Strawberry Pie

Strawberry season is fleeting here in Maryland. I waited with eager anticipation because I love to make strawberry freezer jam. When I opened my new Cook's Country magazine I knew I'd be making a strawberry pie too. So, when the nearest pick-your-own strawberry farm was open the family hopped in the car. We filled our bellies and baskets with sweet juicy berries and came home to turn them into yummy goodies. The jam is currently in the freezer waiting for a cold winter day. The pie, however, was polished off and only remains a memory. It was fantastic.
Now, my grandmother's strawberry pie recipe calls for strawberries and strawberry gelatin poured into a graham cracker crust. I've never been a big fan of fake red jello but had never gotten a nice firm pie when I just used strawberries and cornstarch called for in most recipes. Cook's Country, though, has you make a homemade strawberry gelatin out of 2 pounds of strawberries, some sugar, and unflavored gelatin!!! Perfect. Another pound of sliced strawberries is stirred in and then the whole mixture gets poured into a prebaked pie crust. After it sits in the refrigerator for a few hours it gets firm enough to slice. It is soooooooooo good. I'm still having dreams of this pie. As you can tell, I'm not the only one who loved this pie!