The Home Front
When I was a little girl, I loved going to my Grandpa and Granny’s house. Lonnie and Opal Ilene Campbell did things in what was considered the old-fashioned way of the 1960s and ’70s. Now the funny thing is people are trying to go back to the way things were done then. You see, my Grandpa and Granny still lived farm-to-table just like their ancestors did before them. Their families had taught them to be self-sufficient just. They grew a big family garden with everything from potatoes to peanuts to corn to tomatoes to okra. 
Granny Campbell made the very best fried apple pies. If we got to her house and found apples drying in the sun, it was a heavenly sight. We grandchildren would play in the yard and sneak a dried apple or two when she wasn’t looking. They were very sweet and warm and leathery and chewy with lots of concentrated tart apple flavor. My Granny would gather her apples as they ripened from her apple trees. When she had a basket or two, she would wash, peel, and thinly slice them. Grandpa had an old piece of tin laid on two sawhorses and placed it where it would get a whole day’s sun. A clean cloth was spread across the tin, and the apples were spread out on the cloth. The apples were placed in the sun daily until they were dried enough to store in a flour sack.
When Granny was going to fry up some apple pies, she would get about a double handful of the dried apples and put them in a saucepan and cover them with about twice as much water as apples. She would get them to a boil, and then turn them to simmer until the apples absorbed the water and were soft. After adding sugar and a little cinnamon, the apples appeared dark and thick but not runny. She would make her regular biscuit dough, roll it out thin, and use a saucer to cut the dough for the pie, place a tablespoon of apple filling on the crust, fold it over, and press the edges of the crust together with a fork. After all the pies were made, Granny used an iron skillet with enough lard to fry them in. After frying one side, she turned them and fried the other. It was always a treat when Granny made her fried apple pies!
-Danna Standridge, Author of What’s Cooking with Danna, Y’all? and Happiness is Homemade Y’all! For speaking engagements and cooking demonstrations, email [email protected]. Join her in the kitchen on Facebook @DannaSwannStandridge and YouTube @dannastandridge8749.
Granny Campbell’s Fried Apple Pies
Go to the Apple Farm and get a basket of apples. Wash, peel, and thinly slice. Place in a home dehydrator according to directions and dry apples. When dried, store in a covered container until use or store in a zip lock freezer bag in freezer. When ready to make pies, add a couple handfuls of dried apples to pan, add enough water that is about double the amount of apples, bring to a boil then turn to simmer. Cover with lid. Cook until all water is absorbed, season with sugar and spices to your taste. Apples should be dark, thick, and not runny. Make your favorite biscuit dough and place in refrigerator for an hour for ease of handling. Roll dough out as making biscuits. Use a biscuit cutter to cut. Now take the rolling pin and flatten into a circle. Add a tablespoon of apples, fold, and crimp with a fork. Fry in cooking oil in a deep fryer or pan. Turn over as needed to brown both sides. Place on a paper towel to cool.
