The strawberries are ripening as fast as we can pick them here in central Pennsylvania, and we’re all kept busy finding ways to use the delectable treat. My husband comes in from the garden every day now with a strainer full of lovely, ripe berries. The ones that are grown here, unlike the strawberries you buy at the supermarket, aren’t bred for keeping and shipping, and as a result are very sweet and so tender that they must be used quickly.
Like most cooks here in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country, I enjoy nothing better than to have food that goes straight from our garden to the supper table. Having already made two batches of strawberry jam, a strawberry-rhubarb pie, and strawberry shortcake, yesterday it was time for my personal favorite—my mother’s strawberry pie recipe.
My mother’s family is Pennsylvania Dutch straight back to the original immigrants who came and settled in Pennsylvania in the early-seventeen-hundreds. Both Plain and Fancy sects brought their traditional folkways and cooking styles, and they’ve held onto them for hundreds of years. Coming from a long line of women who loved to feed people, it always makes me happy to pull out my mother’s tattered recipe file and cook in the same way generations have. The recipes that appear at the end of each of my Amish books come from the same source, so you can be sure they’re tried and true!
I thought you might enjoy the strawberry pie recipe. Similar to many others, it does have a couple of unique touches that make it special. Enjoy!
Prepare a nine-inch pie shell, but instead of using water for the liquid, try using the same amount of orange juice. It gives an added citrus taste to fruit pies. Prick the shell, bake until done, and cool.
Mash 2 cups of fresh strawberries in a small sauce pan, using a fork or a potato masher. Let sit for the juices to seep out while you measure and mix together ¾ cup of sugar and 3 tablespoons of cornstarch. Add the sugar/cornstarch mixture to the mashed berries and stir. Heat slowly, continuing to stir constantly, cook for about ten minutes or until the mixture becomes thick and clear. Remove from heat.
Place another 2 cups of strawberries, either whole or sliced as you prefer, in a large bowl. Add the berry/sugar mixture and stir gently. Pour into the baked pie shell.
Refrigerate at least an hour and serve with whipped cream. The filling will be rather soft, but no one ever objects to having a few berries spill out onto the plate!
Best Always,
Marta Perry