate.
If you’re a cherry pie fan, make sure you don’t miss the list of cherry pie links at the bottom of the post. If you try one, make sure to let us know in the comments section how it turned out!
What is so special about cherry pie?
We’ve all heard the story about George Washington and his cherry tree, so it stands to reason that the cherry pie has a long foot hold in cooking lore in the USA.
George supposedly came clean and said: “I can not tell a lie, I chopped down the Cherry tree.”
It is traditional to celebrate George Washington’s upcoming Birthday (February 22) by baking cherry pies in honor of the occasion.
Fun facts about cherries and cherry pies
Brush up on your knowledge of cherry pies with these fun facts.
- The pie came to America when the first English settlers arrived.
- Cherry pie is often referred to as a Great American Dish.
- Unlike our pies that are cooked in round pie plates, early cherry pies were cooked in long narrow pans called “coffyns.”
- Early pie crusts were not eaten. They were just a means of holding the cherry pie fillings. The pie crust did not get its own culinary term until the American Revolution.
- Cherry pie is the second most popular pie in the USA with only the apple pie being more popular.
- Oliver Cromwell banned the eating of all pies in 1644, believing the consumption of pie to be a pagan pleasure.
- The best choice of cherries for cherry pies are tart and a little sour, such as Morello, Bing, or Montmorency. These cherries keep their shape well during baking process and give your pie a great flavor.
How to observe National Cherry Pie Day
- Stop by your favorite pasty shop for a cup of coffee and slice of cherry pie.
- Cheat by serving a Cherry Pie Box Mix but don’t tell your friends.
- Read the story “How to Make a Cherry Pie and See the USA to your child.”
- Wear a cherry pie apron while making your pie.
- Use the recipe card at the bottom of this post to print out a homemade cherry pie recipe with a lattice crust.
- Invest in a pastry wheel cutter to make a lattice edge for your cherry pie.
- Do the word search puzzle for February to see if you can find Cherry Pie Day in it.
- Use the hashtag #NationalCherryPieDay to spread the word about the day on social media. Here is a tweet to get you started:
What is a national day?
National days of the year are a fun way to celebrate odd and unusual foods, animals and items that you come into contact with. Be sure to check out my national day’s guide for more fun days to celebrate.
There are close to 2000 national days in the year and over 150 of them are celebrated in February. Be sure to check out this post to discover more about the national days in February.
Be sure to also check out these other foodie national days this month:
- National Homemade Soup Day
- National Chili Day
- National Pistachio Day
- National Tortilla Chip Day
- National Food Days in February
- Super Chicken Wing Day
- National Love Your Pet Day
More pie national days
If you love pie as much as I do, you’ll also want to check out these other pie national days, too.
- National Coconut Cream Pie Day – This delicious dessert consists of crust, coconut filling, whipped cream and toasted coconut.
- National Blueberry Pie Day – Do you love blueberries? Then you must go check out this post with blueberry recipes to celebrate this national day!
- National Peach Cobbler Day – Did you know peach cobbler was invented on a ship? Read the post to learn more!
- National Peaches ‘N’ Cream Day – Looking for a yummy summer treat? Head to this post for delicious peaches and cream recipes!
Pin this post for National Cherry Pie Day for later
Would you like a reminder of this post for National Cherry Pie Day? Just pin this image to one of your cooking boards on Pinterest so that you can easily find it later.
Plus, you can watch our YouTube video to learn about more food and drink days in February.
More cherry pie recipes for National Cherry Pie Day
And for the ultimate way to celebrate National Cherry Pie Day, just cook up a fancy homemade cherry pie with one of the recipes below.
- Deep Dish Cherry Pie
- Heart Shaped Mini Cherry Pies
- Cherry Pie Cinnamon Sticks
- Cherry Pie Salad
- Home made cherry pie filling
And for my favorite cherry pie recipe – make this homemade cherry pie with a lattice cut crust.
Homemade Cherry Pie
Rich, dark cherries combined with lemon juice and sugar make up the filling for this delicious cherry pie. Top it with a lattice work crust for a dessert that you will be proud to serve at any special occasion.
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 4 pounds cherries, pitted
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 cup warm water
For the Pie Crust
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup shortening
- 3 tablespoons butter, cold, cut up
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup ice water
Instructions
For the pie crust:
- Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the shortening and butter pieces using a pastry cutter. You will end up with pea sized pieces.
- Add a little water, a bit at a time until the pie crust forms. Don't overwork it.
- Place the pie crust into a zip lock bag and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.
For the filling
- Pit the cherries, drain and place them into a sauce pan.
- Gently cook the cherries over a medium heat. Add the sugar and lemon juice and cook till soft, stirring occasionally.
- Dissolve the cornstarch in a bit of water and add to the cherries. Cook over medium heat until it starts to thicken, stirring constantly.
- Allow to cool and then place into the pie shell.
To Make the Pie:
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1/2 of the pie crust. Place it into a 9 inch pie plate and spoon in the cherry filling.
- Roll out the other half of the pie crust and cut long pieces with a pastry wheel cutter so you get a crinkled edge.
- Place the cut pieces in one direction, then weave the other pieces in the opposite direction until the pie is covered.
- Brush with egg wash and bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees F. for one hour until the crust has browned nicely.
- Allow to cool before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 342Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 232mgCarbohydrates: 75gFiber: 4gSugar: 45gProtein: 5g
Nutritional information is approximate due to natural variation in ingredients and the cook-at-home nature of our meals.