As the air chills, the leaves start falling and the garden is wrapping up, I start craving the warmth of fall spices.

Iced tea turns to hot tea, steeping the tea with a little cinnamon bark, a couple cloves and a teaspoon of local honey or maple syrup.

As the season change, I always say, it’s my favorite time of year.

Harvesting from the garden is almost complete. A few plants produce until that heavy freeze set onto them. You realize, it’s inevitable and one more season is completed.

Every morsel is relished, as we know, it will be a while before we enjoy the taste of a fresh garden next year.

The season also brings, bonfires, smore’s, hot cider and hot chocolate and of course, pies!!

My favorite pie is apple, and a close second, pumpkin. My mama’s sliced pumpkin pie is the best! But that’s another pie post!

My friend went home to Virginia and when she returned, she brought us fresh apples from one of her local orchards.

Well of course, I canned a bunch, but I had to make an apple pie!!!

I hope you enjoy this apple pie recipe as much as my family. I went to get another slice, but it had disappeared!

I wonder if my friend is headed to Virginia any time soon….

Enjoy fall! It’s a special time of year.

Farmgirl Jo

Farmgirl Jo & her Cowboy

Our Farmhouse Kitchen Apple Pie

The recipe ingredients are special to us and I wanted to share a few key points before the recipe. I do have substitutions if you do not have the same ingredients as listed.

The lard used in the pie crust is leaf fat. The leaf lard was rendered from our homestead hogs. It is reserved for special baking, like pies.

I also use milk in the pie crust. Yes, you read that right! The vote is in on the homestead and crust made with milk is better than the crust made with water! Well, of course, the milk is raw milk from Maggie or Dollop. It’s very cold as it’s been in the milk fridge which is set almost to freezing!

Apples are best at room temperature. Fresh apples from an orchard or a tree out back does create a fresher flavor.

But don’t worry, butter is great in the pie crust, as well as store milk or water.

Happy baking.

Farmhouse Apple Pie

Apple Pie

Pie Crust. This is my absolute favorite. Our daughter, who is not a big fan of pies, loves this crust. She tries to pick the edges of the pie to see if she can sneak more than she is supposed to have. I served a piece of pie to Cowboy, and he asked if a mouse had gotten into the crust!

Pie Crust: Please note that you can substitute water for the milk as well as butter for the lard.

Time: a little over an hour. Mix, then set in refrigerator and chill for one hour. Separate in half for two crusts, 9-inch pie plate. I also bake in stone or cast iron.

Ingredients:

                2 Cups Unbleached All Purpose Flour – sifted (Prefer King Arthur)

                1 tsp mineral salt

                2/3 cup of cold leaf lard (lard or butter)

                7 – 8 tablespoons of VERY cold raw milk (water or store milk)

Sift Flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Cut lard into flour with a pastry fork or knife, blend until the mixture is crumbs.

Add one tablespoon of milk at a time, continue to blend with pastry fork or knife until it starts to form a ball and the sides of the bowl is clean.

Cover bowl and place in refrigerator to chill one hour.

Take out of refrigerator and cut in half. Work with your hands to soften just a little bit. Place on floured surface and roll until both crusts are the size needed to fit your pie plate or cast-iron pan.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, center of oven

Pie Filling:

Make up 15 minutes before crust is ready from refrigerator.

5-6 cups of apples, cored, peeled and sliced (I like macintosh and honey crisp)

½ cup brown sugar, not packed

½ cup granulated cane sugar

2 tablespoons of all purpose flour

1 tablespoon of cornstarch

1 tsp of cinnamon

¼ tsp of nutmeg

2 pinches of ground clove

2 tablespoons of lemon

1 egg, separated, white only

Additional granulated cane sugar for sprinkling the top of crust

In a mixing bowl, place apple slice, and coat with lemon juice. In a separate bowl, mix flour, cornstarch, brown sugar, cane sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and clove. Combine apples and flour mix. Mix well and set aside.

Mixture will “weep”. When you place apples in the pie plate, don’t dump the juice too, this will avoid a soggy crust bottom.

Once pie crust has been rolled, spoon apple mix into pie pan. Add the top pie crust. If you want a lattice top, use a pastry roller to cut your strips. Alternate the strips as you layer the top to complete the lattice.

If a solid top, use a sharp knife and “poke” a few holes around the edges, in the middle create a “A” with a few slits. This will allow the steam to escape from the pie.

Once the top is in place and complete by “sealing” the edges, brush egg white on crust. Sprinkle sugar to dust top of pie to liking. I use about 1 – 2 tablespoons.

Place foil around the edges to protect the crust.

Place pie in the center of the oven on 400 degrees for 25 minutes.

Take the pie out, carefully, remove the foil from the crust. It’s very dainty! So go easy!!

Turn oven back to 375 and back an additional 30 minutes.

Top should be golden brown, juices bubbling.

Recommended to cool 4 hours or overnight. We are guilty of cutting it still a little warm!

This does not give pie time to “set up” and might be a little runny. Still yummy, especially with scoop of homemade ice cream!

ENJOY!!!!!!

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