Summer in northern Minnesota is berry season, and I'm taking full advantage of it.
Let me introduce myself. I’m Sinnamon Krings, Roseau’s Promotions Director and it’s my job to share the things I love about Roseau, MN with you. Over the last few weeks, I’ve been wandering the woods picking wild blueberries and juneberries (serviceberries), and I couldn’t resist stopping at one of our local U-pick farms for fresh strawberries. There is just something special about eating a sun-ripened berry that was picked only minutes before.
Most of my berry harvest ends up as homemade jam, fruit sauces, or frozen smoothie packs. I also love eating them fresh by the handful. This picking, I had a strawberry pie in my sights and I am no baker. My grandma taught me how to cook by taste—a pinch of this, a splash of that, and keep adjusting until it’s just right. That works beautifully for soups, sauces, and casseroles. Baking? Not so much. Baking actually expects you to follow directions, which isn’t exactly my specialty.
So why am I sharing a pie recipe? Because this one is almost impossible to mess up. And it might just be the best strawberry pie I’ve ever eaten.
Over the Fourth of July weekend, we invited our wonderful neighbors, Jim and Marge, to join us for a lakeside picnic. I always make way too much food and believe there’s always room for one more around the table.
When I asked Marge if she’d like to bring something, she smiled and said she had strawberries in her garden that needed picking and would make a strawberry dessert.
When Jim and Marge arrived, she carried in the most beautiful strawberry pie I’d ever seen. The berries glistened like little rubies, and it tasted every bit as amazing as it looked.
Honestly… I didn’t stop talking about that pie for days.
I may have even hidden the last slice so I wouldn’t have to share.
A few days later, I walked over to Marge’s house for a visit and told her just how much I loved it. She smiled and said, “It’s my mom’s recipe.”
I paused for a second.
Marge is 87 years old.
Just how old is this recipe?
I asked if she’d be willing to share it, adding that I completely understood if it was one of those treasured family recipes that stayed in the family.
Instead, she walked over to a drawer, pulled out a tiny wooden recipe box filled with well-loved index cards, and began flipping through them.
Then she laid a worn recipe card for strawberry pie on the counter.
I was absolutely delighted.
I quickly snapped a photo before thanking her.
Four Generations of Strawberry Jello Pie
When I got home, I told my husband the story. He laughed and asked, “Wait… if this was Marge’s mom’s recipe, did they even have Jell-O back then?”
Naturally, we had to look it up.
Turns out Jell-O has been around since 1897.
That means this simple little pie has likely been enjoyed by four generations of the Haugen family.
I also have to admit one thing that surprised me.
Since Marge is a retired home economics teacher, I fully expected her to have made a homemade pie crust from scratch.
Instead, she opened her freezer, pulled out an Our Family frozen pie crust, smiled, and said,
“It’s good… and sometimes life calls for easy.”
She’s absolutely right.
The finished pie tastes like you spent hours making it, and no one will ever guess the crust came from the freezer.
So here’s my challenge to you.
Visit one of our local berry farms or farmers’ markets while strawberry season is still here. Pick up a basket of fresh Minnesota strawberries, invite someone you love over for dessert, and make this pie.
I have a feeling you’ll be thanking Marge—and her mom—with every bite.
Marge Haugen's Four Generation Strawberry Pie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 baked 9-inch pie crust
- 1 quart fresh strawberries
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon of salt
- 1 cup 7-Up or water
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 (3-ounce) package strawberry Jell-O
Directions
- Bake the pie crust according to package directions and let it cool completely.
- Wash and hull the strawberries. Arrange them in the cooled pie crust.
- In a saucepan, combine the sugar and cornstarch. Add 1 cup of water or 7-up and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture becomes clear and thick.
- Remove from heat and stir in the strawberry Jell-O until dissolved.
- Let the glaze cool slightly, then pour evenly over the strawberries.
- Refrigerate until fully set before serving.
Serve with a dollop of whipped cream—or enjoy it just the way it is.
Sometimes the best recipes aren’t the fancy ones.
They’re the ones passed from one generation to the next, shared over a kitchen counter, written on a faded index card, and made with berries picked at the peak of a Minnesota summer.