To sample the best, head straight for the modest bakers: the people who sell at farmers' markets, set up shop near farms, or source directly from them.
Find a delicious slice of blueberry pie just a ways north of the blueberry farms of Skagit Valley in Ferndale, where you can buy a slice from Barb's Pies and Pastries in the Carnation Building. Another prime example of such magic is Farm’s Reach Cafe in Chimacum, where bakers pack up to 5 pounds of fruit from Olympic Peninsula and eastern Washington farms into pillowy crusts and serve thick slices with Stumptown coffee. Learn more about farms in Skagit Valley >>
Just up the road in Port Townsend, Better Living Through Coffee uses whole grains and natural sweeteners to make a fig-and-walnut tart with a cakey, nutty crust that defies traditional pie expectations.
In Spokane, the fresh cherry pie at Rockwood Bakery tastes like the fruit came picked straight from the tree. In Seattle, A La Mode Pies’ Blue Hawaiian pie breaks the fresh-fruit rule by combining blueberries with canned fruit (pineapple, plus a shot of piña colada mix).
Finally, if you find yourself in Roslyn, pray it’s a day that the Roslyn Café, which also has desserts made by local grocery Maggie’s Pantry, serves pie. In the fall, it might be the seasonal huckleberry-blueberry pie made with perfectly tart Cascade huckleberries, all cradled by a buttery, flaky crust made by hand. It’s rivaled only by what Washington’s pie-makers craft in the privacy of their homes for loved ones and lucky visitors.
—Kate Lebo
Photo Credit: Barb's Pies and Pastries/Facebook
