Rhubarb, Blackberries, and Strawberries Pie

After a first-attempt and successful rhubarb pie, I felt more and more confident to make a second one. However, my rhubarb plant has not grown quickly enough to make the same pie immediately. All my friends were surprised that my garden still has rhubarb. I must have done something right with this vegetable. Anyway, I want to thank my friend, Melodee’s, mother, Mrs. Eleanor Smith. She is in her mid 90s and still makes pie whenever events happened in Melodee's house. She told me that her pie making dated back to when she a young women. Most women her age know how to make pies for their churches, who sell them to make money for the church. She was the one who taught me how to make pie dough, the traditional way using 100-year-old recipe, when all the modern kitchen gadgets were not available. After just one lesson from Eleanor, my fear of making pie dough is gone. I add some sugar into the recipe to sweeten the dough a little. Also, I replace some of the Crisco vegetable shortening with coconut oil. I believe this oil is so healthy, Eleanor did not know that coconut oil is very healthy to eat; otherwise, she would agree with me about adding it into the dough. It turns out well – the pie crust is crispy and the coconut oil adds flavor to the crust. Living in the North-West during summer time is wonderful, especially for people like me who love to cook, bake, and do gardening. I picked the blackberries from my backyard. I only add frozen strawberries into this pie because with all my attempts to grow strawberries, the birds are faster to consume these strawberries than I am to harvest them. Oh well, we cannot have everything. Right? My recipe for this pie is also quite simple to put together. I believe that cooking is fun and simplicity is the way to be happy every day. In the afternoon, after this pie is baked, I will gather all my friends to gather to try this new recipe with an afternoon cup of tea.

Mrs. Eleanor Smith’s pie crust ingredients:
4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted together
1 tsp salt
2 tbs sugar
1 cup Crisco vegetable shortening
1/2 cup coconut oil
14 to 16 tablespoons cold water

In a bowl, combine all the ingredients except the cold water.

 

Use the pastry blender or a fork as a pie dough making tool to blend the flour until it resembles a course grain.

Add cold water a few tablespoons at a time until the dough can be held together in a ball. Divide dough into two portions, shaping each into a ball.

 Wrap each dough ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Eleanor told me that the dough does not need to refrigerated, but I did it any way, and it turned out fine

Pie filling ingredients:
2 cups fresh rhubarb, sliced into 1/4 inch pieces
2 cups fresh blackberries
1 cup strawberries, sliced, fresh or frozen
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp agar powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients and refrigerate for 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 400°. Roll out one dough ball to fill the inside of a 9 inch pie pan(mine is 10 inch).

 

 

 

Pour the filling into the dough-lined pie pan. Dot with 1 tbs of butter.

Roll out the other half of the pie dough ball to cover the pie filling and overlap the sides of the pie pan.

 

Trim dough 1/2-inch beyond edge. Fold top crust under bottom crust edge to seal. Crimp and flute edges. Cut slits in top crust or prick with fork to allow steam to escape.  Sprinkle one more tablespoon of sugar over the top, if desired, and dot with more butter.

Place the pie pan onto a baking tray and bake for 15 minutes, then turn the temperature down to 350° and bake for another 50 minutes or until the center is bubbly. Remove and let it cool completely before cutting and serving.