Don’t Judge an Apple by Its Age
Fourteen years ago when we started Out on a Limb CSA we called it an “Heirloom Apple” CSA. Heirloom was our focus as John had spent decades exploring the old orchards, dooryards, woods and roadsides of Maine searching out ancient, long-forgotten varieties. We were devotees of the old apples that were revered for cooking, drying, molasses, and cider - in short for everything but fresh eating. We were, admittedly, heritage apple snobs. But over the years we’ve learned a thing or two about apples, including that not all great apples were discovered before 1933. In fact we now freely admit that some of our favorite apples were developed in university breeding programs while others were discovered from castoff seeds casually tossed in the garden next to our porch or dropped by a deer in our orchard. Many of them are even great for fresh eating, What unites these more modern apples with the heirlooms we’ve touted for so long is that for the most part they are shunned by the commercial apple industry: they ripen too early, are too small, don’t store well, have that “unattractive” russet skin, have unexpected flavors, don’t bear annually, or are difficult to grow. While on occasion you may be lucky enough to find one or two of our modern favorites at a farm stand, they are never available at a super market. We think they are worthy of inclusion in our CSA since they are certainly “rare” and that they deserve a taste test or two in your apple education.
Let the adventure begin.
Picks of the week:
(Click each variety for more info)
Each week of the CSA we bring you a mix of apples that you can use for fresh eating (aka dessert apples) and/or cooking. They will reflect what is ripest in the orchard at that moment in time so that the mix of apples will change as the season progresses. We provide an introduction to the apples in this section of the newsletter, and we recommend that you sample each variety and decide for yourself what you think of it and how you can put it to best use. Don’t take our word for it. Everyone has individual taste preferences, and over the years we have learned that some of our least preferred apples are shareholder favorites.
If you’ve been in the CSA for years, you will recognize apple varieties from past seasons. Don’t let previous impressions discourage you from sampling an apple again. An apple can taste remarkably different from year to year. Last year the fruits were huge from heavy rains in July and August but the flavor was a bit watered down. This year the dry weather has resulted in smaller fruits that pack more punch into each bite.
Finally whatever you think of a particular apple, remember that the best pies, crisps and sauce are often made from a mixture of apple varieties. So if you don’t want to cozy up with a particular apple and a slice of cheese, try throwing it into a pot or a crust with some other types of apples and see what happens. We look forward to hearing what you discover.
Summer apples are challenging - they stay fresh but a minute and are bruised easily by branches, thumbs and critical comments. So treat them with care, especially the senior members of your share bag, Duchess and Milton. Duchess is an apple that we thought we knew lots about, but the more we learn, the less we know. DNA analysis has given us some clues - for instance that the Hess apple sent to us from VT is likely a DucHESS whose tag had been ripped in half - but it also has reveled that the apple we call Duchess is identical to the ones we call New Brunswicker and Legace. Will the real Duchess please stand up? No matter, those that we’ve included this week are superb pie apples: full of tart flavor and hardy enough to stand up to a hot oven. Add Milton to your kale salads or to a crisp or sauce. It may benefit from the addition of some spices.
The fresh eating apples in your share are the remaining three, Zestar, Prima and Ginger Gold. Zestar has been our most consistent entry in the first CSA week because it bears annually and has a zesty flavor. But it is darn hard to harvest without bruising. Zestar (which is supposed to be written with an ! after its name)! is the trademarked name of the apple variety whose “real” (cultivar) name is “Minnewashta.”
Like Zestar and Milton, Prima is the product of a breeding program. It was developed by a collaboration between Perdue University, Rutgers University and the University of Illinois. It is easy to identify varieties released by this group because they have given them all names that include the initials PRI. Prima makes a good sauce and can be added to early season cider.
Ginger Gold is a new addition to our CSA. Although it has the kind of name you’d expect from apples developed at universities, it is a chance seedling discovered in VA. Don’t mistake it for Golden Delicious, which ripens two months later. The flavor is mild, and it pairs nicely with a slice of cheddar. Some may argue that the real gold in the Ginger Gold bag are the small golden crabs hidden between the larger apples. These golden-skinned treasures that are blushed with rose are Centennial Crabs. We had only a few since a porcupine cleaned out our tree, but we wanted to give you a taste. The larger ones are decidedly more delicious than the smaller ones (some of which may be bitter), but take a chance and give them a try. When you bite into a perfect one, you will think you have found a true golden apple.
Our apples come to you straight from the tree, so, as with all fresh produce, please be sure to wash them thoroughly before eating. Some of the apples are grown using Integrated Pest Management by the orchards we collaborate with throughout Maine, and some are organically grown here on Super Chilly Farm.
Recipe of the Week
Since Duchess is at the top of many a pie baker’s list of summer or (really any-season) favorites, it was tempting to include a pie recipe in this newsletter, but there are so many on our website. And I’m guessing that anyone reading this already has a tried and true recipe for apple pie in their back pocket. So I decided to see if I could find a dessert that took advantage of the superior cooking qualities of Duchess outside of a crust. Modern recipe makers often specify Granny Smith, Gala, Fuji, Pink Lady or sometimes Cortland in the ingredient list, but nowhere in old cookbooks or new could I find a call for a Duchess. I did however find a recipe that just said “apples” so that is the one I chose. So glad I did.
Melissa Clark’s Upside-Down Caramel-Apple Muffins are so delicious that I hesitate to call them muffins. Really they are individual upside-down cakes adorned with a deep golden glaze of apple perfection. The muffin part is light, moist and worthy of eating alone, but the sticky apple intensity of the fruit top elevates them well above the rank of lowly muffin. I suggested renaming them cupcakes to John who immediately nixed the idea because he, “hates cupcakes even more than muffins”. I did notice, however, that he had no trouble eating them so they most certainly are misnamed. The Duchess apples shine in this recipe, getting tender without losing their shape and providing just the right amount of tartness to balance the sweetness of the brown sugar. Serve them for breakfast, an elegant afternoon tea or dessert and call them whatever seems appropriate for the occasion.
Upside-Down Caramel Apple Muffins
Ingredients:
For the Apple Topping
1.5 pound apples, peeled, cored and sliced 1/4” thick (I used 7 Duchess apples)
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
8 Tbs unsalted butter
pinch kosher salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
For the Muffins
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 Tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp kosher salt
8 Tbs unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°. Generously grease a 12-cup muffin tin. (I used 12 pyrex custard cups placed on a baking sheet so I could invert them one at a time in order to keep the apple topping in place.)
Melt 8 Tbs butter and 1/2 cup brown sugar in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the apples and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, til the apples are tender but not saucy - about 15-18 minutes.
Divide the apples into 12 portions, and add to the muffin cups. Sprinkle walnuts on top.
To make the muffins, whisk together the flour, 3/4 cup brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and 1/4 tsp salt.
In a separate bowl whisk together the melted butter, eggs, sour cream and vanilla.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and fold together until smooth. The batter will be fairly dry.
Spoon the batter over the apples. Bake until the muffins are slightly puffed - 20-22 minutes.
Cool the muffins partly in the pan. Invert onto a platter or individual plates. Serve warm or at room temperature.