Bim's Fruit Pies

I make a lot of fruit pies starting in the spring - strawberry-rhubarb season, through the summer - blueberry, peach and cherry, and on into the fall - apple, of course. This is my general recipe, which is modified depending on the fruit. These are the amounts for a 9-inch pie, with your favorite crust.

Mix together:
1 quart fruit, sliced and peeled (for apple pie, use 6 C. fruit)
1 to 1 1/2 C. sugar*
1/4 - 1/3 C. flour **
Flavoring***

Place into bottom crust, dot with 1 1/2 tblsp. butter, and place top crust (vented) on. Bake 425 for 35-45 minutes until inside is bubbling through the crust a bit.

*Sugar amount varies depending on the fruit. For sweet fruits like peaches, use the smaller amount. For sour cherries, rhubarb, or granny smith apples, use the larger amount. If you are using half strawberry-half rhubarb, use an intermediate amount, etc.

**The amount of flour you use depends on how juicy the fruit is. For juicy fruits like strawberries, blueberries and cherries use the maximal amount of flour. With apples, do not use even 1/4 cup, but use a little less unless they are very juicy. With peaches and rhubarb, you will use an intermediate amount.

***This is where you can experiment. I add 1 tsp. cinnamon to apple pie, and just 1/2 a tsp. cinnamon to my blueberry (the secret ingredient in my blueberry pie -- now you know!). I do not add anything else to my strawberry-rhubarb. I have seen almond extract advised in some cherry pie recipes, and nutmeg in some apple pie recipes, but I do not use either. I'd like to try though! Use your imagination.

Variations: Half blueberry, half peach is good. For apple pie try pouring 1/2 C. cream through slits in the top crust of the pie during the last 5-10 minutes of baking.