My Favorite Recipes - Meet Dianne Appel, Dusty

After a recent potluck dinner, with the dishes done and men and children gone, a circle of women gathered around a blueberry cobbler. Bit by small bit, they feasted on the remains of the cobbler out of range of the kids’ eyes. The baker of the cobbler smiled as she was asked for the recipe. The baker was Dianne Appel, who is also known as the blueberry lady in Colfax.

Dianne Appel was born in Minnesota, but her family moved to Seattle when she was a toddler. She grew up on Capital Hill but moved during high school when she attended three different high schools. This was difficult for a shy girl, but she graduated from Tolt High School in Carnation. Only six in her class of 63 went to college.

A long-time lover of horses, she made do with little china models until she got her first horse at the age of 14 after a four month stay with her brother in Italy. She was a babysitter for his family as well as tourist. He also taught her to play poker.

Washington State University was her next stop after high school, and she planned to major in pre-veterinary studies. She decided the pre-vet curriculum must be stressful, as her stomach was bothering her. Switching to animal science didn’t soothe her stomach much, and they found that too much aspirin for an old knee injury was causing the problems.

Meanwhile, Steve Appel, the youngest son of Don and Edna Appel, also started WSU in pre-vet studies. When he was asked if he’d like to take over the farm, he switched his major to agronomy. Steve and Dianne met in agriculture classes and activities at WSU. They were married in the summer of 1973, and she graduated the next semester.

After graduation, they returned to the farm near Dusty, and she adapted readily from Capital Hill in Seattle to the farm. She gardened and raised chickens. She rode combine with Steve and cleaned barns. Keeping books for the farm led her to discover that she could have become an accountant, as she likes the work. She was also treasurer of Dusty BB Club and Whitman County Farm Bureau for many years.

Dianne, Tom Cocking, Ron Hinnenkamp, Gary Behymer, Susie Henniger, Chuck Guptill and Barb Schluneger are founding members of Colfax FFA Alumni. Their mission is to support the local FFA chapter. They raise money by selling blueberries by the box, run the donut barn at the fair and sell local phonebooks. Dianne is sought after in early summer when blueberry orders are taken. They use these funds to help Greenhands (freshmen FFA members) buy their FFA jackets, mentor FFA members, judge at contests and fund scholarships.

She loves 4H and FFA for the lifelong skills that kids learn—speaking, presentation skills, responsibility, teamwork and working toward a long-term goal.

Riding horses is still Dianne’s hobby, but she doesn’t ride as much as she would like. She babysits Jeremiah while her son Peter and his wife Laura ride. When Jeremiah is older, the three will be able to ride together.

Steve and Dianne adopted their daughter Stephanie in 1981, and Peter was born in 1988. Dianne and her brother are twelve years apart, so having a big gap between children was not odd to her. Her mother was 36 when Dianne was born, and Dianne was within three days of the same age when Peter was born. Steve named both children, with Dianne having veto power.

It is a pleasure having Jeremiah nearby. Rob and Stephanie Mitchell live in Spokane with their children Nera, Brogan and Juniette. They visit often but can’t spend as much time with them as with Jeremiah.

Quilting has been a longtime hobby for Dianne. She has a number of quilting projects lined up. Her Dusty BB Club sews baby blankets for Sacred Heart Maternity Clinic. Dr. Melnor, priest and physician, made contact with the club and asked for their support. She also knits baby caps.

The Appel farm has a large vegetable garden, large beds of flowers and Dianne’s Icelandic sheep. Icelandic sheep have a dual coat; there is a very soft inner coat, and a longer, smoother outer coat. Spun together, the fibers make a smooth yarn used for socks and heavy sweaters. Her spun yarn has won the top prize at the Palouse Empire Fair.

Too many interests, claims Dianne. She hasn’t time for a local spinning and weaving group because she also plays organ and piano. She started playing organ in second grade. She studied piano to strengthen her fingers. As a sixth grader, she played organ for two and a half hours at the school carnival, and she played in junior high talent shows. She accompanied choir for seven years through junior high and high school. She currently plays keyboard and organ for the Men’s Choir at St. Patrick’s Church in Colfax. She is also a Thrifty Grandmothers Club member.

Dianne’s family of avid hunters ate mostly wild game in Seattle, so eating lots of Whitman County beef was different for Dianne. Her father was a heating-refrigeration-ventilation technician, and they never knew when he would be home for dinner, so her mother taught her to make dinner in half an hour. That works pretty well when you’re cooking for a farm family, too.

Recipes:

Cornflake Cookies—an FFA favorite

1/2 cup white corn syrup

3 cups cornflakes

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup peanut butter

Bring sugar and corn syrup to a good boil. Boil 1-2 minutes. Stir in peanut butter, then cornflakes. Drop by spoonfuls on waxed paper. Makes 2-3 dozen cookies, depending on size desired.

Mint Mocha

1 cup unsweetened cocoa

2 cups sugar

2 cups nondairy creamer

2 cups powdered milk

1/2 cup instant coffee

1/2 cup butter mints, ground up

Combine dry ingredients in blender.

To make mint mocha, add 2 teaspoons of dry mix to 1 cup boiling water.

Blueberry Crunch

1 20-ounce can crushed pineapple with juice

1 pint blueberries

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 cup sugar

1 box yellow cake mix

1 cup chopped nuts

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup melted margarine or butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Pour crushed pineapple with juice into dish. Lightly crush blueberries and mix with 1/2 cup sugar and lemon juice. Place blueberries over pineapple in dish.

Sprinkle dry cake mix over berries. Mix sugar and nuts. Sprinkle over cake mix. Pour melted margarine or butter over nuts and cake mix.

Bake 20 minutes, then cut with a knife to allow juice to rise to top. Bake 30 minutes longer. If nuts are browning too much, cover with foil.

Serve warm with whipped topping or ice cream, if desired.