Apples - The Noblest of Fruits By Angela Saxe
T
he e-mail read, “My son called last night…he very sheepishly told me that he ate the best apple pie of his life at your place. So what did you put in it??????” My sister-in-law’s question about her son’s claim continues an ongoing dialogue between us about apples and apple pie-making that we have been having over the past thirty years. We’re both committed and widely respected pie-makers and even though we aren’t competitive, we do like to compare.
My answer back to her e-mail: “The reason my apple pie was so delicious was because I used Duchess apples from a friend’s orchard. I collected some windfalls and used them in the pie along with some Cortland’s. He was right; they made the pie taste unbelievably delicious!!” Never having heard of this apple before, she consulted a co-worker whose husband is passionate and knowledgeable about apple cultivars and has personally collected thousands of varieties. He identified the Duchess apple tree that has grown quietly in the village of Tamworth for decades as the Duchess of Oldenburg variety, not to be confused with the Duchess of Bedford, the Duchess of Gloucester or the Duchess’ Favourite. It is of medium to large size with a base yellow colour, covered with a pattern of broken red stripes and its flesh is creamy-yellow, tender, crisp, and juicy. This apple dates back to the 1600s from the Upper Volga River in Russia and is believed to be the grandparent of both the Northern Spy and the McIntosh. A perfect cooking apple, but also tasty enough to eat fresh. He said that the owner of the Duchess tree should enjoy his good fortune for it is considered a rare tree in our area. We can be excused for thinking that the apple, malus domestica, is an American fruit since it can be found growing wild in old pastures, in neglected orchards next to old homesteads and in suburban backyards, but the truth is that the apple’s wild ancestor, malus sieversii, originated in central Asia. Botanists believe that Kazakhstan is the apple’s original home. Apple trees producing over 7,500 varieties cover thousands of acres all over the world and come in all shapes, sizes and colours – some are the size of giant oaks. Since the Silk Route passed right through Kazakhstan, travelers and nomads carried wild apples with them on their journey west over a period of thousands of years. Over the years people experimented with different varieties, always trying to cultivate
an apple that was sweeter and more attractive. In his book Wild Apples, Henry David Thoreau observed: “It is remarkable how closely the history of the apple tree is connected with that of man.” How true, for apples have played a role in the human imagination for thousands of years from mythology when the Greek hero Heracles (Hercules) had to go to the Garden of Hesperides and pick the golden apples off the Tree of Life which was guarded by the dragon Ladon. Meanwhile, one of the longest and most brutal of wars began because Paris of Troy awarded a golden apple to Aphrodite as a prize for being the most beautiful goddess; she bribed him with the promise of having Helen of Troy thus triggering the beginning of the Trojan wars. One of the most powerful stories in the Bible revolves around the apple; God clearly and unequivocally forbids Adam and Eve from picking and eating the apples from the Tree of Knowledge, but they do and are quickly expelled from the Garden of Eden. Whether the apple is the most desirable of fruits or the symbol of rebellion and sin, it has also played an important part in the domestication of our continent and the man greatly responsible for this was the early frontiersman John Chapman, also known as Johnny Appleseed. A strange, tall figure who went barefoot, clad in a burlap coffee sack shirt and cut-off pants, with a tin pot on his head, Chapman carried thousands of apple seeds across western Pennsylvania to Ohio and onto Indiana. An astute businessman, he started tree nurseries in unsettled areas next to river tributaries. As the settlers made their way west, there he was ready to sell them saplings for their farms. Eventually he hired someone to tend the young saplings and sell them, while he moved further west planting new nurseries. His seeds produced wildlings: the apples, referred to as spitters, were tart and astringent and only good for making hard cider. No wonder Chapman was such a welcome presence in the frontier - he was really bringing them a source for making alcohol! Chapman planted so many trees from seed that there were bound to be some exceptionally good ones. These became the ancestors of the American apple: Red Delicious, Baldwin and Rhode Island Greening, to mention a few. The only way to ensure that these cultivars were duplicated was by grafting, thereby eliminating any genetic deviation. Because each apple contains seven or eight seeds and each one contains genetic material different from its parents (extreme heterozygotes) apples are now routinely grafted. Without sex between plants (cross-pollination), the genetic material is preserved and passed down for generations. Unfortunately, this restricts the species’ genetic diversity and its natural ability to adapt itself in a new environThe Scoop
ment and to defend itself against its natural enemies: fungus, insects, and viruses. By the time Chapman died, there were thousands and thousands of apple trees across America. Although they were mostly inedible, that didn’t stop the settlers from making hard apple cider and apple cider vinegar. Considering that most settlers had once emigrated from the British Isles where cider had been a popular beverage for centuries they knew exactly what to do: They pressed the apples, allowed the juice to ferment in a barrel for a couple of weeks and drank it when it suited their taste. Pretty simple. The greatest threat to the apple came at the turn of the 20th century when the Women’s Christian Temperance Union in their zeal to prohibit the sale and consumption of alcohol, encouraged the destruction of apple orchards. Apple trees were cut down in great number; they were only saved when the apple producers rebranded their fruit as a health food. An apple a day keeps the doctor away!! Today as many more people are tending their own gardens and trying to eat locally grown food many home gardeners are picking apples off their trees not just to eat them, but also to make apple juice and apple cider. This year when Peter Tylus in Tamworth picked the Duchess apples from his trees, along with Macs and some transparent greens, he set out to learn the art of cider-making. He bought a cider hand press similar to those used in the 19th century with a screw press and a single tub. He and his wife then picked bushels and bushels of apples, making sure that the apples were sound and avoiding windfalls. The first step was to wash the apples, discarding any rotten fruit. Then, using a hand grinder, the apples were then ground into pomace which was then shoveled into a tub that had first been lined with a cloth bag. When the tub was full, the bag top was folded over and a sturdy pressing plate was laid on top. The screw was then turned manually, forcing the juice out the bottom of the tub and into collecting vessels, in this case plastic. When the juice slowed down, Peter applied more pressure until no more juice came through. At this point, he reversed the screw, the dry pomace (pulp) was removed and the process was repeated. Using your own apples means that the juicing occurs over a period of time as each variety of apple ripens. “I didn’t realize how much work and time is involved,” said Peter. “Next year, I’d like to make it more of a communal activity. Neighbours and friends helping to press the apples and getting a portion of the final product makes a lot more sense. Also, I think I’ll do what another neighbour did and use a motorized grinder.” Extracting the apple juice is the first step in making cider, next comes the testing and blending and then the 2-step fermentation process. There are many good books to consult – Peter used Sweet & Hard Cider: Making
DECEMBER 2011 - JANUARY 2012
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it, Using it & Enjoying it, by Annie Proulx and Lew Nichols – as well as some excellent sites on the Internet. It certainly is labour-intensive, but as Peter told me, “I love the process more than anything else. I have a better appreciation for how good cider is made – it’s another artisanal product made lovingly and painstakingly and in a world where so many things are processed, it’s wonderful to taste something made slowly and with care.” This fall, apple trees across the countryside were laden with fruit. In our modest orchard, the McIntosh apples were flawless and their snappy, crisp taste was a treat that we’ve waited to enjoy for the past ten years. Dropping by Peter’s to pick some Duchess apples pleased me tremendously: gathering fruit is part of an autumn ritual that connects us to the seasons and to the human need to see where our food comes from. Rolling out the dough, cutting up the apples, baking the pie, making “the best pie ever” – it can’t get better than that!
WAYLEN CAR WASH
Keep your vehicles shining for your HOLIDAY travels... Wishing you all an enjoyable Christmas Season, Dave, Barb, Kallista & Shae-Lynn CTY RD 4, TAMWORTH