apples

This is my second fall in New England, and I've just picked my first apples here.  To be honest, the orchard we chose was not the best.  The apples they grew were very good, macintosh and macoun, but there were only the 2 varieties, which I felt were somewhat standard.  We did buy a bunch, and I made what I believe was my best apple pie yet.  I decided to venture away from my usual all-butter pie crust, and made a recipe that included both shortening and butter.  I attribute most of my difficulties to the unfamiliarity/slight paranoia of trying the new recipe, but it definitely seemed more finicky than the all-butter crust.  It didn't roll out as well, and I kept having to patch the cracks by shoving the two sides together with my fingertips.  In the end it turned out fairly well.  The apple cut-out I put on top held its shape, and it browned nicely.  Aside from that, I'm not entirely sure what made it turn out so well.  I did use a variety of apples, some sweet and some tart, and the particular recipe I used called for lemon zest, which I've never used before.  The only lemon I had on hand was an oldish meyer lemon, but I think it may have added a distinctive touch. I also squeezed a few tablespoons of the meyer lemon juice on top, which the recipe didn't call for.  Either way, it was excellent, and I am going to have to test out my theories as to the reason.