Pie in the sky

Nothing says summer like freshly-baked prairie berry pies.

Saskatoon Meringue Pie
1 cup water

Combine water, saskatoons, lemon zest, 3/4 cup sugar and cornstarch in a heavy saucepan. Crush some of the berries to release the juice and cook over low heat until mixture is thick and clear. Add 1 Tbsp of the hot mixture to the 3 beaten egg yolks, then add egg yolks to saucepan and continue cooking and stirring for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add lemon juice and butter. Cool. Pour into cooled 9” pie shell and top with meringue - directions below.

Beat 3 egg whites until frothy then slowly add 4 Tbsp sugar and continue beating until all sugar is dissolved and meringue will stand in stiff peaks. Spread evenly on pie filling and bake in 350°F oven for 15 minutes or until evenly browned. Cool before serving.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crunch

Base
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp minute tapioca
1 1/2 cups whole strawberries
1/2 cup juice from strawberries and the rest water
3 cups diced rhubarb

Topping
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 375°F. Combine base ingredients in 2-quart (2L) baking dish. Let stand 5 minutes. Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over base. Bake about 25 minutes or until rhubarb is cooked.

Serves: 6-8

Recipes courtesy of the Prairie Fruit Growers’ Association. Visit them online at www.pfga.com for more recipes and where to find local U-Pick berry farms. Send us your fruit pie recipes at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  and you could win a gourmet prize package!