Learning to Think Differently
Maya Angelou said, “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude”. This straightforward piece of advice strikes a chord with me - take action where you must; learn to live in grace everywhere else. I think of the challenge to make change in terms of human constructs - institutions, societal injustices, things people have created; the latter attitude change seems more easily directed at the natural world - weather, seasons, the wonderful and relentless push of flora and fauna to fill every open niche. Because we are not a large commercial orchard we have the luxury to experiment in a way that would be totally impractical for most orchardists. Our orchards more closely resemble a roadside or a woodland than a typical production orchard where trees are grown in straight rows on dwarfing rootstock over a mowed understory of grass. We do this because we’ve noticed that naturally-occurring apples often have less disease and insect damage than do managed apples. As we observe what plants and insects appear and thrive in our orchards, we hope to learn whether this type of diverse ecosystem offers any benefits to our trees. It also requires us to change our attitudes.
Our “woodland” orchard is planted on an acre of land carved out of the forest. We planted trees in any space we could find between the ledge outcrops and waited to see what plants would populate the shallow soils surrounding them. One of the first shrubs to arrive was one that we had never seen on the farm, Aralia hispida, Bristly Sarsaparilla. This pioneer quickly established itself over the open areas of the orchard. My initial reaction was negative - let’s get rid of this prickly plant - but the more I tried to dig it out, the more underground runners it left behind. And then it flowered. Suddenly those spiky stems were covered with white umbels that were a buzz with bees, butterflies and other insects. In a flash this undesirable shrub had become a popular diner for the pollinators in our orchard. Wasn’t this exactly what we were hoping for?
My second attitude adjustment came this past summer in our larger, more “normal” orchard where we encourage large pollinator rows to grow between the trees. As I was passing a neglected pile of wood chips, I noticed 12 or so Monarch butterflies atop the flowers growing from the pile. Since that was more Monarchs than I had seen at once in several years, I stopped to take a closer look. They were not sipping from milkweeds as I expected but from that most despised of plants, Cirsium arvense, the Creeping Thistle. This thistle was one of the first species listed on the US Noxious Plant List, and I’m certain there is not a gardener in Maine who has not done battle with it. A 2016 British study reported that it has one of the highest nectar producing flowers, making it a favorite food source for pollinators, yet published descriptions of Creeping Thistle focus only on how to eradicate it, never on any beneficial aspects. Since we’ll never eliminate it from our orchard, maybe we can learn to appreciate it’s ability to attract and provide a valuable food source for bees, butterflies and other pollinators.
I’ve found it more of a challenge to change my attitude about the Browntail Moth (Euproctis chrysorrhoea) that first devour the leaves of our apple, pear and cherry trees and the giant oaks that shade our farm and then cause a rash on those who pass in their wake. Recently I was reading The Life of the White Mare: Sobriety and Enchantment by our friend Etain Addey who was describing the relationship between a similar bristly pest, the Oak Processionary Caterpillar (Thaumetopoea processionea) and the oak trees that they defoliate in less than a week on her farm in Gubbio, Italy. While the local conversation is all about how to eradicate the caterpillars, Etain takes time to think about what the infestation means for the trees. In a year where the caterpillars appear, the oaks must produce two sets of foliage which leaves them no energy for seed production. Fewer acorns means a subsequent decrease in the wildlife populations that feed on the acorns so that in the following year when seed is again abundant it has a better chance of germinating. In addition the frass (poop) from the caterpillars rains down around the trees while they are feeding, providing the oaks with a natural side-dressing of manure. I haven’t read or heard anything that mentions the larger ecosystem benefits of the Browntail Moth, but perhaps that is because we’re too busy reacting to what we don’t like about them. Yes, they make more work in our managed orchards, but perhaps the oaks and Amelanchiers owe their spread as much to the Browntail as the squirrel. As Etain says, “Unless we let go of our point of view, this subtle rhythm is invisible to us. We just don’t like the look of the bare woods and we think no further.”
Picks of the week:
(Click each variety for more info)
Hard to believe that the fall is coming to a close. To us it is the shortest season, never enough time to get everything done or to savor the many fruits of our farm (and labors). Thankfully the late season apples give us a bit of a reprieve from hasty overeating since they ripen slowly and hold their flavor and crunch for a few weeks or months. Although I start mourning the loss of light on June 23rd, I look forward to the shortest, darkest days of winter when I can relax enough to dive into the essence of the apple. The apples in final share will touch all your senses - taste, smell, touch, hearing and sight - what other foods can claim to do that?
An early morning walk through our experimental orchard. Photo by Elizabeth Lucy
We love russets which is why we have included two, Ashmead’s Kernel and Golden Russet, in your share this week. Their suede-like skin doesn’t feel or look like an “apple” so you’re unlikely to find them in any grocery chain. Ashmead’s Kernel which hails from 1700’s England looks like a fiery sunset with the final rays of sun streaking across a rose-colored sky. Magnificent. The Golden Russets this year are not as fully russeted as in seasons past; yellows and greens can still be seen peaking out behind the gold. But the flavor is all there. Eat these fresh for immediate enjoyment or try cooking up the Golden Russet on a pizza or in a Dutch Baby. Browned in butter they are excellent.
We also have a pair of “sweet” apples in the mix, Sweet Red and Sweet 16. Sweet Red is a mystery apple that grows at The Apple Farm in Fairfield. They use it in their fresh cider, but it also can be eaten out of hand and used in cooking. Joshua Hinchman, who has been helping out on the CSA this year, claims Sweet Red to be his favorite apple of the week (although he hadn’t tasted Sweet 16 when he announced that). Check out its intense red skin - it is so opaque that it seems to absorb the light - like the black hole of the apple world. Sweet 16 has been in the CSA many times. Despite the moniker “sweet” this modern apple has a more complex and interesting flavor than the “sweets” of old - cherry, vanilla, anise - no surprise since it is an offspring an arranged marriage between Frostbite and Northern Spy. Slice it up and eat it raw; add it to your sauce, use it in apple brownies.
Last but not least in your share bag is……drum roll please….Black Oxford, the most requested apple of the CSA. While these Maine natives are as visually stunning as ever, THEY ARE NOT RIPE YET. We cut into a few and the flesh was still green and hard and pretty flavorless. Also they are smaller than we would like, a tendency that long ago made them drop out of favor with commercial growers. Really they aren’t up to our normal CSA standards, but we didn’t want to disappoint you. So we suggest you wait a few weeks before you eat them. Can we count on you to wait?
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.
Don’t Miss: Reconstructing the Apple Family Tree, Saturday November 12 at 12:00. This zoom presentation by John Bunker, Nick Howard and Cameron Peace is part of the North American Fruit Explorers conference. They will be presenting the results of their DNA analyses of apples worldwide. For more information about the conference or to register, go to NAFEX conference.
Recipe of the Week
Gluten-Free Apple-Almond Tart
A hundred or more years ago when every farm-yard orchard in Maine had a sweet apple tree, the fruit was generally baked in milk and used as a remedy for stomach woes. Sweet apples weren’t used for pies since the flesh takes longer to soften than that of apples with more acidity. Modern recipes that call for a sweet apple expect you to use a Gala or Fuji or pretty much any super market apple that is not a Granny Smith. Consequently, I haven’t done a lot of cooking with Sweet Red, but I wanted to experiment. This apple-almond tart seemed like the perfect vehicle for a sweet apple since the fruit is caramelized before it goes into the crust so there is no need to worry that the apple will be under-cooked. The tart has very little sugar in it, but the caramelized Sweet Reds were so sweet that it tasted as if there were raisins in the tart.
None of the gluten-free flours called for in this recipe were in my pantry so I pivoted and made an easy, no-rolling-necessary crust out of almond meal. It worked perfectly with the tart and took less than five minutes to make. You can find the recipe here. I pre-baked it for 25 minutes before adding the apples.
Ingredients:
OOAL Crew Josh, John and Lauren sharing an all apple lunch (apple brownies, apple pizza, apple cider and apple-almond tart) with friends to celebrate the end of apple season.
4-5 large apples, cored and cut in 1/2” dice
1.5 Tbs lemon juice
1.5 Tbs unsalted butter
1/4 cup turbinado sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup egg white (from 3 large eggs)
2 Tbs white sugar
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 9-inch gluten-free pastry shell, fully baked
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Put the diced apple in a medium-sized bowl; toss with the lemon juice.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Heat a large skillet over high heat, and add the butter. When it has stopped foaming and has turned a light brown, add the apples, turbinado sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Spread the apples in a single layer and cook without stirring for several minutes. You may have to do this step in two batches if you don’t have a large enough skillet for all the apples to be in one layer.
Once the down side of the apples has begun to brown, turn the heat down to medium-high and saute until the apples have begun to caramelize, about 7-10 minutes. Pay attention, and keep stirring them because it takes only a moment for them to go from caramelized to burnt.
Remove the skillet from the heat, and spread the apples on the parchment paper to cool.
While the apples cool, make the almond topping. Beat the egg whites lightly in a bowl, just until they are frothy, not stiff. Whisk in the white sugar, and stir in the almonds.
Spread the cooled apples in the pre-baked pastry shell. Spread the almond and egg mixture evenly over the top of the apples.
Place the tart on a sheet pan, and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, until the almonds begin to turn golden. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.