It’s Gravenstein Apple time! That means apple pies! That’s because the Gravenstein is considered by many to be one of the best all-around apple with a sweet tart flavor perfect for baking and cooking. It has a short season and it doesn’t keep well, so the best place to find them is at farmer’s markets, on the west coast, especially within traveling of Sonoma Country, California and Kimberly Orchards in Kimberly, Oregon.
I first started making apple pies in 1973. David’s mother, April, made the best apple pie and I wanted to learn how to do it. That August, I made 50 apple pies with boxes of Gravenstein apples, Julia Child piecrust and Joy of Cooking pie recipes (with April’s secret twists) and the Apple Peeler Corer Slicer gadget, still available today! Wrapped in gallon size plastic bags, the pies went into the freezer raw, ready to bake in mid-winter when no fresh Gravenstein apples could be found. April charged 6 pies for “freezer rent”, well worth it.
Because it was 1973, when we were all Martha Stuart hippies (before Martha Stuart existed), I saved the peels and cores to make apple jelly. The leftover apples turned into applesauce, which I canned, with my big canning pot and Ball Mason Canning Jars. I’ve made Gravenstein apple pies just about every year since then, but never again on this grand scale.
In Sunriver, about 10-12 years ago, I made a deal with a friend in the resort to pay her freezer rent for keeping my apple pies in her big freezer. It worked out great, but somehow, I never got the bug to make pies by the dozen or two or three again.
This year, I took the ingredients for apple pie to Nevada City, and made my first Gravenstein apple pie in a couple of years. We split it among 9 people, and it was really really good.
Back to the future, I’m going to make one pie for the freezer, make a pie in Medford on an upcoming visit with David’s parents, and for tonight: apple frico. Take a hard cheese, like a cross between parmesan reggiano and cheddar, and grate it in the large holes of the grater. Sauté slices of apple in a good olive oil, until caramelized and sticky with their own juices. Place a handful of cheese in the pan and cook until crispy, layer with apples, then add more cheese and flip. Crisp the other side and serve. You will think you’ve died and gone to apple & cheese heaven!
September 4: Kimberly Orchard Bounty! (Another Full Circle)
After 14 years, I’ve come full circle. I’ve just returned from Nevada City, California, where the three of us visited family friends. We had to stop by our former home, have coffee at Flour Garden, and drive around a bit.
Bird biologists bought our house. When we arrived, the “big rocks” in the driveway got up, stretched their wings and jumped into the water. They have about 30 ducks! We used to have ducks too, with Purina Duck Chow supplementing the natural food in the pond (which we calculated could support about 1.5 ducks). They’ve added a bridge over the creek, two sheds, an office building in the clearing across the pond (where my quilt studio should have gone), and fruit trees and chickens behind the office.
I miss my friends in Nevada City, but I have to say life in Oregon is good.
August 28: Full Circle
I stopped at Farmers Market yesterday to pick up Kimberly Orchard peaches, nectarines and dried apples and Rick Steffen Farm tomatoes. I stopped by Pat’s house on the way home, and she gave me two dotty dishtowels. What a great day with fresh fruit and veggies, a gift and a warm greeting from Frida and Ruby, Pat’s dogs.
August 14: Eating My Way Through Summer
With guests in the house, things get hectic. I found a dirty glass in an odd place, but just before soaking it with water, I noticed an interesting pattern in the dried milk at the bottom of the glass.
Doing dishes together is a good way to keep visiting with people you haven’t seen in a long time. But when both people reach for a dish at the same time, the dish might not survive. Actually, this is a really clean break- I believe this bowl will be saved. You can’t tell it’s already broken in the first photo, right?
August 8: Adventures in the Kitchen
Rainier Cherries and Kimberly Orchard Dried Granny Smith Apples…must be summer!
Harold Fogle crossed Bing and Van cherries in 1952 at Washington State University and named his new cherry after Mt. Rainier. What’s not to like about the sweet creamy yellow cherries, harvested at their peak for best flavor? In fact, birds eat about 1/3 of the crop before the cherries get harvested. They retail for about $5 a pound around here but can go for $1.00 each in Japan, where they are much loved.
Snake Oil or Just Too Good: This fruit is high in fiber, Vitamin C, antioxidants, and melatonin (for better sleep). These cherries (allegedly) fight inflammation, ease the pain of arthritis and gout (?) and headaches, and help fight cancer and heart disease (all according to the source pnw.localnews.com).
I’m a big fan of Kimberly Orchards (think the best peaches in the world) and now I’m addicted to their dried apple slices- dried with nothing but their natural juices and a little lemon juice. Yummm…
The apples can be purchased just about year around if you know where to shop (such as Whole Paycheck/Foods) but the rainier cherries have a short season. It’s hard to practice moderation, but something so good for you can also make you sick if you eat too much!
July 25: Life in the Pacific Northwest
I love this plant! It’s a wonderful bitter cocoa powder color with appealing texture. One can get a “fiber fix” just about anywhere, and this plant is proof of that. Makes me want to stitch it into the underwater coral reef quilt or appliqué it or just enlarge the photo to hang on my sewing room wall.
July 17: Circles Outside My Kitchen Window
I cooked up a fitting red, white and blue dessert for the 4th of July: mini cherry pies!
Of course, you’ll need a napkin to go with it.
July 4th: Happy Independence Day
P.S. I read a story about a survey in which 26% of the American respondents could not name the country from which we won independence…if true, what’s going on with that?
As I recall, the “Happy Feet” roller ball foot massage gadget promised world peace if only we’d all take care of our sore feet. Obviously, not enough of us bought this item, but my feet are certainly happy because of it. It lives under the computer desk, so my feet can get relief any old time. P.S. I have a Happy Hand gadget too!
July 3: Happy Feet!
More finds at The Big Sale in Medford last weekend. I thought the woman in front of me would buy them, but she said “no one serves coffee in demitasse cups anymore”. The volunteers encouraged her to serve whiskey instead! I love them, but I plan to serve tea and little snacks.
June 19: Whiskey or Green Tea?
I found this mystery item at The Big Sale in Medford, buried on the kitchen gadget table, on sale for 12 1/2 cents. Hey, it was half-price day.
I photographed it against a placemat, to show off the stainless steel sheet with holes in it.
On the back a sticker said “Made in Korea”, so this must be a finished item, not an orphaned part of something else.
I don’t usually buy things “on speculation”, but I just had to speculate about this.What is it? Who owned it before me? How old is it? What will I do with it? When will I put it in a garage sale?
June 13: UFO! Unidentified Found Object, that is.
