Why I Love America

—CHRISTINA FERRARI

Along a stretch of California’s State Route 1 that passes through Half Moon Bay, one can find farm stalls set up on the road, and the bounty of produce includes apples grown by the Ferrari family. About 15 years ago, the family purchased a 150-acre working ranch with over 100 years of history, in Pescadero, California. The Ferraris wanted to start a business project that brought the family together. “The orchard provides an opportunity to grow the apple varieties we like as a family, in addition to being a special place where everyone can spend time with each other,” said Christina Ferrari.

Together with her siblings, Christina occasionally helps her parents run the 5-acre orchard, although she primarily manages American Bistro, a Silicon Valley restaurant for which she is also the chef. She believes that the warm days and cool evenings make for the ideal conditions to grow apples. “The microclimate in Pescadero is perfect for growing apples, with the cool sea mist from the ocean,” she said.

The orchard grows nine different varieties, but the family is partial to the Granny Smith. “In addition to the crispness and juiciness, the tart and acidic flavor—plus its firmness—make it perfect for cooking and baking,” Christina said. She also has her own small orchard, where she grows more than a dozen heirloom varieties. As a chef, Christina’s favorite apple dish is the tarte tatin—it’s also an American Bistro specialty. “The caramelization of the apples and delicate puff pastry is a treat,” she said. •

ABOVE Christina Ferrari picking apples at her family’s orchard.

RIGHT Ferrari is also the chef-owner of a restaurant in Silicon Valley that incorporates apples from the family orchard into its menu.

TOP LEFT The Ferrari orchard’s farm stall along the scenic State Route 1 highway; the Jonastar variety; children enjoying apples at the orchard; Granny Smiths; Gala apples.

The Seed Savers Exchange grows heirloom varieties in an effort to preserve the historic plants, and distributes scion wood to gardeners around the country who are interested in growing them.

RIGHT The ‘Summer Red,’ the Snow Apple in a vibrant green and red shade, and the Quaker Beauty are among the rare varieties grown at the Seed Savers Exchange. LEFT The Black Ben Davis, a variety developed in the 1880s.

The nonprofit Seed Savers Exchange was cofounded in 1975 by Diane Ott Whealy, who sought to preserve the heirloom plant seeds that her great-grandparents brought from Bavaria when they immigrated to Iowa during the 1880s. Together with her husband, Diane created a network of gardeners who were passionate about protecting rare plants. Today, about 13,000 members, mostly consisting of home gardeners, exchange seeds with one another in hopes of making the heirloom plants more widely available and “less rare,” said orchard manager Lindsay Lee.

The organization has tens of thousands of plants in its collection, among which over 900 apple varieties are grown at the Historic Orchard. “Each variety is relatively rare, established commercially before 1950, with some varieties dating back to the 1700s,” said Jennifer Ripp, assistant orchard manager. She described the orchard as a “living museum.”

The 10-acre orchard does not produce apples for public consumption. Instead, they distribute scion wood— young plant shoots that are used for grafting—to gardeners around the country who are interested in growing apples. Ripp said that each variety has its own character. “Some varieties have complicated histories that add to their intrigue, while others are ‘so ugly they’re cute,’ like the Knobbed Russet.” A variety that stands out for her is the Quaker Beauty, “technically a crab apple, with fuzzy waxless skin like a peach and a delicate flavor of banana and hazelnut.” Another has been dubbed the Leopold Tree, after a local family homestead in Burlington, Iowa, where the variety was found. •