Blueberry Pie

For the blueberry filling:

Wash blueberries in cool water and drain well. Sprinkle fruit with the sugar. If berries are naturally sweet, use a little less sugar. Add the flour and cinnamon to the berries. Fold gently to prevent berries from splitting. Sprinkle lemon juice on berries and the water if berries are dry. Set aside while preparing the pastry/crust (see recipe below).

Pour blueberry mixture into the unbaked pie crust. Dot with the butter cut in small pieces. Fit with the top crust. Brush on a small amount of milk and sprinkle with sugar if desired. Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for approximately 40 minutes or until crust is nicely browned and juice begins to bubble through slits in the pastry. Serve slightly warm, not hot. Enjoy!

For the crust:

In a mixing bowl, stir together flour and salt. Cut in shortening until pieces are the size of small peas. Sprinkle with water/vinegar mixture and mix until a soft dough forms. To clarify, you may not use all the water and vinegar mixture. That’s okay. You may find that 10 tablespoons is too much so feel free to use your best judgment. Pastry should be soft but not too sticky.

Divide the dough in half and roll each on a floured surface. Fit the bottom crust into the pie plate, trim edges, fill with fruit and fit the top with the remaining crust (make slits on the top crust to vent steam). You can also cut strips of dough to make a lattice top. Fold any extra pastry under the bottom crust, flute the edges and bake!