Subj : Re: Pick Your Own To : Ruth Haffly From : Dave Drum Date : Wed Feb 22 2023 05:43:00 -=> Ruth Haffly wrote to Dave Drum <=- RH> Hi Dave, DD> Three houses ago I had raspberries along the fence at the back of the DD> lot just past the asparagus bed. But no strawberries RH> We had more blackberry bushes than raspberry. The latter usually RH> produced only enough for a cereal topping (I'd now put them on ice RH> cream too.); the former were prolific enough that my mom usually made a RH> couple of blackberry pies each summer. DD> When I was on the farm and the berry bushes (Goose, Black and DD> Raspberry) were more-or-less "in the wild" the blackberries and DD> raspberries were DD> equally productive. The gooseberries, not so much. And, unlike the DD> others the gooseberries were very tart. RH> We never had the gooseberries, don't know if they would grow in the RH> area I grew up in or not. I've read about them, may have had them a RH> time or two but haven't had the opportunity to do anything much with RH> them--yet. (G) Gooseberries grow as far north as Maine - where they are/were outlawed as being an intermediary host to pine rust. How Stuff Works tells us: "Gooseberries are divided into two major groups: European (Ribes grossularia var. uva-crispa) and American (Ribes hirtellum). They are hardy fruits that thrive in cool, humid climates. Germany, Russia, Poland and Scandinavia typically grow gooseberries on large, commercial plantations, while gooseberries are often planted in smaller pick-your- own operations across the U.S. and Canada, according to Science Direct. From my own knowledge - gooseberries come in a full range of colours. The ones on our land were the green variety which are quite tart in the wild. Stupormarkup gooseberries are larger and insipid since they have been bred for shipping and shelf life. MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06 Title: Old Fashioned Gooseberry Pie Categories: Pastry, Fruits, Pies, Citrus Yield: 6 Servings MMMMM---------------------------CRUST-------------------------------- 2 1/2 c Flour 1/4 c Sugar 16 tb (1/2 lb) very cold butter; - in small cubes 4 tb Ice cold milk; more, if - needed 1/2 ts Salt 1 lg Egg; beaten together +=WITH=+ 1 tb Milk; for glazing top crust MMMMM--------------------------FILLING------------------------------- 5 c Whole wild gooseberries; - stemmed, washed 1 1/2 c Sugar; or less 2 tb Grated fresh ginger Juice and zest of one orange 1/3 c Instant tapioca 4 tb Butter Set oven @ 375ºF/190ºC. To make the crust, use stand mixer with paddle beater. Beat together butter, flour, sugar and salt until butter is in flakes, coated with flour. Do not over mix. Slowly add very cold milk, one or two tablespoons at a time. When dough first begins to form ball, stop beating. Do not add too much liquid. Dough should barely hold together. Divide dough into two balls, press into a thick disk with hands, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerator for 30 minutes or longer. While dough is chilling, begin preparing the filling. Combine all ingredients except butter in a large sauce pan, and place over medium heat. Cover until gooseberries begin to soften and burst (about 5 minutes.) Then uncover, and keep barely simmering on medium-low heat for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool while rolling out pastry. Once dough has chilled, remove from refrigerator and roll out one disk on a lightly floured surface until large enough to cover bottom and sides of pie dish, with 3/4 inch overhang. Crimp edges decoratively, and set pie weights on top of bottom crust. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden. Do not let edges of crust burn. Cover with aluminum foil or pie guard if necessary. While bottom crust is baking, roll out second pastry disk. Using small biscuit cutter or rim of small juice glass, cut out circles from rolled dough. Place circles on baking tray and return immediately to refrigerator or freezer to keep chilled. (Do not re-roll scraps of extra pastry dough, they will become tough. Bake on separate baking sheet to snack on with ice cream.) Once bottom crust has baked, and filling has cooled, pour gooseberry filling into bottom crust. Slice 4 tablespoons of butter on top of filling, then decorative layer of pastry circles in concentric pattern, leaving a hole in the middle and around the outer edge. Brush top disks with beaten egg/milk mixture. Use aluminum foil strips, or pie guard over crust. Return to oven and bake for 35 to 50 minutes, or until juices are vigorously bubbling. (Be sure to place a baking sheet on rack below pie to catch any spilling juices. There will be some.) Allow pie to cool completely before serving. Serves 8. (according to whom? UDD) From: http://beekman1802.com Uncle Dirty Dave's Kitchen MMMMM .... It has the magical charm of being just slightly odd. --- MultiMail/Win v0.52 * Origin: SouthEast Star Mail HUB - SESTAR (1:3634/12) .