one doenst amend mother earth.. before knowing what to do ... of what benefit to her .. or to you.. had you just went out there willy nilly.. and just started throwing amendments around.. eh???? now that you know you are mid range-fine.. just forget about it ... BTW.. most ext office.. are pretty familiar with their county.. and can tell you off hand.. if the test need be done ... they usually have a pretty good grip on the area ... and do keep in mind.. there business is agriculture.. more than the backyard gardener ... if .. like many in lenawee county MI ... if you are growing 1000 acres of soybean ... you better have a pretty good grip on your soil .. if you want to make a profit ... the science of soil management.. isnt really tied up in viburnum .. lol .. for most of us.. its a curiosity.. rather than a requisite ... unless.. as i said.. you are really out there in plant selection ... ken ps: throwing stuff around the yard.. willy nilly is.. frankly.. pollution of mother earth.. it is kind of within the definition of such.. if she doesnt need it ... i was once told at MGardener class.. that per square foot of garden.. homeowners are the #1 polluters on the face of the earth ... whether i believe that or not.. is one thing.. but i can believe it.. on the common suburban lawn.. weed killers.. bug killers.. pH adjustors.. flying bug sprays.. i mean really.. dig a hole.. plant the darn thing.. and water it.. and 99% of the time.. they thrive.. especially if you grow weeds.. lol ... may i step off the soapbox now?????

I just had some of the tart with some friends at work - they loved it, but I think it needs some revision. First of all, the lemon curd was too sweet, but I think this is because I used Meyer lemons, and I will adjust for that in the future. The other problem was that the edge crust was a bit hard - still tasty and good to eat, but a bit difficult to cut. I think the problem here is that I started the crust at 425 degrees for 11 minutes with the aluminum foil and pie weights and then returned it to the oven for 17 minutes with the oven turned down to 350 degrees. The recipe that called for a 425 oven expected me to put the curd in the crust for the second baking, but I decided not to do that because I knew it was not going to fit, and I had already adjusted the curd recipe so that it would not require baking after being cooked on the stovetop. Also, I took the shortcut of not chilling the dough as long as the recipe called for, but I don't think this would have caused the crust to come out hard. Anyway, no one complained about the crust being hard, and so maybe I just need to serve it with a knife in addition to a fork - the forks were plastic, which didn't help. I pretty much followed Anne Burrell's recipe, except that I used four eggs plus one egg white in the curd plus one tablespoon of cornstarch to help it set without baking. I did refer to Ina's recipe as well, especially the part about pricking the inside of the shell after removing the pie weights. Actually, I forgot to do that before the second baking, but I pricked it after baking to deflate it. One tip of my own that I added was to add the lemon zest to the curd just before cooking it, and I stirred it in with a spoon instead of a whisk. Let me know what suggestions you have regarding the crust. Thanks! Lars

I had to make a call before receiving your replies, and it turned out to be a pretty good one - I brushed the crust with cream and gave it a scant sprinkling of vanilla sugar. I was worried about it scorching, but it didn't. However, I did use a pie shield to protect the edges for the last 20 mins. Ann, the pie turned out great! I used a combo of Granny Smith and Macoun apples and 1 1/2 tsps. of Penzey's Vietnamese Cassia cinnamon - we like cinnamon... What I liked about this recipe was that the few ingredients let the flavor of those fresh-picked apples shine through. Sometimes less is more. Based on the responses, the only thing I'll do differently next time is be more generous with my sugar sprinkling on top.

You might be able to find a vegan pre-prepared pie crust, either in a pan or refrigerated. I know some are made with lard but some are made with all vegetable shortening. I know this because I had to find one to bring to a kosher party once. That way you can whip together a tart in about 15 min! Or as some have suggested, a press-in crust which you can make ahead, and then whip up the apples really quick. OR, do what I do and mix frozen peaches with frozen raspberries, or a mix of berries and cherries, etc. and have everyone rave about your "home made" pie! They sell lots of kinds of frozen fruits for pies in the freezer section of most groceries. Also pre-made pie crust. Just check the labels, a lot of them are made with hydrogenated vegetable oils. Not the most healthy, but then it IS pie! You can make strawberry blueberry tarts or something like that with puff pastry too. Buy some flavored cream cheese, spread it on the bottom and then put some sweetened frozen berries on top and bake. Don't sweat the apples, they are not the only fruit for a tart! I make a crisp that is a mix of sweet cherries, dried cherries, fresh cranberries and dried cranberries. The sweet and tart elements combine perfectly. Plus it is vivid red, good for the holidays. If you have your heart set on apples, mix it with frozen strawberries or frozen blackberries or raspberries. Half as much peeling! This post was edited by lpinkmountain on Wed, Dec 17, 14 at 13:36