Well, your Mom was at least half right; I happen to prefer a crust that uses half lard (leaf lard if you can get it) and half butter. Some old timers swear by goose fat or bear fat, but I haven't had the experience. Not sure I want it. ;-) And yes, you can certainly freeze the pie and pour on the simmering caramel after thawing the pie. I worked in bakeries for some time and it was our practice to hand-make and freeze hundreds of pies before every major holiday. Your pies will no doubt be much better than our mass-produced ones. It's very satisfying to make a good pie. This post was edited by marknmt on Tue, Jul 9, 13 at 20:15

I am one of the "old ones who think they know things". However, I know things because I have changed how I preserve by keeping current with the wealth of knowledge exchanged in books, personal communiques, and wading through the internet (tossing junk as I go). More knowledgeable people than I (like scientists) figure out the why and I have to believe them because that is their job! What I did in 1975 makes me shudder when I think what could have been. Old people who get stuck in "the way it has always been done" probably have the same furniture they had when they got married and do not own a cellphone with apps. I am teaching my 40-ish daughter how to can, dry, freeze and tend a garden as she has lived far from me for more than 20 years but now is back "home". She was somewhat hesitant to preserve anything when I told her about botulism, fungi, bacteria, and mold, critters in dehydrated foods, let alone freezer burn, refreezing, and overly long term storage of foods (which SLOWS the decay of food but does not stop it). She actually believed that anything you buy in the store is good to eat. Then I told her about preservatives, high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors, and the myriad of people with allergies that have cropped up in the last 30 years when the big food companies started altering plant genes and prepackaging junk with artificial and chemical everything. If left on her own she would have to re-learn what I can condense for her from my experience and from my accumulated knowledge. She said she does not remember me being so careful with food growing up. She is right, but 25 years later so many things have changed that I have had to become more careful. I do still consume refined sugar, and like it, so I am not a rabid total naturalist, just more thoughtful about what I stuff into this old body. Yes, I am old but I know what real whipped cream on a locally grown strawberry SHOULD taste like. It is NOT Cool-whip on a tasteless berry-thing shipped from across the country loaded with pesticide residue and only grown to be shippable, not for flavor nor for nutrition. How to preserve food starts with how it is grown - why preserve pesticides? Flavor, texture, and memories of /comfort food are important. Cooked to death homegrown green beans won't hurt you if you like them that way, but botulism home-canned in a water bath "the way it has always been done" might. Bottom line is that you should only preserve food worth preserving, using the current guidelines developed and refined over the last 20 years, to suit how you think the flavor, texture, and ease of end use should be. Nancy

G'Day Marian. Here are a few thoughts on frozen apple pies. The only time I need a frozen pie is for camping or hunting when it is not feasible to bake a pie. I have tried baking a pie (cherry works better than apple for me) and freezing it and taking it in a cooler and then defrosting it at camp. The apple pie is marginal that way (cherry works better) but welcome with a hot cuppa after a morning of walking the hills. I have experimented and the following method works a bit better. I bake an apple pie and let it cool and then slice it. I then take my vacuum sealer bags and form 8 bags large enough for each slice. I place the slices on waxed paper and then on a cookie sheet and freeze solid. Then I vaccum seal the slices and back into the freezer (labelled and dated). This works fairly well. For camping, I pack the individual slices in my cooler and I don't have to worry about transporting a pie plate back and forth and the slices take less space. They stay fairly frozen until needed, but this does depend on time of the year. At home, if Leslie and I have a hankering for an apple pie and we don't want a whole pie to temp us, we take a couple slices out of the freezer. Dang, now I want an apple pie. I will have to check to see if the Johnathons are out yet--those are my favorite as I can't find pippens around here. Based on my experience, peach pies and cobblers don't do well frozen and thawed. I have not tried pumpkin pie. Cheers, Gary

I'd freeze it before baking, it will taste much fresher. I was just looking for a question someone asked about freezing apples... I just came across this idea, posted on another forum... sorta applies to your question too! Freezing Apples For Pies Peel and slice apples into a pie pan. Freeze - no Fruit Fresh needed. When frozen, slip the apples into a Ziploc or other plastic bag. When ready to use, slip the apples into a unbaked pie shell. Mix 1/2 cup to 2/3 cup sugar with 4 tablespoons flour and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Sprinkle on the top of apples. Cover with top crust. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 for 30 minutes. Nancy