Once a year, when my rhubarb is thick and tall and the ruby red strawberries are hanging fresh and juicy, I pull out my favorite Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie recipe.
Although I had an abundance of rhubarb and the strawberries were red and ripe, when I went to actually pick the berries I found that either the ants or the slugs had already gotten to most of them. Berries are one of my favorite things about summer but it seems that I am not alone in this. Slugs agree.
Fortunately, there are many gardeners that have a much greener thumb than myself so finding strawberries wasn’t too hard. As we were on our weekend trek we saw many signs for berries along the road. Mr. Paparazzi, always on the look out for a good photo-op, saw this lovely old white barn turned farm stand and pulled in.
The Schuh Family Farm did indeed have fresh picked strawberries. They were plump and delicious and since there was no “organic” or “no spray” sign posted I simply asked the woman (who had grown them) if they’d been sprayed. She proudly told me that she had used NO spray or pesticides.
These small family farms generally cannot afford the “organic” label and don’t have the extra money to spend on a bunch of spray and fertilizers. I recently bought a small can of Sluggo and it was $19. I can only imagine how expensive it would be to use any sort of chemical “organic” or not on a larger space! These smaller family farms usually just share with the slugs, having enough to go around.
I unfortunately, do not have that kind of space or light. I’m pretty sure the slugs have taken up residence directly in my dim little corner that I call a strawberry patch. Complete with tiny slug homes, street lights, and signs pointing directly to the juiciest berries. I sprinkle a little Sluggo now and then and have been spotted in my pink fluffy bathrobe and slippers out at dusk snipping those little suckers in half, wickedly cackling as I demolish their little slice of slug heaven. My kids will come visit when I’m in the looney-bin. They’ll tiptoe around making sure no scissors or slugs are in site, patting my hand reassuringly. They’ll only bring lemon-meringue pie with them just to keep my meds to a minimum.
Before they haul me off you can find me sitting on my back porch, pie in hand with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream melting on top. And yes, of course I wouldn’t leave you without sharing the recipe.
Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie
5 cups of strawberry and rhubarb combined (any combination is fine)
1/2 to 1 cup sugar, depending on your taste, sweetness of the berries and strawberry to rhubarb ratio
4 Tbs. of instant tapioca (or 3 Tbs of cornstarch if you don’t have tapioca. Both act as a thickener)
Pinch salt
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch ground allspice or nutmeg
1 recipe Pie Shell for a two crust pie (see below), bottom crust fitted into a 9-inch pie pan (refrigerate until ready to fill)
2 Tbs. butter, cut into bits
Milk as needed
Hull strawberries and leave whole or cut in half if very large. String rhubarb and cut into 1/2-inch slices. Gently toss fruit with sugar, thickener, salt, and spices. If using instant tapioca follow directions on back- generally requiring that you let the tapioca and filling sit for about 15 minutes. Pile filling into uncooked pie crust making the pile a little higher in the center than at the sides. Dot with butter. Cover with top crust. Crimp edges with a fork or your fingers. Refrigerate and preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Place pie on a baking sheet and brush the top lightly with milk; sprinkle with sugar. Using a sharp paring knife, cut two or three 2-inch-long vent holes in the top crust; this will allow steam to escape. Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 and bake another 40-50 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and inside is bubbling. Do not under bake! Cool on wire rack before serving.
Two Crust Pie Crust
2 ¼ c. Flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. sugar
16 Tbs. butter
6 Tbs. ice water
Pulse dry ingredients in food processor. Add butter. Add ice water and mix until you can just barely pull it together.
(Adapted from How to Cook Everything/ neighbor Angie Reynolds)
