Great Basin Pie Recipes

An apricot pie

NPS illustration

The historic fruit orchard outside the Lehman Caves Visitor Center has provided fruit to visitors and residents of the Snake Valley since it's planting more than 100 years ago. Today, visitors may harvest a reasonable amount for personal consumption with a 2-quart per-family, per-day limit. This limit is in place to prevent resource damage and give all visitors an opportunity to enjoy the fruit borne of the historic orchard.

Today, adult apricot, pear, apple and peach trees bear fruit every few years. If you manage to harvest fruit from the orchard or are interested in using fruits from your own trees or grocery store, check out the recipes below from local residents and park employees to make your own amazing pie!

Learn more about the historic orchard here!

Pie recipes

Click the recipes below to make your own!

Apple Pie

Ingredients

Pie Filling

• 6 cups apples, peeled, and thinly sliced
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp flour  
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp cinnamon or according to taste
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg or according to taste
• 1 pinch of salt

Pie Crust (Makes 2 Crusts)

• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cup butter
• 1 egg
• 5 Tbsp cold water
• 1 Tbsp white vinegar

Crumb Crust

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup flour

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Peel & slice apples, mix together the filling.
2. Pour apple filling into a pie crust. 
   1. For the crumb crust: Mix together well. Sprinkle on top of pie instead of pie crust.
3. Top 2 Tbsp butter over pie. Cover pie with top crust. Bake at 425 degrees for 1 hour.
4. Check to see if the pie is getting too dark on edges after about 25-30 minutes. If it is, cover with tin foil, bake until bubbly through the slits in the top pie crust. 

Courtesy of Joie Conrad

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Ingredients

Pie Filling

• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 1/3 cup flour
• 2 cups cut rhubarb
• 2 cups sliced strawberries

Pie Crust

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup + 2 Tbsp butter or shortening
• 4-5 Tbsp water

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine sugar, flour, rhubarb, and strawberries. Let sit for 30 minutes.
2. Prepare pastry.
   1. Mix the flour and salt together, add butter and mix well. Add the water and mix until just moistened. the more you mix the dough after you add the water, the tougher it gets. Roll out crust for pie plate.
3. Place rhubarb mix in crust and dot with 1 Tbsp butter.
4. For a lattice top crust, cut crust 1 inch wide by 10 inches long. Weave the pieces 1/2 inch apart.
5. Bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes.

Courtesy of Anita Hansen