Strawberry Rhubarb Pie!

I planted a ridiculous number of strawberry plants last year...three varieties of disease-resistant berries. The early ones (Earliglow) are at peak production right now, meaning James and Matthew pick and eat as many as they like every day and I can still follow behind and pick this many more:

 

Normally, I wouldn't use fresh homegrown berries in a cooked pie (what's the point?!), but we're swimming in berries this year and the rhubarb crowns came up with a vengeance, sooooo...strawberry rhubarb pie sounded just right. I had some very helpful helpers:

Tasting is also a very important part of cooking with fresh ingredients. Matthew's garbled and drooly words just before I snapped this photo were, "Do we have any more strawberries?"

Bobby was helping me fix the bird netting on the strawberry plants when he spied our garden toad. She's put on some weight since we first spotted her in the spring! I love a good, healthy garden toad. James dropped his whittling project and ran over gleefully to give her a good snuggle. Bobby commented that picking berries, whittling sticks with a pocket knife, and catching garden toads is James' little-boy-dream-life come true.