The Pearl Market is the place to find the best of the best when it comes to fresh! June is the month for Ohio berries and Folck Family Farm from Mechanicsburg has been busy hand picking these tasty morsels. The Folck family farm is sustainable, relying on their bees and Mother Nature to help raise their crops. You can visit the farm located at 6843 State Route 54 in Mechanicsburg and pick your own berries Monday through Sunday from 7:00am – 5:00pm. They suggest you call first (937) 828-0233 to get the picking report.
Along with the strawberries they raise peas, red raspberries, black raspberries, blackberries, green beans, sweet corn, tomatoes, peppers, watermelon, gourds and pumpkins.
The farm also has a market where you can purchase their farm raised pork products such as sausage, bacon, boneless loin chops and pork roasts. They also sell their own jams made from the berries, the honey from the bees and ice cream from their neighbor’s dairy farm. A trip to the farm is always worth it, the Folck family says “it’s the place where the bees will be bussing and the pigs are always oinking”.
Come to the Pearl Market on Tuesday’s and Friday’s from 10:30am -2:00pm and get some strawberries before the berry season is over. You can eat them right out of the container or make a pie with the following recipe. This was one of my favorites when growing up on the farm. I have posted it a few times before and it’s also in my cookbook. It’s a recipe many cooks have made and it’s always a hit!
Mom’s Strawberry Pie
¾ cup sugar
2 Tablespoons corn starch
1 1/2 cups water
1- 3 oz. box (regular) strawberry jello
1 – 1 ½ quart fresh strawberries (depends on the size of the berries)
1 pre-baked pie shell (recipe below)
Combine the sugar, cornstarch and water in a medium size sauce pan and cook over medium to medium high heat till thick; stirring often. (I use a wire whisk to start with then a large wooden spoon)
Remove from heat and stir in the jello; set aside to cool, stirring occasionally to prevent a film from forming.
Clean and slice the strawberries; when the sauce is cool add the strawberries and pour into a cooled baked pie shell. Cover with wax paper and refrigerate till set; 4-5 hours or overnight
Don’t forget the Whipped Cream
Serves 8
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Pie Crust
This recipe is easy to make especially if you have a food processor; if not, use a pastry blender or a fork. The dough needs to be chilled so allow at least 60 minutes to chill and an additional 30 minutes after rolling out
Preheat oven to 400
Single crust pie
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
¼ t salt
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
8 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces
2 Tablespoons cold vegetable shortening
2-4 Tablespoons Ice water
Double recipe for a two-crust pie
In the large bowl of a food processor add the flour, salt and baking powder; pulse for 10 seconds to sift,
Add the cold butter and shortening and with quick pulses mix the dough till it resembles coarse corn meal and there are no pieces of butter larger than a pea
Add some of the cold water and pulse 5-6 times till the dough begins to hold together, add more if needed. The dough should hold together when a small amount is pressed together between your finger tips.
Note:
Do not allow the dough to form a ball in the bowl; do not over process or the dough will be tough
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface; shape into a ball then flatten into a disk shape; wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour before using
Note: The dough can be made ahead and kept refrigerated for up to 3 days or freeze for up to one month
Bring dough to room temperature before using; when ready to roll out; flour a surface and lightly flour your rolling pin. Roll out pastry to 1/8-1/4 inch thickness to fit pie dish; fold dough in half and lay onto the pie plate, unfold and gently press into the dish; crimp and seal the edges; lightly prick the bottom of the shell with a fork; cover and chill for 30 minutes
When ready to bake, cover the pie crust with a sheet of foil to prevent the edges form burning. Bake for 12-15 minutes or till golden brown.
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