Giveaway Winners and Loquat Pie!

The Random Number Generator has chosen three winners from my post in the Pin It! Blog Hop. They are Terry at A Quilting Blog, Marjorie of Marjorie's Busy Corner, and Jeanie of Gracie Oliver Arts. Congratulations to them all! I've sent an email to inform them. If you were interested in a pattern, but didn't win, you can find them in my Craftsy Store. I wish everyone could win. Thank you all for playing along.
I thought I would share an unusual recipe today.

Had to have a bite before I thought to take a picture!

 

I'm just returning from a trip and I'm craving something delicious! I thought I would show you how to make a Loquat Pie. (No, I don't mean Kumquat!)
Some of you may not know what a loquat is. The Loquat is an evergreen shrub that originated in China. It has large leaves and small yellow fruit. You can read about it here.  The birds love this little tree, by the way! If you don't get the fruit as soon as it ripens, the birds will! The hummingbirds love to hide in its branches and I often see them bathing in the leaves that have caught rain or sprinkler water. This tree blooms in the winter with a wonderful aroma.

hummingbird near the Loquat tree

                                               
I have three loquat trees around my patio. You have seen them many times if you read my blog because I often use them as part of my "prop" in showcasing projects. They are always green, so I love to use them. This year, we had a bumper crop of loquat fruits.The fruit was ripe in April, so I picked them and froze them to use through the year. The taste is a little tart like a MacIntosh Apple, but the texture is more like that of a peach. (You could use this recipe for peach pie if you don't have access to loquats.)
I decided to make a pie.

 I thawed about 4 cups of loquats.

Added a teaspoon of lemon juice....

 1/4 cup of sugar (you could add more or less to taste, I like it tart)...

and 1 1/2 tablespoons of Minute Tapioca (the dry kind - not the ready made pudding!) I use this for all my fruit pies. I much prefer it to flour for thickening my pies.

Pour the fruit into your prepared pie shell (uncooked). (I use an oil based crust instead of one made of shortening, but you can use one of your choice....even purchased.) I dotted the top with butter. (Most of the time,  I just melt a little butter and add it to the fruit! I forgot this time!)

I used the dough left after trimming to cut out little "gingerbread" men to dance around the outer edge. Don't forget to make a few slits to allow the steam to escape. Bake at 425 for about 40 minutes. (This may be different for your pie crust, so use what you might use for a fruit pie.)

YUMMY! I couldn't wait and ended up eating the tip off the pie before I got a photo! Oh, well. 

If you live where loquats can grow (I'm in south Texas) you might consider getting one...or two...or three! They're delicious in a smoothie, too!  I just peeled and seeded  them and plopped them in a freezer bag. I plan on using them up before Christmas, so I'm not sure how long they will last frozen without any type of preservative. I put them up in April and they are fine so far!)