We canned some in honey and some in a light syrup and we really liked the ones in light syrup for eating and are using the ones in honey to make cobblers with. Worked out really well both ways, but the kids said the honey taste was too strong for them.

The Ball Blue Book, or the Complete Ball Book (can't remember which) lists the one with raisins and apples; I didn't like the sound of it either (I have both books). I was discouraged until I found the one that Dave listed at NCHFP, and it was just plain peaches and very tasty. No wierd ingredients. I've also made the cherry filling from there, and plan to make apple too. I think you'll like them (or at least your friend will).

Any thickener can become problematic if you use too much of it. That's the problem I have with flour. A little is good, but sometimes it's not enough to thicken very juicy fruit and if I put more in, the pie can get pasty. But the same could be said for cornstarch and tapioca. I've used all of them, and you can also use liquid pectin. The pectin in your fruits varies too, which will help a pie "set up" (or not). I use flour in most of my pies, and sometimes my pies get runny. I've experimented with tapioca with good results in a strawberry rhubarb pie, since strawberries are very runny and neither strawberries or rhubarb has much pectin. I only had pearl tapioca at the time which I put in the food processor to grind up to a mostly powder. I have since bought some instant which I am experimenting with. All thickeners can work or fail, IMHO, depends on a lot of variables. I've even read online in some blogs that some folks macerate the fuit in sugar, then pour off the liquid and thicken it by reducing it in a saucepan and then mixing it back in with the fruit before filling the pie. I doubt I would ever bother with that method! Whomever said "easy as pie" was being sarcastic! I find pies to take a lot of finessing, but even my most unsophisticated pies still taste pretty good. Mostly I just plop it in a bowl and call it "pandowdy" or "cobbler." I can well see why many cooks just said to heck with it and settled for those treats! As a couple of recent thread have pointed out, all fruits are not equal when it comes to juciness. We've gotten so far from agricultural diversity that we don't even realize that an apple isn't an apple isn't an apple. Some were bred for pies, others for cider, others for storing or drying, applesauce, or eating out of hand. Now you can usually only find a few varieties in most stores, and how many people dry fruit, make homeade pies, or mill cider anyway? Too bad for those of us that do, the good varieties could die out. Same with peaches, some are good for canning, some for fresh eating, and I imagine some for pies, although that I don't know for sure. And some years or on some farms the fruits are watery than others. I know I've found that with blueberries, which seem to be mostly tasteless around the East coast, but I'm a spoiled girl who grew up in the fruit belt of MI.

Fried Fruit Pie Pastry This pastry recipe will make about twelve 4-5" fried pies. 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup Crisco or other good vegetable shortening 1 egg, lightly beaten 1/4 cup cold water 1 teaspoon white vinegar Mix together the flour and salt. Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender, fork, your hands, or whatever method works best for you, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir together the beaten egg with the water and sprinkle over flour mixture. Sprinkle in the vinegar, mixing lightly, until ingredients are well combined. Form the dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least one hour. The cutter I use cuts out circles about 4 1/2" you can make them as big or small as you like. When I make fruit filling I do not really use a recipe, I just cut up the fruit into small pieces, cook down with sugar, and spices, to taste, cool and fill the cut rounds, with approx a heaping tablespoon full. Run a wet finger around the edges of the dough, fold over and crimp with a fork, making sure they are sealed good. Then fry (375*)in a electic frying pan with about an inch of oil, until lightly browned. The pudding I like to fill it with is (this came from Glenda) It is easy and tasts good! 3/4 cup sugar 1/3 cup cocoa 2 cups milk 1 cup cold water 1/2 cup Bisquick (yes thats right) Mix dry ingredients in sauce pan. Gradually add wet ingredients, mix thoroughly. Cook over med to med low, stirring constantly until it THICKENS and boils. Then boil 1 minute. Pour into serving dish, cool with plastic wrap right on top of pudding to stop film from forming. After it is chilled, it can be used for the pies.