Everybody loved my blueberry pies at Thanksgiving, but I thought they were too runny. How do you avoid that? The recipe called for 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 4 cups frozen blueberries, thawed slightly, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 2 tablespoons butter. Should I add more flour? Less lemon juice and butter? These were my first blueberry pies, so I had no experience to compare to.

-- Cathy N. (keeper8@attcanada.ca), October 10, 2001

Answers

Defrost your blueberries, or any fruit, in the sink in a collander. This will let all the water crystals in the fruit drain out. This will also help with the keeping qualities of your pies, so you bottom crust doesn't get wet. Other than that it's exactly what I do, other than some salt. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), October 10, 2001.

Have you ever used clear-gel? My Amish friends use it and it really sets up fruit pies nicely. Just a tablespoon will thicken filling for a couple of pies. I purchase it at a bulk store. It is only about 79 cents a pound, and I've used it for a year. I don't bake too many fruit pies!

-- Melissa (me@home.net), October 10, 2001.

Cathy,

I love making fruit pies! Sometimes I add a small amount, maybe 1/2 teaspoon of tapioca and I also wipe an egg white on the raw crust before adding my fruit filling. This seams to "seal" the crust.

-- Charleen in WNY (harperhill@eznet.net), October 10, 2001.

My mom made all her pies with tapioca mixed in and they were never runny. The tapioca absorbes the liquid and you cannot taste or see if after it is cooked. She never measured but I guess I start out with 2-3tblsp for apple pies and would do more for something juicy like berries.

-- Ann Markson (tngreenacres@hotmail.com), October 16, 2001.