Strawberry Fields

Last Friday, I kept Jillian home from school and took the kids strawberry picking. The weather was perfect for our annual trip to the farm -- 75 and sunny. Last year, I pre-ordered a gallon of strawberries and let Jilly and Josh each pick a pint. I wasn't sure how long they'd last and didn't want to get stuck picking a gallon by myself if they lost interest. Well, they didn't lose interest. They loved it.

This year, they were both very eager and insisted on filling their own buckets. They picked a gallon each -- that's a lot of berries. But, one of the best parts of strawberry picking is coming home and making strawberry pie. So, this year, instead of one pie, we made an extra to share with a friend.

Now, I'm very particular about my strawberry pie. I don't like gelatin, I don't like glaze and I don't care for the addition of red food coloring. I just like nice basic ingredients: strawberries, sugar, whipped cream. Well, after hunting around for a recipe that would "fit the bill," it turns out the best one was right under my nose in the information flyer from the farm. It's very straightforward. It's so easy, in fact, that you really have no excuse for not making the homemade whipped cream to top it off.

Fresh From the Farm Strawberry Pie

1 qt. strawberries

1 cup sugar

2 ½ or 3 Tbs. cornstarch

2 Tbs. lemon juice

1 baked pie shell

Wash berries and hull. Put one half of the berries in a saucepan and crush. Mix sugar and cornstarch. Add to crushed berries, along with lemon juice. Cook on medium heat until mixture thickens. Cool. Cut remaining berries into halves and mix with remaining mixture. Pour mixture into baked pie shell. Chill before serving. Serve with whipped cream.

Homemade Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy cream

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 Tbs. confectioners' sugar

In a large bowl, whip cream until stiff peaks are just about to form. Beat in vanilla and sugar until peaks form. Make sure not to over-beat, cream will then become lumpy and butter-like.