Bumbleberry Pie

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, place flour and then cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
3. Add ice cold water a little at a time until incorporated and the dough forms a ball. (I use my Kitchen Aid mixer for this step).
4. Divide dough into 4 balls. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1/2-1 hour or overnight.
5. When ready, pull dough out of the refrigerator and roll out each dough portion to fit a 10-inch deep dish pie pan. Place bottom crusts in 2 pie pans. Set aside the top crusts.
6. In a large bowl, combine apples, rhubarb, all of the berries, and lemon juice.
7. Mix together the sugar, flour, and tapioca; gently toss with the fruit mixture. Divide the filling in two and place into the pastry-lined pie pans.
8. Cover with top crusts; trim and crimp edges. Brush tops with egg wash (1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water) or you can just use plain milk to brush the top crust. Cut a few slits in the top crust to allow steam to vent.
9. Bake in the preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes (for a 10-inch deep dish pie), or until filling is bubbly in the center and top is golden brown (Watkin’s collector plates take 90 minutes).
10. Pie must be completely cool to get a pretty slice of pie. The juices and thickeners must cool completely or the filling will run out of the slices when cut.

Note: This recipe is for a deep dish 10-inch pie plate. You can cut it down for a 9-inch regular pie plate. I generally make all recipes at least 1 1/2 times the filling to accomodate the deep dish pie plate because it is all I use. If you only want a 9-inch pan, cut the extra 1/2 cup off all fruit measurements (i.e. for raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and rhubarb) and do only 1 cup of apples. Good luck, this is our new favorite.