What a catastrophe!  I wasn’t planning on making jello when I began this project.  It kinda oozed all over the place and landed in a bowl full of jello.

I originally set out to make these awesome rhubarb, raspberry, strawberry pies made in a standing crust, but in the end, it didn’t turn out that way.

I watched a bunch of videos and was sure I could do this.  The guy made it look so simple! Sprouted spelt flour was all I had, but didn’t think it would be a problem.  The crusts never got hard enough to mold, so in the freezer they went.   When the dough was finally formed, it was time for the filling.  The directions weren’t on hand so the fruit was cut up and put in a pot to cook for a bit.  Once they started to cook down, it was too late.  The fruit was supposed to go in the crust fresh. 

My crust was cute after hours and hours of working with it and waiting.  I filled it with the rhubarb/berry mix anyway, hoping it would work out well.

This sad thing is what came out of the oven!  Man, I was so mad and depressed after all that hard work.  I don’t think I will make a standing crust again because I’m not a fan of white flour and it seems that would work better.  However, I did learn how to make an awesome sauce for my jello!

I’ve never been a big fan of plain old jello.  And since I found out that the gelatin in Jello packets is a pork gelatin, I don’t eat it at all anymore.  Gelatin has always touted that it’s good for healthy hair and strong nails.  I recently found out it is healing for your gut too!

Benefits of Gelatin:
Joints and joint recovery
Tighten loose skin
Builds muscle due to amino acids
Improves digestion
Strengthens bones
Eaten during pregnancy can prevent stretch marks

So back to the drawing board for both gelatin and my pie filling.  I discovered Great Lakes Grass Fed Beef Gelatin.  (See here.)  This stuff is great for making jello and marshmallows.

Okay so on to the Awesome Sauce!

2 cups rhubarb, trimmed and cut
1 cup of raspberries
1-2 cups strawberries, hulled
1¼ cups sugar, or more to taste (raw honey can be used too just don’t heat it)
Freshly squeezed juice of ½ lemon, zest is optional
1 cup boiling water
2tbsp of gelatin

In a saucepan, mix rhubarb, raspberries, strawberries, sugar, lemon juice and zest.  Cook the fruit down and strain.  Toss out strained fruit (or you can mix it in for extra texture).  Pour the remaining liquid into a bowl or square container.  There should be about a cup, maybe a cup and a half.  Boil water, remove from heat and mix in gelatin.  Stir until gelatin is dissolved. Immediately pour the gelatin mix into the fruit liquid.  Stir until blended.  Put in the fridge for an hour or more to solidify.  Slice and eat!

Juice or any other sort of fruit puree will work wonderfully.  If you want it to be more solid, add more gelatin.

An easy and great way to hull strawberries?  Use a straw!  I’m using a stainless steel straw in this picture.