now that berry season is upon us, i decided to plan a berry picking trip with fchang. with 'berries' and 'organic' being the two main criteria for the location, there were only so many places to choose from that were in a 1-2 hour radius. after finding out that the palo alto farm that i was planning to go to had closed early due to a july 4th weekend rush, i chose Swanton Berry Farm, an organic strawberry farm in Davenport (near Santa Cruz). this was my first time picking fruit at a farm, so i was quite excited. strawberries were everywhere! i considered everything i could do with my fresh picked strawberries as i walked up and down the rows, tasting the juicy, plump, red berries. (yes, of course i had to taste them!).
after picking about 4-5 lbs worth of strawberries for myself (@ $2.50/lb), i loaded them up in a cooler to transport home. i snacked on the strawberries when i got home, but ultimately decided that the fate of the majority of the berries would be to be baked in my first attempt ever at a homemade pie. we made the crust (with shortening and butter) and then popped the dough balls in the fridge. 3 days later i took the dough out and rolled out the bottom crust. I then took about 3 cups of strawberries and tossed them in a sugar, cinnamon, flour mixture and poured it into the bottom crust. i then rolled out the top crust and cut strips to create the lattice top. i baked the pie for about 30 minutes in a 425 degree oven. i was very happy with this pie and i look forward to making another fruit pie some time soon with leftover dough i have in the freezer (or perhaps a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving). there's almost nothing better than a fresh fruit pie, warm from the oven...made from seasonal hand picked organic strawberries.
