It's about time to head to the orchard for some apples. Last night I dreamed of apples so that's as good an indication as any. Who doesn't love an apple fresh from the tree, rubbed to a high shine with a shirt tail, and eaten on the spot while the sweet juices run down the chin?
My apple orchard fondness goes away back. I spent every Saturday of my autumns from the ages of 8 to 14 in an orchard. That was before migrant workers came to do the work and crews of local housewives took to the orchards with their children in tow.
My mother was one of that number and my sister and I were just two of an entire army of children. They kept us in line by making us work. We picked the drops for 10 cents a bushel. My mother, working with the apple ladders and picking from the trees, earned a mere 25 cents a bushel. A forty-bushel day was considered a good one for a tree-picker.
When I was twelve, I graduated to picking from the trees myself. This was my first real experience with having a boss. Mine just happened to be a tall, lanky farmer wearing overalls who was so soft-spoken that I had to listen very carefully. The first thing he warned me about was that my fingerprints were showing up on the apples. He demonstrated how I would have to roll them off using my palm. I also must leave the stem intact or the apple would rot during its long storage season. I tried to always do my best and soon I was just getting approving head nods and big grins. Far preferable!
At the end of a day in the orchard, when the sun was setting below the ridge, there was nothing better than to lie back in the grass beside some gnarled, ancient apple tree and simply watch the day end.
Now, I make my annual trek to the orchard for old time's sake. Sometimes I select my own apples by wandering down through the orchard, but more likely, I'll just select a bag of already picked apples. Later, when the apples are gone, I'll not even return to the orchard preferring to just head for the farmer's market.
This article on apple selection from Spark People is helpful. I'm going to follow their advice about apples best used for baking. I usually go with Cortlands.
Finally, if planning to do a lot of baking one really needs this apple-peeling gizmo. I found mine at LLBean.
I'd love to get an apple peeler corer tool, I love baking with apples, but I don't like all the preparation!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the idea of where to find one. I know I saw one through Pampered Chef, but heading to the store would be quicker! Just in time for those yummy fall apples!
Beautiful picture of the apple!