The 1979 Recipes
Thirty recipes, contributed by residents of Tehachapi, California, appeared in the first edition of “The Original Tehachapi Apple Book,” published in 1979. All but one of them — an apple cider requiring three tons of apples! — can be prepared at home.
The recipes are being added to this website, and many will include notes and photographs showing their preparation. Some of the people who submitted recipes are still living in Tehachapi, some have moved elsewhere, and some have passed away. We hope to add brief biographical information about each submitter.
If you submitted one of these recipes, or are a relative or friend of someone whose recipe is included here, we invite you to provide biographical information about the submitter to be included online and in future editions, making the book even more special for future generations. To provide biographical information, please click the link at the bottom of each recipe (once the recipe is published). Scroll to the bottom for a gallery of published recipes.
Submitters & recipes:
Available now:
Mary Simpson’s Apple Ranch Cake
Ruby Jordan’s Baked Apple Donuts
Sid Gilreath’s Fresh Unpasteurized Raw Cider
Coming soon:
Betty Kimball’s Autumn Apple Bread
Betty Kimball’s Fried Apples
Betty Kimball’s Pickled Sweet Apples
Betty Tindel’s Fresh Apple Cake
Billie Rockett’s Apple Souffle
Bobbye Sottile’s Apple Skillet Cake
Coral Hawkins’ Natural Apple Pie
Coming soon:
Debbie Huntsucker’s Spicy Apple Cookies
Della Castberg’s Apple Pudding
Evelyn Geisler’s Harvest Torte
Felma Hamer’s Seven-Apple Butter
Hazel Snider’s Apple Dumplings
Ila Ree Reese’s Fresh Apple Muffins
Judy Ruziecki’s Apple Dumplings, Baked
Mettler & Armstrong’s Tehachapi Apple Cake with Lemon Cheese Icing
Nellie Longcrier Butler’s Crowd Size Apple Pie
Patterson’s Spiced Crab Apples
Rose Ford’s Choc-Applesauce Cake
1979 recipe gallery:
Linda Paul’s Butterscotch Apple-Raisin Cookies
Linda Paul’s ButterscotchApple-Raisin CookiesPacked full of yummy-ness!About this recipeBy Claudia Elliott This recipe has always intrigued me because I love butterscotch. And I wasn't disappointed! The tasty combination of chunks of apple, raisins, and butterscotch...
Joan Johnson’s Swedish Apple Cake
Joan Johnson'sSwedish Apple CakeHomemade at its best!About this recipeBy Claudia Elliott Joan (pronounced Jo-anne) Johnson may well have been the most gracious hostess to ever turn a Tehachapi apple into a tasty dessert. I had the good fortune to get to know her when...
Crystal Huntsucker’s Aplets (Candy)
Crystal Huntsucker'sAplets (Candy)An old-fashioned fruit and nut delightAbout this recipeBy Claudia Elliott I used homemade applesauce from this recipe to make Crystal Huntsucker's Aplets. I was looking forward to making these because I discovered a similar candy —...
Good Friends’ Crock Pot Applesauce
Good Friends'Crock Pot ApplesauceIt couldn't be easier!About this recipeBy Claudia Elliott This recipe has a little backstory. When I asked Tehachapi residents to submit their favorite recipes for the 1979 edition of The Original Tehachapi Apple Book, two friends...
Edith Teel’s Apple Roll
Edith Teel'sApple RollLike a cinnamon roll with apples!About this recipeBy Claudia Elliott One of the challenges of preparing recipes that have been handed down rather than modern recipes is that the people who made them originally knew their way around the kitchen...
Dean Covert’s Apple Tapioca
Dean Covert'sApple TapiocaA tasty variation on baked applesAbout this recipeBy Claudia Elliott Preparing this recipe is on my to-do list and I have a little box of quick-cooking tapioca ready in my cupboard. When I've tried it I will share photos and notes for you...
Ila Ree Reese’s Apple Pancakes
Ila Ree Reese’s Apple PancakesFor breakfast, brunch or any ole time!About this recipeBy Claudia Elliott What reminds us of home more than pancakes? Well, if you're from Tehachapi, that would be apple pancakes, thank you very much! This is a great recipe, served with...
Ruby Jordan’s Baked Apple Donuts
Ruby Jordan'sBaked Apple DonutsMake them with or without a holeAbout this recipeBy Claudia Elliott Homemade donuts always remind me of Tehachapi because when I was a kid living in Cummings Valley we didn't have a lot of money, but we had laying hens, so we had lots of...
Coral Hawkins’ Natural Apple Pie (No Added Sugar!)
Coral Hawkins'Natural Apple PieNo added sugar!About this recipeBy Claudia Elliott Coral Hawkins was the home ec instructor at Tehachapi High School for a number of years, although I didn't have her as a teacher because I didn't take the class until my senior year,...
Mary Simpson’s Apple Ranch Cake
Mary Simpson'sApple Ranch CakeQuick and easy to make from scratch!About this recipeBy Claudia Elliott This is one of the first recipes I tried from the 1979 edition of The Original Tehachapi Apple Book and I chose it because it looked even easy enough for me! It was a...
Sid Gilreath’s Raw Unpasteurized Apple Cider
Sid Gilreath’s Fresh Raw CiderA recipe most people can't make at homeAbout this recipeBy Claudia Elliott Of all the recipes in 1979's The Original Tehachapi Apple Book, the one that most people can't make at home is Sid Gilreath's Fresh Unpasteurized Raw Cider. Back...
Del Troy’s Apple-’Kin Bread
Del Troy’sApple-’Kin BreadA moist and tasty loaf!About this recipeBy Claudia Elliott This recipe gave me a chance to try out a new loaf pan that is perfect for this combination of fall favorites — apples and pumpkin!Apples and pumpkin are a delicious combination in...
Dottie Neely’s Paper Bag Apple Pie
Dottie Neely's Paper Bag Apple PieAn easy and really yummy apple pie!About this recipeBy Claudia Elliott I tried this recipe recently and took photos to share with you. The photo here is of the pie inside a big paper bag (see Food Safety Note below**), ready to go...
