As the
Slow Food movement grows, Chefs are finding more and more heirloom and antique
variety fruits and vegetables coming to the marketplace. Apples are no exception; apple varieties that
were popular centuries ago are making a comeback. Thanks to local farmers both
large and small, apples with long histories, distinctive flavors and textures
are seeing resurgence. Heirloom apples—once popular
for pressing into cider, or for their ability to hold up in baking and
cooking—have a range of flavors, from tart to sweet to spicy and aromatic.
We all
know the top variety of apples – the ones we find in supermarkets – include Red
Delicious, Gala, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Fuji, McIntosh and Rome. These varieties make up 80 to 90 percent of
the 10 billion or so pounds of apples grown in the
U.S. each year.
15,000 different apples were once grown and eaten in the U.S., but
just one-fifth that number are available from nurseries and other sources today,
and most are at risk of being lost to commerce or disappearing altogether.
Apple orchards were once fixtures of American communities,
typically growing varieties that were well-adapted to local conditions. With
the consolidation of farming and the advent of better ways to ship, many small
orchards disappeared in the decades after World War II. Slow Food USA's catalog
of 200 endangered foods, "The U.S. Ark of Taste," lists seven
endangered heirloom apple varieties, including Granite Beauty and the Newtown
Pippin.
New England farmers are doing their part to reestablish heirloom
varieties that had been grown since our founding fathers first started farming
in the New World. The apples provide a fresh source of income for apple
growers, allowing them to distinguish themselves from the average orchard. For
New Englanders, the apples are a chance to buy and taste a uniquely local
product, something unlikely to be grown anywhere else in the country.
The
Granite Beauty apple, which originated before 1815 in Weare, NH, was near
extinction before the Monadnock Heritage Nursery in conjunction with “Slow Food
Monadnock” started work to save the variety.
In only two years, hundreds of trees and grafts have been disturbed to
home gardeners around the area. Many Local
farms are offering a variety of heirloom selections along with tips on how to prepare
and store heirloom varieties, some of which do not reach their peak taste until
they have been stored for weeks or even months
Lost
Nation Orchard, in Groveton, N.H., is planted with 80 types of apples, many of
them heirlooms including the Tolman Sweet, an old baking apple. Gould Hill Orchards in Contoocook NH grows
over 85 varieties of apples including Ashmead Kernel, August Sweet, Blue
Pearmain, Cox Orange Pippin, Granite Beauty, Gravenstein, Hubbardston
Nonesuch, Ozark Gold, Pomme Grise, Porter, Rhode Island Greening,
Sheepnose, Snow and Winesap.
The list
goes on and on, so as you are out apple picking this fall in New England, look
for some of these lesser known varieties and enjoy.
Heirloom Apple Cake
1 cup
sugar1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups heirloom apples, finely chopped (Look for Granite Beauty, Gravenstein, Winsap or Roxbury Russet)
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda (dissolved in buttermilk)
Topping
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Directions:
1. Cream together the sugars, butter and eggs. Add the remaining ingredients and stir.
2. Pour into a lightly greased 13 X 9” baking pan. Mix topping ingredients and sprinkle on top.
3. Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes.
4. Serve warm or cooled with whipped cream!
1. Cream together the sugars, butter and eggs. Add the remaining ingredients and stir.
2. Pour into a lightly greased 13 X 9” baking pan. Mix topping ingredients and sprinkle on top.
3. Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes.
4. Serve warm or cooled with whipped cream!
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