Apple of the Week: Bishop's Pippin

Yesterday Jon and I were discussing apple varieties, specifically historical apple varieties, and so I thought I'd do some reading on the Bishop's Pippin.  Not my favourite tasting apple by any means, and we don't grow or sell a lot of them, but certain people DO look for them, and I think of us maintaining a few trees as our debt to history, seeing as the farm is owned (and has been for hundreds of years) by Bishops!

I can't say it any better than what I found here:
http://www.appleman.ca/korchard/bishop.htm

Also, I am in awe of the gorgeous Calville Blanc d'Hiver which I also found on that page!

Apple of the week: Ambrosia

The Ambrosia apple is stunning, with creamy yellow flesh, a honey-sweet flavour, and bi-colour exterior.  It's great for fresh eating and can be used for cooking, though it really shines as a snacking apple.  Try it on a charcuterie tray with cheese, it's wonderful!

The Ambrosia Apple has held a special place in my heart since reading the book Apples to Oysters by Margaret Webb (you should read it-- a great cross-Canada trek through food, exploring one food in each province that makes it special).

However, another reason the Ambrosia is special to me is because I have seen the original tree where the variety first began (see my original blog post here: http://bestofblush.blogspot.ca/2010/10/blush-lane-organic-orchard.html).  It's such an amazing story-- What began as a chance seedling in a Jonagold replant in Sally Mennell's organic orchard turned into one of the most popular varieties today (though more popular on the West Coast than Nova Scotia, or so I've found, anyhow).  It's even more astounding if you consider the basics of apple breeding-- If you plant the seeds of an apple, they will never breed true to the variety they came from (loaded with diverse genetics - read Michael Pollan's The Botany of Desire for an intriguing recounting of the history and mystique of the apple).  All modern apples are propagated through grafting, which makes the story even more unlikely and amazing.  Here's it is:

"In 1980, when Sally Mennell purchased her orchard it was planted to Red and Golden Delicious, MacIntosh and Spartan apples; Italian Prune Plums; Bartlett and Anjou pears; nectarines and peaches. Between 1980 and 2004 the entire orchard was replanted.
In 1987 a row of Jonagold apples was planted where there had previously been Italian Prune Plums. The nearest apple tree was a Golden Delicious planted among the prunes. A seedling grew up in the row of the new Jonagold apple trees that was different from all the others in the row. In 1989 it bore its first fruit. The fruit was so good and distinctive that the pickers ate the apples before the Mennells could properly taste them.
The following year the same thing happened and as pickers seldom eat apples the Mennells thought that perhaps they should take this seedling seriously. In 1990-91 about 180 trees were budded onto M26 rootstock to see if the variety would remain true to type. It did and by 1993 Wilfrid, Brian and Robert Mennell had propagated about 400 trees. Wilfrid named the new variety Ambrosia because it had the honeyed flavour of "a food of the Gods"."

Here's me and the Mother Tree, Cawston BC in the Similkameen Valley, October 2010:

Me and the Ambrosia Mom  :)

How cool is that?  The Ambrosia, uniquely Canadian and Food of the Gods, available at Noggins Corner Farm!

Nutty Napa Slaw from Wendy at Simple Balance

Thanks to Wendy at simple-balance.ca for the great recipe!

Local breakfast with healthy alfalfa sprouts from TapRoot Farms

Healthy breakfast, local style-- home made bread and a fresh farm egg from Wild Mountain Farm with TapRoot Farms Alfalfa Sprouts: a great way to get some greens in your system first thing in the morning!  Would work great with pea shoots as well.

Seaport from above, January 17th

 I've gotten in the bad habit every Saturday of snagging a WARM CINNAMON BUN from Mary's Bread Basket, and this week I went upstairs to enjoy it and watch the stall flow for a while.  It's good to step back and get the bigger perspective, we spend most of the day going back and forth wearing holes in the floor filling empty product.  Lookin' good!

...Because sometimes, you just need a cat nap!

Apples?  Look closer...

Andrew on his break this afternoon

...Because sometimes, you just need a cat nap!

 

Zippy turns 10k!!

Honeycrisp packing crew getting a lesson from AB

Winter Market Poster

Markets resume, Jan. 8th and 9th

 

"Everyone's Favourite" Honeycrisp Apples - samples at Seaport, Sat. Jan 10th

The spring orchard came to IWK to brighten the day!

Hammonds Plains Jan. 8

On my way to Hammonds Plains market with a full Zippy van!

Apple of the Week: Gravenstein

Gravenstein!!  What a big, strong name for an apple.  I was looking forward to researching this one the most.  I'll always have a special place in my heart for this apple.  At a previous job in Calgary a few years ago, a few boxes of Gravenstein apples made it to the farmer's market, from a farmer in BC who had a couple of these trees.  I had never heard of them before and knew nothing about them-- until I noticed certain customers exclaiming over them and being so excited, that I had to ask.  It seemed like the Gravenstein lovers all had one thing in common- they were Nova Scotians!  I asked a lady what they were best for, and she told me they make THE BEST pies.  Eager to engage with this apple, I went home and whipped up an apple pie.  40 minutes later, I opened the oven to a strange discovery -- the oven was broken!  I took out my pie, and determined to taste this "best pie apple", decided to bake the pie in the BBQ instead.  I got it all warmed up and set at the correct temperature, returning 10 minutes later to turn down the temperature (as my pastry recipe suggests), and the lack of propane had done it for me already!  So, I never got to eat my Gravenstein pie, and of course have never gotten around to making another.  However, I did make a KILLER applesauce this fall with these apples -- it has such a great, complex, balanced flavour, and an amazing texture-- not too chunky, not too mushy, just right.

The Gravenstein lovers were out in hordes at the beginning of the season-- Most like them very, very fresh, when they are still nice and crispy.  As I bite into one right now, the apple still has a nice crunch, and the flesh has softened, but is still good, not mealy.  An apple I would likely use for cooking rather than fresh eating, but still dual-purpose for sure.

Says Wikipedia:
Gravenstein (Danish: Gråsten-Æble) is a variety of apple native to Gråsten in South Jutland, Denmark. The variety was discovered in 1669 as a chance seedling.

Gravenstein flowers

The Gravenstein apple has a tart flavor. It is picked in July and August and is heavily used as a cooking apple, especially for apple sauce and apple cider. It does not keep well, so it is available only in season. In addition, their short stems and variable ripening times make harvesting and selling difficult. The skin is a delicately waxy yellow-green with crimson spots and reddish lines, but the apple may also occur in a classically red variation. The flesh is juicy, finely grained, and light yellow.

Here's an interesting article about the revival of this heritage apple:
http://articles.latimes.com/2013/jul/12/food/la-fo-gravenstein-20110811

Noggins Seaport from above, Dec. 20th

Found this gem today on facebook-- Our stall from above, Saturday December 20th.  Andrew in his red Christmas market shirt, Anne and Anna at the tills, and I in my blue hoodie stocking.  Nice photo! Thanks to someone on the Seaport Facebook page

Seaport Jan. 3 - Lovin' Local in January!

 January 3, 2014- Still lots of great local selection at the Seaport market.  We had amazing Conference pears, which John found homes for by sampling. 

 It's January, but we still have such a plethora of local produce there's no reason to feel like you're missing anything if you're dedicated to buying, eating, and supporting local.  This week at Seaport and next week at the Markets we'll have:
Apples
Apple Chips
Apple Cider
Alfalfa Sprouts
Beets
Brussels Sprouts
Cabbage
Carrots
Celeriac
Cranberries
Frozen Berries (Seaport)
Garlic
Kale
Kohlrabi
Leeks
Onions
Pea Shoots
Potatoes (and fingerlings!)
Parsnips
Pears
Squash
Cut Squash
Sweet Potatoes
Turnip
Tomatoes
Watermelon Radish

It's chilly in the market these days, here's the Andrew Pear inspecting Aurelie's rabbit fur hat yesterday (he was also wearing one).