Perfect Apple Pie

Yeaahhh! Our first post! When my son asked what I'd like to put on as our first recipe, I thought.......apple pie, for this special occasion, it definitely has to be the apple pie. My family and I try to get to the orchard each fall for my Northern Spies. They make the best apple pie! Just remember, Spies for pies. They are firm, tart and quite large, so you only need about 6 per pie. We always get the seconds which allows us to come home with bushels for very little cost.

We picked up three "apple/corer/slicer/peelers" on sale at Meijer and set up an assembly line. My husband, along with two other children will peel while I measure out the spice mixture into a dozen or so gallon freezer bags. Then, it's as simple as dropping in six cups of apples, give it a shake and seal! Be sure to "vacuum" seal so that they will lay flat. You don't need an expensive vacuum sealer for this. My husband takes a pen apart and uses the plastic "straw" to remove as much air as possible. Our record last year was fifty pies in 2 hours! We lay them in plastic milk crates, each one holding twenty and put them in our chest freezer. Then, whenever we want a fresh apple pie, all we do is thaw the filling for a few hours, pop it in a crust, and it's ready to bake! Now all you need is a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top and a hot cup of coffee! Now, if you'll allow me just a minute to get on my soap box to talk about apple pie! :) Some people may think this recipe is too simple-it really is pretty basic. But I think you can ruin an apple pie! I've seen some beautiful pies that taste more like apple flavored sugar pies-they're so sweet you can't even detect the flavor of the fruit! One other thing, if you're taking the time to make a homemade pie with fresh apples, give your apples the respect they deserve by making a homemade crust! :) You can tell the difference! Fresh apples and a store bought crust just don't go together! It's like the lovely Queen Elizabeth donning a barn coat! If you need a good recipe, my oil pastry is very simple-delicious with half white, half wheat flour too!

6 cups tart apples, pared, cored and thinly sliced

3/4 to 1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

dash of ground nutmeg

2 tablespoons butter

Combine sugar, flour, spices & dash salt; mix with apples.

Line 9-inch pie pan with pastry. Fill with apples, dot with butter. Adjust top crust, seal and slit. Cover edges with foil. Bake at 400º for 45-50 minutes.

Enjoy!