(Courtesy to Pioneer Press: Donna Erickson)

Opportunities for families to experience life's simplest pleasures abound during August's final days. These activities take minimal planning and yield many happy rewards. Our family enjoys impromptu bike rides during evenings, free concerts in the park and jaunts in the country to pick berries. On the return trip home, I buy juicy nectarines, peaches or plums at a roadside stand to pair with the berries in a delicious rustic fruit tart.

Also called a galette, this free-form dessert goes together easily, and the best part is kids can get actively involved. Tell them they can be the "King and Queen of Tarts" as you show them how to stir, knead and roll out the pliable dough.

RUSTIC FRUIT TART

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Dough:

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour plus 3 to 4 tablespoons more for rolling out dough

1/2 teaspoon salt

10 tablespoons unsalted, cold butter cut into 1/2-inch chunks

3 to 4 tablespoons ice water

Filling:

1 cup berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries or combination)

2 1/2 cups peeled and thinly sliced nectarines, peaches or plums

4 to 5 tablespoons sugar plus 1 tablespoon for sprinkling

1 tablespoon flour

1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional)

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest (optional)

Pinch of salt

To make dough: Place flour and salt in mixing bowl. Let kids stir

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mixture together with clean fingers. Scatter butter chunks into flour mixture. Toss and rub between fingertips until butter is size of peas. (Note: Or use pastry blender.) Drizzle ice water over mixture. Use hands to work water into flour just until all flour is moistened and dough comes together. Empty onto flour-covered surface. Knead a few times. Shape into disk. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 15 to 30 minutes.

To shape dough: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove disk from refrigerator. (Note: If it is too hard to roll out, let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes.) On flour-covered surface, roll out dough into 12- to 14-inch circle. Transfer to parchment-lined rimmed cookie sheet. Chill for 15 minutes.

To make filling: In bowl, toss together fruit, sugar, flour, lemon juice, lemon zest and salt.

To assemble and bake tart: Remove dough from refrigerator. Mound fruit filling in center of dough, leaving 2-inch border. Fold border edge up and over fruit mixture in slightly overlapping pleats to form sides of tart, but leave fruit center open 4 to 5 inches. (Note: Remember, it's rustic, so it doesn't need to look perfect!) Brush dough with a little water. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on rack.

To serve: Slide onto serving plate. Slice. Serve with dollop of vanilla ice cream.

Donna Erickson's award-winning television series, "Donna's Day," is airing on public television nationwide. Watch it in the Twin Cities at 7:30 a.m. Fridays on tptLife on channels 13 and 17. Sign up for Donna's e-newsletter at donnasday.com. Her latest book is "Donna Erickson's Fabulous Funstuff for Families."