Well then, that must have been my problem because I did double the recipe!! I didn't realize you couldn't! I know you're not supposed to fool around with amounts in recipes so you keep the acid ratio correct, but where this was just strawberries and sugar and nothing else in the recipe I figured it was ok! I guess not! And I measured out 4 quarts of whole strawberries. The recipe was 2 quarts of strawberries and 6 cups of sugar. It didn't say to cut them or mash them before measuring - in fact (I'm remembering off the top of my head here as I don't have the book with me) it said to crush the strawberries one layer at a time and then to mix with the sugar, so it sounded to me like you measured the whole strawberries, then crushed them and that's what I did. I'm not going to fuss with what I already made - as I said, it won't go to waste as hubby will use it as pancake topping - we've even been known to plop a spoonful of jam in a bowl of oatmeal, so this stuff will work for that as well. But I'm glad I spoke up because for future adventures in jam, I wouldn't have known any of this and would probably have given up on it if I kept failing! And I thought it was weird that the jam recipe that used the pectin used an extra cup of sugar from the one without pectin. I've learned so much from just this thread - thanks so much guys! I want to take my next adventure into the realm of peaches! Peach jam sounds yummy and if I fail again, hubby does like peaches, so he'll have more pancake topping than he knows what to do with lol!! Lisa

I have millions of apples, too. Instead of canning apples for pies, I freeze those in pie-size portions. Putting Food By suggested freezing them using a pie plate as a form, so the frozen disc fits in the crust, but I wasn't so good at that. For canning dessert slices, I use Pomona Pectin at half the recommended rate, and it thickens the low-sugar juice just a bit. Alternatively, add no thickener and thicken the apples with cornstarch when you make your pie. I can applesauce, dessert slices and apple jelly made from "nectar" from peelings and cores(yum!), but not apples for pies. We also dry some of our apples, and freeze lot of frozen chunks for making juice or wine in the winter. Plus we give a lot away!

Trudy, the beauty of only a bottom crust is that if it looks ugly or tears or whatever, you patch it and cover it with apples. If you want a top crust and it doesn't go well, just cut circles or diamonds or strips or little apples or whatever and put them on top and pretend you meant to do that! Those tiny cookie cutters are finally good for something, LOL. mare, thank you. It did taste as good as it looks and didn't last as long as I thought it would. (grin) I did post the recipe for Trudy on another thread but I'd be happy to post it again. I made it from this recipe, but skipped the top crust and instead of the powdered sugar/milk glaze made a maple glaze from powdered sugar, maple syrup and some maple extract (to taste). I also left out the cornflakes as I didn't have any and usually don't have any. It's good with or without them. The extra crust makes a second slab, or a top crust, your choice. It keeps for a couple of days in the fridge. Mine became a second apple "slab" as the first one was so good. The original recipe, I think, came from Midwest Living. Apple Slab 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup shortening 1 egg yolk Milk 1 cup cornflakes 8 -10 tart cooking apples, peeled, cored and sliced (8 cups) 3/4-1 cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 egg white, lightly beaten 1 cup powdered sugar 3 -4 teaspoons milk In a large bowl combine flour and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a liquid measuring cup, beat egg yolk lightly. Add enough milk to make 2/3 cup liquid. Stir well to combine. Stir milk mixture into flour mixture with a fork until combined (dough will be slightly sticky). Divide mixture in half. On a well-floured surface, roll half of the dough to a 17x12-inch rectangle. Fold dough crosswise into thirds. Transfer to a 15x10x1-inch baking pan and unfold dough, pressing to fit into the bottom and sides of the pan. Sprinkle with cornflakes. Top evenly with apples. In a small bowl combine granulated sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle mixture over apples. Roll remaining dough to a 15x10-inch rectangle. Fold dough crosswise into thirds. Place atop apples and unfold dough. Crimp edges or use the tines of a fork to seal. Cut slits in the top. Brush top with beaten egg white. Bake in a 375 degrees F oven for 50 minutes or until golden and apples are tender, covering with foil after the first 25 minutes of baking time to prevent overbrowning. In a small bowl combine powdered sugar and 2 to 3 teaspoons milk to make a drizzling consistency. Drizzle over warm bars. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Makes 32 bars. Annie

I've done it....but didn't use a recipe...other than that for the crust and the filling . I made 2 times the crust recipe, patted it into the bottom of a jelly roll pan and up the sides using my fingers. Then I mixed up the filling, gently poured and spread it around on the crust, layed slices of apple over the top overlapping slightly, sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon and baked at 350 until done. Think it took about40 minutes. The crust: Pastry 1 1/4 cups AP flour 1 /4 cup cake flour !/4 cup sugar 1/4tsp salt !/4 lb chilled bitter 2 egg yolks Water if needed Pastry Mix dry ingredients in a bowl, cut in ( or work in with your fingers) the butter until mix resembles coarse meal Work in beaten egg yolks And add water if needed to hold dough together. Form into flattened ball, wrap and chill at least 30 minutes ( or up to 2 days) filling 2 8 oz blocks of cream cheese 2 eggs 2/3 cup sugar 1 tsp vanilla Beat until smooth. This was called something like Dutch Apple squares. Hope this is what you are looking for. Linda C