An apple a day
Is it me or are apples popular again?
Everywhere I look I am inspired by what is happening in the apple world. I have been learning new varieties on a weekly basis. Regions across the county have wide varieties. Varieties that have different characteristics: special flavors, textures, picking time, storage capabilities, etc. There are apples that are good for cider, baking apples, and apples for drying and eating.
Americans eat 19 pounds of apples a year. That is less than an apple a week. But I would guess that this statistic is about to change, based on what I see available. I can’t help but to try a variety I have never heard of. So I think I alone will be changing the statistic!
On average, we sample six varieties in one lifetime, the most popular apple varieties are McIntosh, Cortland, Red Delicious and Empire. There are over 2500 varieties with about 100 that are grown commercially. Where the heck are they?
The colonists brought apple seeds with them to plant in the New World resulting in an abundance of apple trees. By as early as 1629 there were already many apple orchards in Virginia and the Massachusetts Bay Colony. They grew apple trees, not to eat apples but to drink them in the form of hard cider. Cider was America’s most popular drink until the mid 1880’s.
Cornell University researchers found that that 100 grams of unpeeled fresh apple (about 2/3 of an apple) provides the total antioxidant activity of 1,500 milligrams of vitamin C. But - If we are going to consider the health benefits, we must consider how the apple is grown. In many commercial orchards, apples are sprayed 10 to 20 times per year. Apples are consistently in the USDA’s top-10 list of the most contaminated fruits. Even after being washed, cored, and peeled, an average conventionally grown apple contains detectable residue from 4 to 10 different pesticides known or suspected to cause nervous-system damage, cancer, and hormone interference.
This is a food that I don’t eat or let my family eat unless it is organic.
I was recently at several farmer’s markets in and around San Francisco and was excited to see such a wide variety of apples.
There were apple tastings that had 8-10 varieties and a popular variety was Esopus Spitzenberg. I loved this apple.
The growers all had similar remarks about this apple being hard to grow and not resistant to bugs or disease. But, the flavor was unique and was aromatic and sharp and crisp. Other interesting varieties were snow apples and russet apples.
“Save the Gravenstein” bumper stickers were being handed out at one of the markets. The international Slow Food organization has designated the Gravenstein, prized for its taste in pies and applesauce, as one of a handful of heritage foods to be preserved in the United States — and the only one in California.
There is also the Sierra Beauty and yesterday I saw “A Good Keeper” called the Rhode Island Greening.
On the local scene in New England...
I have a neighbor Caitlin, who is paying attention to the apple varieties on Martha’s Vineyard. She is going around and identifying the varieties and building an apple map!
At our local charter school a few weeks ago, there was a group of mothers on the playground during recess letting the kids press cider from a press and then drink it. It was so popular, they brought it for a week. All ages loved getting involved in the process. I also have a neighbor who is making his own cider and spirits.
And speaking of cider…
On a recent trip to Vermont, I stopped by a favorite haunt at Shelbourne Orchards where 10 of the 80 acres are farmed organically. It’s located right off highway 7 south of Burlington, (exit 13 off 89) just next to Shelbourne Farm (another great stop) . The remaining acres are an ecological, low spray orchard. They hand-press their cider and one can gather their own drink straight from the press. They make a terrific drink called Ginger Jack that is bottled in a blue glass bottle with a wire porcelain cap.
It is worth a stop! Shelbourne Orchards has over 25 varieties, Paula Reds and Jersey Macs. McIntosh, Cortland, Empire, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Honey Crisp, Liberty, Mutzu (Crispin), Macoun, Fuji, Gala, and Hubbardston Nonesuch. Antique apples include Northern Spy, Cox Orange Pippin, Roxbury Russet, Golden Russet, Spartan, and Tolman Sweet. Now that is something I would like to aspire to: being able to identify 25 varieties.
There is a hammered copper still from Portugal. Apples that fall on the ground cannot be used in sweet cider. They can, however, be used in the process of making apple brandy, and we were there the day they were filling the still for the first time. Several varieties were being utilized - even apple wood from the orchard to fuel the fire under the still.
The apples are perfect!
The cider mill is running and making cold crisp sweet cider and future apple brandy and “the donut machines are cutting beautiful orbs of cinnamon sugar perfection and pies are baking” as their web site describes.
...and this is Vermont at it’s best!