Strawberry Season

Hello, Friends! Strawberry season is here, and whether you pick-your-own berries or visit your favorite local farm stand for freshly-picked, ruby-red delights, you need to act fast and enjoy one of our favorite late spring/early summer bounties before they all get gobbled up. 

I stocked up this past weekend at Clear Brook Farm in Shaftsbury to make strawberry rhubarb pies for all the father figures in my life. Unless you’re a pro baker, I don’t necessarily recommend baking 3 pies at the same time, but I did my best, and I think my family was happy with the results. As always, I changed up some ingredients in the recipe I used. I also had to improvise when I ran out of rhubarb! I turned my remaining stalks into a rhubarb crumble to sprinkle on top of a strawberry pie, and voila! It’s still technically a strawberry rhubarb confection, right?

Strawberry season isn’t over quite yet, so get out there while the fresh strawberry-gettin’ is good!

STRAWBERRY RHUBARB PIE

Fruit Filling

Ingredients

2 ½ cups fresh strawberries, sliced

2 ½ cups fresh rhubarb, cut into ½-inch pieces

1 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour (or 4 Tbsp minute tapioca to absorb the juices)

1 tsp fresh orange or lemon zest

1 Tbsp fresh orange or lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla extract or flavored liqueur (I used a hazelnut liqueur)

I made my own pie crust, but you can purchase a pre-made bottom crust to make your life easier!

Crumb Topping

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

¼ cup packed brown sugar

¼ cup cane sugar

¼ tsp salt

½ cup of cold, unsalted butter, cut into cubes

Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Thoroughly combine all crumb ingredients together in a bowl, using a fork or pastry cutter to incorporate the butter, and set aside. 

Toss the sliced strawberries, rhubarb, sugar, flour (or tapioca), citrus zest, and citrus juice together lightly in a large bowl. Pour the fruit mixture into your prepared bottom pie crust. Top the filling with your pre-made crumb topping. 

Bake on the center rack at 400°F for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (175°C) and bake for an additional 35 to 40 minutes. The crust should look golden-brown, and the fruit juices should be visibly bubbling around the edges. 

Remove from the oven and let cool before slicing and serving. A slice goes very well with some fresh whipped cream!

Pick-Your-Own Strawberries

Clear Brook Farm, Shaftsbury, VT

Strawberry Acres, Buskirk, NY