Monday, January 13, 2020

RHUBARB AND APPLE PIE




Here’s a recipe that Grandma Portfors wrote in pencil on a scratch pad provided through The Home Insurance Company of New York (here). I’ve heard of rhubarb and strawberry pie and even rhubarb and raspberry pie, and that makes sense because these are summer fruits. The combination of rhubarb and apple seems strange since the best rhubarb is pulled in June while apples are picked some months later.

Last year my rhubarb plants didn’t do well, possibly because I didn’t care for them the summer of ’18 when the farmhouse was remodeled. However, rhubarb has been known to flourish at old homestead sites, so I think the hotter, drier summers we experience may affect them. One thing about it, if they do pull through, I have lots of manure with which to feed them. And if they don’t come back, I’ll replace with new plants.

Rhubarb and Apple Pie
2 cups cubed rhubarb
4 cups thinly sliced apples
1 ½ cups brown sugar (No wonder she asked for the recipe!)
½ cup flour
1/8 tsp salt
2 tbsps melted butter
2 tbsps lemon juice
Pastry for double crust
Mix first five ingredients well. Place in pie shell. Pour butter and lemon juice over top. Put top crust on. Prick top well. Bake for 10 minutes at 450 and 45 minutes at 375.
I discovered a number of variations for rhubarb and apple pie online. I wouldn’t hesitate to cut back on the sugar. If I remember, I’ll try this recipe next summer. KW

2 comments:

Chris said...

Haha, your underlined reference to your precious post! Write it on a calendar? Put it on your phone? (I'm a bundle of help today!) Also, I'm curious--you said no wonder she asked for the recipe next to the brown sugar--do you know where she got the recipe? And, if I didn't know better, I'd swear the handwriting was Dan's grandmother's. Must have been the penmanship of that generation.

Kathy said...

Actually, I have an engagement calendar in which to make notes to myself, if only I would. I have a list of things I want to do this month. And if I don't make a list of what I want to do tomorrow, I will get up in the morning thinking I have nothing to do. Mike uses his phone to record his appointments, and that seems to work for him.

It's not just appointments and activities that I forget. It's also projects. Perhaps this should be discussed in a post.

Mother and Grandma did note the source of some recipes but not this one. Since it was written on note paper, I just assumed she received it in an informal setting. I thought it was a lot of sugar, especially since it has more apples than rhubarb. If I try it, I would start with half of that and adjust from there.

Interesting comment about handwriting. (I feel another post coming on.)