Hello and I hope your busy fall season is going well!
Lately I feel like I’ve
We hope you’ll come down this week to see what’s “in store” at
our friendly Pathfinder Produce market. We’re open each week at the
Village Commons, Edmeston on Thursdays from 1 to 5 p.m. Check it out!
***
As I was driving along Route 8 last week, I noticed that there are
lots of wild apple trees heavily laden with fruit. I also saw one of my
neighbors gathering the drops, which got me to thinking about apples.
Once you get thinking about apples you have to buy some, and so I did --
New York grown Cortlands. Some nights after getting home late, and we’re
just raiding the fridge for dinner, it’s nice to enjoy a crisp, sweet apple
with our quick meals.
I’ve noticed there are several wild apple trees that are also
bearing fruit just down the road and across the way from our house (not far
from the eagle’s nesting spot). I think because we had a fairly wet
spring in our region without any late freezes, our apple crops are doing well.
According to our friends at the New York Apple Association, they
expect a 2017 harvest of 28.0 million cartons – or 1.1 billion pounds – of
commercially grown apples over the coming weeks.
“New York state grows more apples than any other state east
of the Mississippi River, our state is made for growing apples,” said NYAA
President Cynthia Haskins. “There is no reason for New Yorkers and other East
Coast buyers to look any further than their own back yard for great tasting
apples and apple cider.” She goes on to say that with our climate, New
York has helped develop classic varieties, like the McIntosh, Empire and
Cortland. Apparently they’re still creating new types at Cornell
University, including the recently introduced Ruby Frost and Snap Dragon.
New York’s output is slightly up from 2016, while other
states have been affected by climate … according to the USDA production will be down by 27% for the Northern Central States,
which had a cold snap in May. Predictions from Washington vary, but are pegged
as being down slightly according to growing industry sources. It’s hard to say
how the ongoing wild fires out west will affect next year’s crop.
Most commercial apples are hybrids, created through careful
grafting and tree-care. If you have time and want to use wild apples,
there are plenty of web sources on how to select, wash, sort, and go through wild fruit.
Home to many historic orchards, the Hudson Valley, is even experiencing a new
awareness of how wild apples may be used to create ciders that are similar to historic varieties. Many of our forbearers used the
wild fruits to make cider and apple butter (mmmmmmm, apple butter), which would keep through the winter months and add variety in their
diets. Henry David Thoreau was a fan of wild apples and wrote an essay on them in November 1862.
Although
I know I don’t have time to collect or use the wild apples near me, I ventured
to see if they are palatable. Carefully peeling back the skin, and
cutting the apple in half to make sure it hadn’t been invaded by worms (yuck),
I took a taste. The small green apple was very similar to a Granny Smith
… tart, firm, and they would probably work great for applesauce, cider, or
other recipes.
Until
next time, eat well, be well, and enjoy the fall!
Lori
