Fresh Berry Pie
 

4 cups boysen-, black-, logan-, olallie-, blue- and/or rasp-berries

up to half the berries can be replaced with peaches.

2 T minute tapioca

½ t. salt

2 T. lemon juice

¾ - 1 cup sugar

Double crust pastry

2 T butter

 

Mix the filling ingredients.  Let stand 15 minutes until berry juices flow and tapioca is softened. 

Pour into bottom crust, dot with butter (the butter adds flavor and inhibits juice overflow.  Don’t leave it out!)  add regular or lattice top crust.  Sprinkle with sugar or with cinnamon sugar.  Cover loosely with aluminum foil.  Bake 15 minutes @ 425o.  Remove foil, reduce oven to 375o.  Bake 30-40 minutes, until nicely browned.

 

My dad cultivated a long, long row of boysenberry plants in Monterey Park.  We could always count on fresh berries for Memorial Day to put on handcranked ice cream.  I remember one day when our harvest was in baskets, on the picnic table between our house and Grandma’s.  A pair of blue jays were busy carrying off all the berries they could!