It’s Apple Season
Thanks to advanced storage technologies, we can pretty much have access to apples year-round, but the advent of crisp fall air brings out a want of all things apple for me. Forget pumpkin spiced everything. As Grandma told me when I was young, “Applesauce runs through our veins.”
During a heated argument with a co-worker over evolution, my father was asked if he honestly believed that his ancestors lived in trees. Without missing a beat Dad shot back, “I know they did. My family were apple pickers from Adams County.”
I was an adult before I realized that my parents stored bushels of apples in their bedroom because it was the coolest and darkest room in the house—not to keep their three kids from eating all of them.
This was the time of year that when Dad would go fishing, he’d also come home with apples—a true hunter/gatherer. No one ever left my parents’ home without a bag of apples.
We tend to think of fruit as ubiquitous throughout the country, even the world, as transportation can ship what we want, when we want, to where we want practically overnight. When in season, I can order my beloved blood oranges and pixie tangerines from my former neighbors in Ojai. Like the citrus, fruits tend to taste better when the come from the environment for which they are best suited. Here in the east, the apple basket is in southcentral Pennsylvania, with Adams, Cumberland, Franklin, and York counties harvesting between 10 and 12 million bushels annually.
There’s a reason that Adams County is home to the National Apple Museum and the National Apple Harvest Festival, which was sadly, cancelled for the first time in 56 years due to the pandemic. Even the Biglerville High School sport teams’ tip their hats to the local industry, calling themselves the Canners.
Being an apple grower once meant selling to the processing plants like Musselman’s, Mott’s and Knouse Foods (the largest fruit processor in the nation) and/or having a little roadside stand. But over the years, many of the local orchards have evolved to maintain a legacy. Some have diversified with an assortment of fresh vegetables as well, growing their roadside stands into larger venues. Others host pick-your-own and agritainment events. With the rise of metropolitan markets, orchardists headed into the cities with their goods, many developing loyal followers due to the variety and quality of fruits and vegetables offered that were not normally found in commercial grocery stores. When was the last time you saw fresh quinces, currants, or gooseberries in the produce section?
While apple cider and apple butter reigned as the value-added products for producers, it wasn’t long before they caught on to the idea that they, too, could have their fruits canned to sell during the off-season months. Additional innovative and tasty offerings appeared like BBQ sauces, ready-made pie fillings and premium products made from a single varietal of fruit.
Over the last several years apple farmers have begun upping their game to the next level with world class regional hard ciders, brandies, and distilled spirits. You’ll find libations such as these at Central Farm Markets with seasonal vendors like Distillery Lane Ciderworks from Jefferson, Maryland who will back at the Bethesda location on November 1st. When I picked up a bottle of their Witches Brew Sparkling Apple and Aronia Berry Wine (cider), I was pleased to hear that all proceeds from the sales of that particular variety would be donated to the Maryland Food Bank.
While all this talk about apples conjures up images of pies, cakes, fritters, caramel and candied apples, there’s a savory side to this versatile fruit. One of my favorite recipe ideas for autumn braised roasts is using apple cider as the liquid with a sliced apple or two tossed in along with the meat and vegetables. If you’re not inclined toward meat, try adding apples and cider to hearty squash soups. There are so many ways to prepare and store apples, including with the latest kitchen gadget, an air fryer! I’ll stick with my trusty Excalibur dehydrator and Italian food mill to put up the harvest. But the best way to enjoy a fresh local apple from the farmers market is to bite right into it.