Rhubarb Strawberry Pie

Pies were very important to Henry growing up. They speak to him of all things family. Pie was a main staple in both his grandmother’s houses. He talks of eating fruit pies of all kinds throughout the year.

My family didn’t make pies. We made cookies. And cake. And brownies. There’s nothing wrong with these desserts. I still like them a lot. But as a young wife, I knew that learning to make a great pie would serve my marriage well. And it has.

When Henry’s grandmother passed away earlier this year, I went through her recipes. I found one for her famous (at least among the grandkids) Rhubarb Strawberry Pie. Now that the rhubarb is coming in, I set about to make it for the first time.

First you take rhubarb and strawberries (duh!), clean them and slice ’em up.

Rhubarb is a funny vegetable. It’s stringy like celery and tastes sour. You can scrape the outer layer off to make it easier to cut. Or you can cut along and leave the stringy layer on the cutting board, like so.

You want 2 cups of diced rhubarb and 1 pint of strawberries sliced. (I actually used a pound of strawberries)

Add 1 cup sugar, 1/4 cup flour, and 1/4 teaspoon salt to the fruit. Put this mixture in a pre-made 9 inch crust, or make your own from scratch. It’s not that hard and it’s worth it. Believe me.

Then bake it!

And eat it.

Grandma Stamper’s Rhubarb & Strawberry Pie

2 crust – 9 inch piecrust
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups diced rhubarb
1 pint strawberries
2 tablespoons butter (since I use butter in my crust, I don’t add butter to my fillings)

Mix sugar, flour and salt. Sprinkle a small amount in the pastry-lined pan. Combine remaining sugar mixture with rhubarb and berries. Put in pie pan and pat with butter. Top with second crust. Cut a few slits.

Bake at 425 degree F for 40-50 minutes.