by Joe Dennis, Nostalgia Farms, Walcott, Iowa
Midwest weather, you have to love it. From a long, hot and wet summer to lows in the 40’s in a matter of a few days. From tank tops and shorts one Saturday morning to a sweatshirt and jacket the next. Fall is in the air, and next to spring, my favorite time of the year. The smell of leaves burning as environmentally unacceptable as it has become, still reminds me of fall like nothing else.
The onset of cool weather also means the beginning of apple season for many of us. Apples are a small but important part of Nostalgia Farms. We have been making apple butter and apple pie jam for years from two of the 35+ year-old trees on the farm. One is an older Red Delicious variety that our customers have remarked as being the best tasting Red Delicious they have ever had. The other is a tart pie apple, the name lost with the previous owners. Just coming into their own are recently planted varieties like ‘MacIntosh’, ‘Golden Delicious’, ’Jonathan’ and ‘Granny Smith’.
Mrs. Wages Fresh Fruit Preserver is invaluable in preparing apples for canning and to prevent browning while chopping apples to cook into your favorite recipes. I like to mix one teaspoon to one cup water to soak apples while preparing large batches for use in apple butter or applesauce (a staple in our pantry). This liquid can also be used while cooking your apples in preparation to go through a food mill.
If you are lucky enough to have an apple tree in your yard, excess apples will be the word for the day. At the heighr of fall production, we simply core, peel, chop and freeze themfor later use. Once again a sprinkling of Fresh Fruit Preserver will keep your apples looking fresh from the tree.
Here’s a quick and easy dessert is my apple crisp, served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
 |
Joe Dennis is a farmer at Nostalgia Farms in Walcott, Iowa. Together with his partner, Ed Kraklio, they sell locally-grown, organic produce at the Freight House Farmer’s Market in downtown Davenport, IA near LeClaire Park, every Tuesday (3-6 pm) and Saturday (8 am -1 pm). You can visit the farm’s website at: www.nostalgiafarms.com. Read more of Farmer Joe’s blog posts on MVHNews, or try any of the Nostalgia Farms recipes on this website. |
