Happy Pie Day, Everyone! January 23 has long been officially designated Pie Day, so to mark the occasion, I’m sharing a recipe for one of my favorites of all of Jane’s recipes, Strawberry Rhubarb Pie. Both Jane and Beulah made amazing pie crust! I’m no slouch in that department either, and I credit Beulah’s instruction for that. I’ll share my favorite pie crust recipe in another post, but today it’s all about the fruit filling. 

First, a little food history! Pies have been around for thousands of years. The ancient Greeks are credited with developing the first pastry shells, and the ancient Romans made pies with all kinds of meat and seafood. Even though apple pie was eaten in Europe long before America was colonized, the phrase “as American as apple pie” is still universally used, probably in honor of the legendary American pioneer and conservationist Johnny Appleseed.

This recipe also has a connection to the January book selection for the Read Between the Vines book club. This quote from The Trackers by Charles Frazier appears in Section V, Indelible Black of the novel. In this scene near the end of the novel, Long has orchestrated a picnic ride for himself, Faro, Val and Eve. The rest of the group is unsure of the motive for the outing, but feel as if they have no choice but to indulge Long’s suggestion. After all, he is the boss! Drama ensues!

The sun hovered over the jagged peaks. Faro added wood until the flames stood waist high. We’d all eaten roast beef sandwiches and potato salad and pie, and we’d already made our way through the majority of the opened bottles of wine, Long drinking almost as much as the rest of us combined.

The Trackers, A Novel by Charles Frazier

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

4 cups sliced rhubarb
1 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced
⅓ cup flour
1 ¼ cups sugar
⅛ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons butter

Pastry for two-crust pie

Directions:

1. Combine fruits. Blend dry ingredients and toss lightly with fruit.
2. Place mixture in 9-inch pie pan lined with pastry.
3. Dot with butter, and cover with top crust.
4. Seal edges of top and bottom crust with water. Cut small slits in top crust to let steam escape.
5. Bake at 400̊ F. for 35 to 40 minutes, or until bubbly and brown. Cool on wire rack.

Yield: 8 servings