For those of you old enough to remember, apple head dolls were a popular folk art. You don't see many anymore as they are very time consuming to make, and almost a lost art. This will be my third attempt to make apple head dolls. The first crop of 'heads' came out fine, but before I could make their clothing and bodies, I had to move and I had totally lost interest when they were finally unpacked a year later.

So I started over from scratch. On the second attempt I got all the heads carved and halfway oven dried. The oven had gone cold so I hiked it up a notch, meaning to turn it down in a few minutes. Now remember we are supposed to be slowly drying the apples, not cooking them. I forgot they were in the oven and went grocery shopping. When I was at the very back of the supermarket, I suddenly remembered they were in the oven. I raced home only to find they'd turned partway into applesauce. I pitched them and gave up on the idea for months. But I hate to fail at something, so I decided to give it another go.

First you need to get some fresh apples. Though it sounds thrifty to wait until your family hasn't eaten the apples, and then rescue them from the trash, this won't work, as soft apples are hard to carve. So bite the bullet and get fresh ones. I got large red delicious apples, but maybe I should have gotten normal sized apples. These will take longer to dry, but give more space for carving.

Don't forget to pick up a lemon or two at the store.

When you get home, wash the apples. The lemon juice is used to keep the fruit from turning black when you dry it. If you want dark skin, you don't need the lemon juice, but they look pretty scary without it. Fill a cooking bowl halfway with water. Put the lemon/s in the microwave from 30 sec. to a minute to soften it for juicing. Let it cool a bit. Now slice it and put it in the water. Give each piece a good squeeze to make a lemon/water mixture. Set a baking sheet on the counter.

Now peel an apple. I like to make mine six at a time but suit yourself. If you are doing this with children, peel the apple for them and give them a small spoon or a grapefruit spoon to carve with.

Adults and teens can use a paring knife. It's good to have a pointed knife.

Now decide what character you are going for. Will it be a scary old hag, a bunny, a farmer, a man, a woman or whatever. Carve out your basic features. I like to start with the nose. Remove little pieces as you go and rinse off in running water to see the features more clearly. Later on I will use sewing pins for eyes and rice or beads for teeth, but those are better added when the apple heads are halfway dry. Decide if you want to add ears. Some people carve chunks of apples into hands as well. It's up to you.

Now dunk the apple and get it wet in the bowl of lemon juice, then set your carved apple face down in the lemon juice and let it sit a bit while you carve the next apple.

Continue on in this manner. When the second head is ready to soak, take out the first one and lay it face up on the baking sheet. Keep going until you've carved all six.

If you want to air dry your apple heads, tie a string to the stem and hang it in a place with good warm air circulation. Otherwise it will mold. Make sure two heads are not touching. This may take a month or more, which is why I use the oven.

If you are doing the oven method, you want the heat as low as possible. Sometimes I prop the oven door open with a wooden spoon so the moisture can escape. This way it will take two or three days to dry enough. But the danger is someone accidentally turning the oven on high while you are in the shower or something.

Every few hours, turn the apples. Try not to lay them face down.

Now look at the photos to get the idea. I'll write Part 2 when the heads are good and dry.