I just bought a bushel of apples with the intention of making pie filling and applesauce with them. I have found enough info on the applesauce making, but was just wondering - do you prefer your pie filling stored frozen or canned? Which is easier? Have any recipies you would be willing to share? This is my first venture into the wonderful world of apples, so any help will be appreciated (especially by my husband, who is the apple pie freak!).

-- Christine in OK (cljford@aol.com), October 18, 2001

Answers

Christine, I highly recommend actually making pies (crusts and all). Bake 3-4 at a time and freeze the whole pie like I do. Each one will appreciate its' own ziploc bag or good wrap in foil. Make sure to thaw before reheating in the oven. Works for me!! :-) They probably won't make it through the winter, so no worry about "frostbite". HA- HA

-- Cheri Asprion (t.asprion@worldnet.att.net), October 18, 2001.

I prefer canned, follow the Ball Book on canning. Where in OK. can you get apples. I use to buy 12 bushels a year in Ill. (moved her a few years back). We would use a press and make cider, applesauce and at the end I would cann apples. Now,I have found that canning the apples in say a sugar sauce but not the same a pie filling, I got more uses out of the apples. I use my canned apples when I bake yams, side dish at dinner and then open several (I do pints), add the cornstarch and more sugar and do the pie. Is there an apple orchard in OK? Debbie, 20 miles West of McAlester

-- Debbie (bwolcott@cwis.net), October 18, 2001.

Hi! I can apple pie filling every year and have a great recipe. It is from the "Putting Food By" cookbook..which I love!

NEBRASKA'S APPLE PIE FILLING (6 OR 7 qts) 4 1/2 cups sugar 1 cup quick cooking tapioca 1 tsp salt (0ptional) 2 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp nutmeg 10 c. water 3 TBSB lemon juice 2 or 3 drops yellow or red food coloring (optional) 8 to 9 lb. of tart apples, peeled, cored and sliced (about 16 cu. of sliced apples.) * my own hint...slice them by hand...the slicer, peeler, corer things slice them too thin for canning..they get too mushy...thicker slices are better*

In a large saucepan blend the first five dry ingredients. Stir in 10 c. water, cook on med. high heat and stir until thickened and bubbly; cook an additional 2 min. Add lemon juice and if desired the food coloring ( I ususally don't add it) Add the apples to the sauce. Stir constantly and bring mixture up to a rolling boil; cook 1 minute. Promptly ladle mixture into jars, leaving 1/2' headroom. Adjust lids, process in Boiling water bath: pints 25 min and quarts 25 min. One quart is enough for one pie. To use: Prepare pastry fro a two crust 9" pie. Line pie plate with pastry; add 1 qt. of pie filling... Adjust top crust, cutting slits for escape of steam; seal. Bake at 400 for 50 min. or until crust is nicely browned. I also use it for "dump cake" You just dump one qt. jar of pie filling and one can of crushed pineapple (don't drain it) into a 9x9 pan and then dump a box of cake mix..yellow or white over top and spread evenly in pan. Then cut into tiny cubes a stick of cold butter or margerine and evenly distribute it over the top, sprinkle with cinnamon and bake until golden and bubbly. This is something everyone likes...and with vanilla ice cream on top....yum!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! have fun!!!

-- Jenny (auntjenny6@aol.com), October 18, 2001.

Christine, here is the apple pie filling recipe that I use. It is sooooo good. The apples stay crisp the way I like it. Hubby would prefer it to be a little sweeter. The recipe calls for 1 grocery sackful of apples. Not sure what measurement that is but here goes: Peel, core and slice apples. (I drop mine in a lemon water then into the culinder). 10 cups water 5 cups white sugar 1 cup corn starch 5 tsp cinnamon 2 Tbls lemon juice Fill qt jars with sliced apples. Combine syrup ingredients and bring to a boil. Pour syrup to tops of jars. Seal and process for 20 minutes in boiling water bath. I think it makes 6 or 8 quarts. Can't say for sure. We like this better than freezing the apples and making the pies later.

-- Belle (gardenbelle@terraworld.net), October 18, 2001.

Forgot to mention, a quart makes a 9" pie.

-- Belle (gardenbelle@terraworld.net), October 18, 2001.

Debbie, to be honest, I don't know where these apples actually came from! My husband's grandparents live in Northwestern Arkansas (Springdale), and she gets them from an orchard around there every year. My mother-in-law is addicted to the Arkansas Blacks, and their Golden Delicious are so tasty. They take orders from all of us Okies (my in-laws, us, and an uncle) and are nice enough to bring them to us. If you are interested, let me know and I will call her and ask where she got them more specifically; or, alternatively, I could ask hubby's grandpa if there is an orchard he might know of anywhere between him (Tahlequah) and you. I can't imagine why there wouldn't be an orchard somewhere close by; we can grow nearly anything around here, from what I've seen (especially weeds, judging by my garden this year!). I was just suggesting to my mother-in-law this evening that since we like the Arkansas Black so much and they are an heirloom we should just try to grow a couple of trees for ourselves. I don't see why we couldn't!

-- Christine in OK (cljford@aol.com), October 18, 2001.

Debbie~ I live in NW AR and am from Springdale originally. There are tons of orchards over here. A huge one is in Lincoln AR which is between Fayetteville and Tahlequah OK. Have you checked with your county extension office. They will be able to tell you who has a commercial orchard in your area. If you would just like a weekend away, there are tons of craft fairs(about 32)in the Springdale area this weekend and you could get some apples too! Nice drive this year, all the trees are beautiful.

-- Ivy in NW AR (balch84@cox-internet.com), October 19, 2001.