Add shortening, and using your hands, cut shortening into the flour. (Use your fingers to rub through the flour and shortening, combining it until it becomes a sandy-textured mixture with small pea-sized lumps of shortening throughout. You do not want to over-mix, and want to make sure there are still some lumps of shortening to make the crust flaky and tender).

Once the flour and shortening are combined, begin adding water 1-2 Tablespoons at a time. You DO NOT want to add all of the water at once. You only want to add as much water as it takes to get the dough to begin forming into a ball that will hold together when rolled out. I would recommend using your hands to mix in the water so you can feel the texture of the dough as you go, making sure not to over-saturate it. (The dough should feel slightly less pliable than play-dough)

Divide your dough into two equal balls. Take the first ball of dough, and roll it out to 1/4 inch thickness on a well-floured surface. Fold the dough in half, pick it up, and gently place it in the bottom of your pie pan, making sure not to rip the dough. (If there are holes or rips in your dough, do your best to patch them before adding your filling)

Once the bottom crust has been placed in the pan, take your second ball of dough and repeat the rolling process. Once it has been rolled, you can either fold it in half and set it aside, or you can cut it into 7 equal-width strips for a lattice top, and set them aside. Proceed to make your filling.

Peel, core, and slice all of your apples into 1/2-inch thick slices.

Place your apple slices and frozen berries in a large sauce pot, and cook them down slightly over medium heat. You do not want to overcook them. You just want the berries to start releasing some of their juice and the apples to begin getting warm.

Once the apples are warmed through, add your sugar and flour to the fruit, and stir thoroughly until it is well combined and the fruit is releasing plenty of juice.

Set aside.

Place your filling into the bottom crust of your pie. Smooth out the filling so it is an even height all across the surface of the pie.

For a lattice top, take 4 strips of your top crust, and space them evenly across the surface of your pie in 4 parallel lines. Fold back every other strip.

Lay the fifth strip of dough perpendicular to the parallel lines you folded back, intersecting them. Unfold the folded strips over the top of the perpendicular strip.

Fold back the parallel strips that you had previously left unfolded. (They should fold backward over the perpendicular strip)

Lay another perpendicular strip over the parallel strips, and once again unfold the parallel strips that had been folded back. Repeat this process with the last strip of dough.

Once the top of the pie has been placed or latticed, using a sharp knife, trim the excess pie dough that is hanging over the edge of the pie pan, leaving 2 inches of excess.

Once trimmed, tuck the excess dough under itself, forming a ridge around the edge of the pie pan.

Using your fingers to pinch or a fork to crimp, flute the edges of your pie dough, sealing the top and bottom crust together with the filling in the center.

If you have a solid pie crust top (not latticed), using a sharp knife, cut 5-10 small slits in the top of the pie crust to allow it to vent. (You do not have to do this if you made a lattice top)

Brush the top pie crust with melted butter until it is thinly coated, and sprinkle lightly with sugar.

Place in your pre-heated oven and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the crust is perfectly golden, and the filling is bubbling throughout.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes to 1 hour to allow the filling to set. Slice, serve, and enjoy!