I have my own raspberry bushes and apple trees so I make a lot of desserts using these. However, I have not been able to overcome the obstacle of runny results. Tastes great, but is runny as water, almost. I have tried flour, instant tapioca, corn starch and most recently, clear gelatin. The gelatin works, if I chill the dessert. But, there is so much liquid in the dish, I end up with berry jello ;-)).

I am using a 9xx13 dish that is filled close to full with boyensenberries, wild blackberries, raspberries, or a combination of these. I use about a cup of sugar mixed into the berries.

Any suggestions??

Have you never experimented with arrowroot?   It's what I use in making dishes such as Harvard beets, when one wants the sauce to be somewhat thick, but not 'cloudy'.  I like a more "sparkly" look to it . . .

Arrowroot powder is found in most BIG groceries, and in "health foods" stores.  You've heard of it before---remember those little 'cookies' that babies are given to munch on?  They are arrowroot biscuits (biscuits in the British sense of the word, that is, cookies, such as "tea biscuits).   Arrowroot is supposed to be a more 'digestible' starch than the other starches, such as potato or corn starch.

If you are using arrowroot and sugar, it works better to mix the two ingredients together before adding the cold water and making the 'paste' to proceed with the sauce.)

I don't bother to make jelly any longer, but in jelly making, one uses pectin.  I wonder if that would prove useful to you?

Thanks for the tip. I'll give arrowroot a try. I do make a lot of jam also, and pectin just might work, too. I never thought of it out of the jam making context.

I don't add ANY water--the berries generate so much juice it would be like taking salt to the sea. I guess I would just mix it with the sugar and stir it in?

I'll give arrowroot a try first. Can you tell me about how much to use?

Thanks!

Suz:  I don't know, about pie.  But I can give you a "ferinstance" re Harvard beets.

Ingredients: 1 #303 can sliced or whole beets

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

4 teaspoons arrowroot

1/2 teaspoon orange peel

1/8 teaspoon cloves (I interpret this to mean ground cloves)

1 TABLESPOON butter

Method: DRAIN beets, reserving the juice.  COMBINE beet juice, vinegar, sugar, arrowroot, orange peel, and cloves in small saucepan.  COOK over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens.  STIR IN beets and butter; SIMMER 5 minutes or until beets are thoroughly heated.

Another use I make of arrowroot is to thicken the sauce when I am making sub gum (fancy chow mein).  It's toward the end of the cooking time of the skillet or wok full of pork bits, onions, celery pieces and fancy Chinese vegetables  that I combine 2 TABLESPOONS of arrowroot, a teaspoon of sugar, a teaspoon of soy sauce, and 2 TABLESPOONS of cold water to make the sauce. (If you want brown sauce, you add the Brown Gravy at this same point.)

My guess is that for pie, one would use about the same amount of arrowroot as of minute tapioca, for a fruit pie.  But you'd do well to "google" that, I'd think.  Bon appetit!

King Arthur Flour makes a thickener that works really well for all kinds of things, including pie.

Clear Jel or Signature Secrets