Wild Apple Crumble Pie

Coming back from one of our many daily walks (or runs) with the dogs, we notice how many apples were on the apple trees in our yard.  We don’t do anything to promote the growth of these apples but we live in upstate New York where you don’t have to do much to grow a beautiful apple tree.

We have the larger crab apples.  The fruit is crisp but only slightly sweet.

We also have smaller, thorny crab apples. The fruit is small, more red, yellow flesh, a bit drier but very sweet. 

Ted and I gathered a box full of both varieties.  I was going to make a wild apple pie and more with all this fruit.  If I didn’t, the deer would eat them for sure.

I made stewed apples with Italian plums.  This is always one of my favorite treats to satisfy a sweet tooth. I don’t add much sugar.  I freeze individual portions and simply microwave when the urge hits.  Splash a little soy milk on top and I’m good.

This is how I make it:  Simply peel a crock pot full of apples with about 2 lbs. of small Italian plums and let it cook on auto-cook for 4 hours.  I add only a little sugar if the apples are too sour.  Once all the fruit has cooked down, I let it cool and then freeze it into individual servings.  When the need hits, Delish!

Next I made a Wild Apple Crumble Pie. 

1 Pkg. Ready to bake 9″ Deep Dish Pie Crust (2).

Topping:

• 1/2 cup + 2 TBS Flour,
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar,
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar,
• 1 tsp. apple pie spice,
• 1 stick cold butter (cut into small pcs.).

Filling:

• 7 med. apples (about 3 1/4lbs)-peeled, 1/2′d, cored, sliced *about 1/8″ thick slices.
• 1 TBS lemon juice.
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar.
• 3 TBS flour.
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon.
• 1 tsp apple pie spice. (optional)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract.

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 400F.

For topping:  mix flour, sugar, spice and cut in butter. Blend to make a course crumb.

For filling:  place the prepared apples in a bowl and toss with the lemon juice. Mix the remaining ingredients into the apples and toss to coat. I use a wooden spoon to mix the filling together.

Prepare Pie:  Layer the apple slices in pie shell, mounding high in the center. Dollop topping over top of the apples to cover.  Place on foil in the oven (because it may boil out) and bake 40 – 50 minutes. * Recommended you use a pie crust cover.

Don’t forget the ice cream.

One more thing I make with the crab apples.  A crust-less crumble.

Simply put the peeled, cored, and sliced apples in a ceramic dish.  Mix oats, fine cookie crumbs, a TBS sugar plus a few pats of butter into a crumb and sprinkle on top.  Bake the same as the pie above, 400 F for about 50 minutes.

So much you can do with wild fruit and, I think it tastes so good because, it’s FREE.