Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Pie

Sugar, Sugar by The Archies
My childhood during the 60s was idyllic.  I lived in a smaller than small town called Clarendon.  My parents could let my brothers and I walk all over town without too much worry.  There was, literally, only one traffic light and that was on the corner where the road to Chapman Dam took off.  Mail wasn't delivered - you walked down to the post office to pick it up.  Summers were humid and lazy, spent lounging on the front porch reading Archie comic books and running from friend's house to friend's house.  Nothing was planned.  You figured out what you were going to do when you got there.  Watching TV was never, ever considered playtime.  Give us a jump rope, a ball, and our imaginations and we were set for hours!  Or sometimes if you had a sugar bowl handy ~


I had the best of times with my friends when I was a kid.  We played hopscotch, house, and all the jump rope games.  We could usually muster up a group of kids to really have a good time.  But, occasionally, it was just two of us.


I remember walking to my friend Kathie's house.  She had huge rhubarb plants growing in her backyard.  She'd grab her mom's sugar bowl and motion for me to follow her outside.  We'd wrestle some fresh stalks off of those rhubarb bushes and head on over to the swing set.  We sat there talking and swinging and eating that rhubarb, dipping the ends of the stalks into the sugar before each bite.  Her mother would send cautionary warnings out the back door about not eating ourselves sick.  I don't believe we ever did.

For me, rhubarb never fell into that category of being a "yucky" food.  I was a little surprised to find, though, that when my world started to open beyond the 20 mile radius of my childhood, that there were many people out there who ranked rhubarb right along with brussel sprouts and spinach!  Rhubarb pie, one of my favorites, was almost impossible to find!

What I did find plenty of, though, was this concoction called Strawberry Rhubarb pie.  It seems that folks could handle their rhubarb if they paired it with sweet strawberries.  And I have to admit - I found the combination rather tasty as well!

When rhubarb is in season my tastebuds get excited anticipating the sweet/tart goodies in store - like Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Pie!  Baked with the "sugar bowl" right inside!

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Pie
One pie crust, unbaked
Printable Recipe Card
1 lb. rhubarb, cut into 1/2" pieces (makes about 3 c.)
1 lb. strawberries, sliced (makes about 3 c.)
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. cornstarch
1 t. ground ginger
1/4 t. salt

For the crumble:
3/4 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. oatmeal
3/4 c. flour
1/2 c. butter
1 t. ground ginger
1/4 t. salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Combine the rhubarb and strawberry pieces with the sugar, cornstarch, ground ginger, and salt.  Toss them together to coat the pieces of fruit well.  You'll want to let the mixture sit for about 20 minutes.

In a food processor, combine the ingredients for the crumble and pulse until it is well-blended and forms a crumbly texture.  You shouldn't see any large clumps of butter.  Set aside.

Using a rolling pin, roll the pie dough out until it's large enough to fit into a pie tin.  Carefully ease the dough into the pie tin and trim to an inch beyond the edge of the rim.  Fold the extended edge under and crimp the edges all the way around.  Scoop the rhubarb/strawberry mixture into the pie shell then evenly distribute the crumble topping over the top of the fruit.  Bake for 35 - 40 minutes.  If the topping starts to get too brown, cover loosely with aluminum foil.  The fruit filling will be bubbly when it's done.  Let cool slightly then enjoy alone - or with a scoop of ice cream!