I too am a from scratch pie baker. Do you use leaf lard in your crust (the 3/3/3 combo - 1/3 butter, 1/3 crisco, 1/3 leaf lard)?
Heh, I use Crisco, flour, salt, and water. 2/3 cup cold Crisco to 2 cup flour, and one teaspoon of salt (for one pie, top and bottom crusts). Add seven tablespoons of ice water, a few more if humidity is really low, mix and cut the dough up in a scissoring motion with two butter knives, knead them into a ball, cut the ball in half, and roll them out.
I have always wanted to use lard instead of Crisco, because I have heard it is absolutely delicious, but my wife draws the line at lard with the dessert already filled with butter and sugar. I’ll concede to her on that...:)