I know what you are thinking...but if you try this I can promise you that you would swear it was apple pie... Really GOOD apple pie...

Us southerners love our apple pie, but alas, apples don't really come in down here until late September or so, and a genuine southerner will not use those imported things called apples. Since about the first week in June, we have been getting peaches, which do make a fair pie, but just serves to increase the anticipation for apple pie.

By about the middle of June, there is a plethora of green tomatoes, tho. When you get tried of fried green tomatoes, this is a good one.

I have to fend for myself now days, since my youngest daughter fled the coop, so I look for easy things to prepare. This qualifies.

I remember my grandma Ellie making green tomato pie during the summers when I was a kid, so I asked my sister if she knows how she did it...She DID...

I tried it today and wow.. I can't tell it from apple pie. It's great.

Before I share the recipe... It does have a lot of fats and carbs that some will shun. Thats OK... just know you are missing a good one. This pie was developed for working southern farm folks in the mid 1800's.

Here's the recipe for a ten inch cast iron skillet...

2 slices smoked bacon
6 green tomatoes (each about the size of a medium apple)

1/4 cup sugar
5 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tbsp. melted butter
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger or 1/4 tsp ground cloves (not both)
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. grated lemon peel
1/2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp. sorghum or molasses, or mix 1 tbsp of dark brown sugar with 1 tablespoon water and 1/8 tsp soda

13-oz ball of pie dough (from any standard recipe) or use store bought if you must

Egg wash

Place a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add bacon to the skillet and cook until fat is rendered. Remove skillet from heat; remove bacon. Place skillet in a cool place and let it sit until fat has solidified. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Wash, dry and slice the green tomatoes into eighths. Place tomato wedges into a large mixing bowl with cinnamon, ginger, salt, sugar, and flour. Toss to coat. Then add butter, lemon juice and peel, vinegar, and sorghum or molasses, and toss again to make sure all ingredients are combined thoroughly and the flour isn’t clumping.

Once the skillet is cool, spread the bacon fat over the bottom and sides of the pan and top with the prepared piecrust. Crimp the edges and dot the center with a knife. Layer the tomato wedges inside the crust and pour the remaining liquid over them. Then roll out the remaining dough and cut it into strips. Fashion the strips over the top of the pie in a lattice, and brush with egg wash. Place the skillet in the preheated oven and immediately turn the temperature down to 350 degrees and Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and tomatoes are cooked.

GREAT with a slice of cheddar cheese or a scoop of ice cream.

Enjoy