Grandma's Strawberry/Blueberry Pie with a Healthy Surprise Pie Crust-Mother's Day Delight

Strawberry season is here and it is time to make a really good pie, strawberry/blueberry pie. We love picking fresh strawberries every year to make our healthy strawberry pies. There is something about going out to a field and picking fresh fruit, cleaning it, cutting it up, and making a special delicacy for your family and friends. This year, I wanted a new recipe, something for a special occasion, Mother's Day!

Nothing screams homemade like a pie crust made with real lard. That's it! That is what I would like for mother's day, 5 pounds of leaf fat. What is leaf fat? It is the fat surrounding a pig's kidney. If your pig has been fortunate enough to be raised on a farm in the Georgia mountains where he ate real food including acorns from the trees and corn from chemical free crops, the lard made from this pig is actually a healthy choice for baking instead of shortening, oil, or butter.

Actually, lard has numerous health benefits Lard contains a large amount of Vitamin D along with minerals and other vitamins. It is a saturated fat, whole natural food that your body processes well. Lard raises the HDL (good cholesterol) and lowers LDL (bad cholesterol), making it a good source for maintaining cholesterol. Lard is also used in skin care because of its organic properties and having similar ph to our own skin. Lard can be purchased in a grocery store. However, the lard found in a grocery store could be from animals raised commercially and since toxins are stored in fat, the lard would not be a healthy choice. It is important to make certain, you purchase leaf fat produced from animals that were raised in a healthy environment with clean chemical free food. Hogs that were raised in pastures and forests eating natural food are the best source for leaf fat to render lard.

Still, you should have seen my husband's face when I said, "Honey, I sure would love 5 pounds of pig fat for Mother's Day!" So, off we went to find some really good leaf fat and we found it at Mountain Valley Farm Store in Ellijay, Ga. They raise pigs and cattle for meat to sell at their store. The lovely lane leading up to the store was lined with barns and fields for the animals. Inside the store, pictures of their animals eating real food are displayed for patrons to admire.

With 5 pounds of leaf fat secured, we headed home and began rendering lard (just another name for cooking lard). It was really quite easy, but took some time. We placed the lard in a large uncovered crock pot and let it cook for 7-8 hours before straining the oil through cheesecloth where we gathered about 2 quarts of pure lard.

With my previous pie baking experiences, I came up with this recipe for a strawberry/blueberry pie made like Grandma's pies made back in the day.

Lard Pie Crust

3-1/2 cups of all purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 stick plus 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter

1/2c. + 1 Tblsp cold lard

1/2-2/3 c. ice water as needed

1. Mix flour with salt

2. Use a food processor to cut in butter and lard. (I have a small food processor, so I had to cut in the butter and lard in 2 separate batches and then combine them. Place first batch in the fridge while working with the second batch to keep ingredients cold. Then, mix both batches together.

3. Add ice water, just enough to hold it together.

4. Knead lightly on floured wax paper, shape into 2 discs, wrap in plastic wrap and place in fridge for 2-3 hours to chill.

   NOTE: The pie dough needs to stay cold the entire time.

   
   

   Strawberry/Blueberry Pie Filling

   

   3 cups strawberries

   1 cup blueberries

   1 lemon

   2 tablespoons corn starch

   1/4-1/2 c. Stevia (depending on how sweet you like your pie)

   1 teaspoon really good quality vanilla

   Directions:

   1. Wash and Slice strawberries

   2. Place 1.5 cups of strawberries, 1/2 c. blueberries, and juice of 1 lemon in sauce pan with 1/4 c. water, 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, and 1/4 c. Stevia . Bring to a boil and then turn it off to allow it to thicken. Add vanilla.

   3. Place 1.5 cups strawberries and 1/2 c. in separate bowl.

   
   

   How to put it all together:

   Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

   1. Roll out one pie crust disc to approximate size of pie pan on wax paper or saran wrap. Place on top of pie pan. Peel of wax paper or wrap.

   2. Shape your pie crust and poke holes in the bottom to keep it from puffing up while cooking.

   3. Wrap in saran wrap and place it back in the fridge while you roll out the 2nd disc of pie crust and cut into strips. (Remember, the trick is to keep the dough cold prior to baking. Do not let it get warm. The butter and lard will melt in the oven making some awesome fluffy layers of crust.

   
   

   TIME TO PUT IT ALL TOGETHER!

   1. Add raw strawberries/blueberries to pie crust.

   

   2. Pour cooked berry mixture on top.

   

   3. Put lattice strips on pie.

   

   4. Brush whisked egg on top of lattice strips.

   5. Sprinkle white sugar on top.

   6. Bake in oven 30-45 minutes until lightly brown.

   
   

   

   
   

   If you have come this far, you will want to serve this pie with the easiest homemade vanilla ice cream that requires minimal ingredients and no eggs. The secret is using premium vanilla with little specks of vanilla beans.

   
   

   Yes, it is a lovely Mother's Day! We had a wonderful adventure for a few days leading up to this special holiday, picking strawberries, searching for the perfect leaf fat, rendering lard in our crockpot, and putting it all together. The best part is sharing this creation with family and friends. Yes, it really is the simple things in life!

   
   

   The question is, "What will next Mother's Day bring next year?" If I had a goat, I could make caramels like cajeta from the goat's milk.....just saying!

   
   

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