Farmers Market Spotlight: Ashley's Confections

     You may not know this about me, but I like sweets.  Scratch that.  I LOVE sweets!!  I just can't help it.  Cake, cookies, pudding...they're all good.  My #1 favorite, next to my chocolate obsession, is pie.  It doesn't really matter what flavor, or if it's a fruit or a custard type pie, I'm more than happy to cut myself a slice and dig in.  Shoot, sometimes I'm even game for a good chicken pie...and I get meat and vegetables with that one, so there's an added bonus.  Besides, I can get to the sweet pie afterwards.  
     Over there to the left is Ashley of Ashley's Confections.  She's been a wonderful member of the Chillicothe Farmer's Market for years.  That's her mom to her right, by the way.  Don't forget to wave.  It was cold out this morning so I don't blame Ashley a bit for having her hands in her pockets, but you're inside, so crank up those manners and give a little wave.  They're both absolute sweethearts!
     For the past four years I've been with the Market (and beyond that) Ashley has been baking and selling pies of all sorts there.   Get this.  They're $10.  That's right...for $10 you can get one of the most delicious pies your taste buds have ever encountered.  She doesn't just have apple pie either...she has caramel apple, too...and cherry and peach and blueberry...some has crumb top, some has this wonderful cream cheese stuff drizzled on top, and some even have both.  Man oh man, my stomach is growling now!  The types of pies she bakes are absolutely incredible!  
     I know, I know, you're thinking..."But Sharon, I can't get out there at 8:00 to get one before they're all gone..."  To you who don't want to join us at the Market that early, I say, "No worries!"  Ashley isn't there at 8:00 either.  She rolls in a bit later because she's home finishing up baking those pies to get them to you.  Sometimes when she gets there she's even got a few that are still warm.  And...for those of you that get there and they're all gone, or are working the late shift and still sleeping but want to sink your teeth into a piece of Ashley's pie, you can take yourself down to the Carl's Townhouse (a most excellent diner) on 2nd St. in Chillicothe for a piece, too.  So you see, where there's a will there's a way.
       Now, before I go, the rest of this story is for my Dad's sake.  You see, Dad likes (ahem, LOVES) pie, too.  So did my Grandpa Shirk.  Growing up when Dad or Grandpa had themselves a piece of pie they'd give the other one a call no matter where they were...Mexico, Canada, Florida, Michigan...no distance was too great to tease the other one about the pie they were eating.  If Dad called Grandpa, when Grandpa answered the telephone and said, "Hello," all Dad would say is, "Mmmmmmmm!"  That was it.  It was like code for ha-ha-ha I have pie and you don't.  I decided years ago to uphold the tradition.  I make sure when I have a piece of pie I call Dad, no matter where he's at, and when he says, "Hello," I say, "Mmmmmmmmm!"  I've even made sure that the tradition continues even further by getting the Kid involved.  He's a pie lover, too, and it's tickles my silly to have him call his Grandpa Webb and give him the pie "Mmmmmmmm!"  As a matter of fact, Kid is camping this weekend with Boy Scouts...I think I'm going to give Hon a call so he can pass the phone over to him so I can give him a big 'ole, "Mmmmmmm!"  Sometimes cell phones are a wonderful thing!
     So there you have it folks.  Ashley's Confections.  Pies.  Mouth watering make your taste buds sing pies.  I just finished myself a piece of Wild Blueberry pie with Cream Cheese Icing and it was incredible!  Hey Dad, hope your ready for that telephone call because...here. It. Comes.  Smiling & Waving, Sharon 

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