Cabin Baking: Strawberry Rhubarb Apple Pie

Rhubarb growing in a plastic pot.

My rhubarb grows in a pot, so I don’t get too much to work with at a time. As you can tell from the title, I had to stretch my first picking to make a pie.

I went to my trusty Fannie Farmer Cookbook to refresh my memory about how to make pie crust.

Strawberry Rhubarb Apple Pie

8-inch Two-crust Pie:

2 cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
2/3 cup shortening (I use Crisco)
1/3 cup cold water

Directions: I like the flaky crust that Crisco makes, and it’s easy to store one of the small packages in the refrigerator. It will also store on the shelf if you don’t have refrigeration available, a plus for off-the-grid living.

Mix the flour and salt, then cut in the shortening with a pastry blender until it resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle water over the mixture a tablespoon at a time and mix with a fork. Use only enough water to make the dough hold together into a ball.

Divide the dough into two portions. Roll out the first ball until it is 2-inches larger than the pie pan. Put the dough in the bottom of the pie pan and pat it into place.

Roll out the second ball also 2-inches larger than the pan. To make a lattice top, slice the dough into long 1-inch strips.

Pie Filling:

3 cups of mixed fruit (rhubarb, strawberries, apples)
¾ to 1 cup sugar (depending on how much rhubarb)
3 tablespoons flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter

Directions: In a bowl, combine rhubarb cut into ½-inch pieces, sliced strawberries, and peeled and sliced apples. Sprinkle with flour, salt and sugar, and mix well. Fill the prepared pie crust and dot with butter.

Using the sliced second crust, weave a lattice top over the fruit mixture and crimp the crust’s edges. Lightly sprinkle sugar over the lattice crust if you like a sweet flavour. Bake at 425° for ten minutes then reduce the heat to 350° for an additional 30-40 minutes or until the top crust is light brown and the filling is bubbly.

I used a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper under the pie pan to catch any drips, and I’m very glad I did. It saved me a lot of scrubbing to get backed on sugar off the bottom of my oven.

Wayne and I enjoyed our pie with some whipped cream on the top. And knowing that it included my home grown rhubarb made it taste even better. -- Margy