Elderberry Pie

Meet our friends Pat and Joe One elderberry on a spoon The finished slice of pie Joe said perfect, great pie.

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We were visiting our friends who live in Escondido a few months ago when Joe mentioned how he loved elderberry pie and perch. Midwesterners know perch is the fish of the Gods from Lake Erie. I mentioned that we had a package of elderberries in the freezer along with several packages of perch. A dinner plan was in the future.

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Elderberries are maybe 1/8" across. Grown on an umbrella shaped stem maturing from tiny white flowers. They are found growing wild along ditches or swampy areas. The flowers appear early summer and mid August they are ripe. If you have seen the flowers in bloom you must remember the site. One never discloses where their site is located as they are becoming more rare. Mid August when they are ripe one has to beat the birds to the site and get the berries. Stripping the berries is a task. Each berry has a 1/4" stem attaching it to the cluster stem. This small stem must not be pulled off when the berries are stripped. It is a labor-some task but so rewarded. The berries are very tart and actually a member of the honeysuckle family.

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I will share my recipe which is very simple.

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Elderberry Pie

4 cups elderberries

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup flour OR 6 Tablespoons instant tapioco

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg.

1 recipe of pastry for 10" double crust. I grate a small amount of fresh nutmeg into the pastry for this pie.

Directions:

Line a 10" pie dish with pastry. Mix together the elderberries, sugar, flour or tapioco and ground nutmeg. Pour into pastry. Dot with butter. Fit top crust on pastry and filling; seal edges.

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350. Bake for 45 minutes or until done.