Tehachapi apples are good to the core!
Tehachapi apples are good to the core!
By: Edna McCallion, Tehachapi News Assistant
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Posted by editor Tue Nov 30, 1999 00:00:00 PST
Viewed 504 times
0 responses 0 comments Apples are reported to be second to bananas in popularity but when they are fresh picked they move up a few notches. There are thousands of varieties worldwide and how lucky we are to live in an area where we can enjoy them fresh and even pluck them from a tree.
The most common early fall varieties are the sweet Red and Golden Delicious. The red is crunchy while the gold is semi-firm but they are both “good eats”. The golden holds its shape during baking and does not readily darken as some apples do. The Empire is sweet and crisp and excellent in pies and for munching. The Gala is crisp and sweet like its relative, the Golden Delicious. It is an excellent eating and cooking apple that is available late summer to early fall.
The Jonathan is tart and tender making it a good cooking and snacking candidate. A close relative is the Jonagold, a cross between the Jonathan and the Golden Delicious with one parents tartness and the others sweetness. All of these are early in the season varieties and ripening and availability will vary with the weather.
Later in the season comes the Melrose with its autumn colors and spicy- sweet meat along with the red Rome that is tart and slightly dry enabling it to hold its shape when baked. Both are good for eating and your taste preference will determine which to cook with. The reddish-pink Fuji is a big super sweet apple that is good for baking and salads.
When choosing apples look for those with a relatively firm, smooth and unblemished skin. Test the apple for freshness by holding it in the palm of your hand tightly without pressing on it. It should feel solid not mushy. The apple has probably been in cold storage too long or not been refrigerated properly if the skin wrinkles when you rub your thumb across it.
This is not an issue with freshly picked Tehachapi apples. Here are some picken' suggestions for you adventuresome folk. Raise the fruit to one side with your fingers and twist your wrist. A ripe apple will easily release and you will not damage the fruit spur that is all-important to the trees future generation.
The apples pictured here are from Pulford Appletree Orchard but there are other growers with myriad apples, cider, baked goods and gifts. Seen here are cider, apple scones, apple-butter and gala apples from Moessner's Orchard.
Store apples in the cold, back section of the refrigerator, if keeping them for more than a few days because they continue to ripen and will rot at room temperature. Put them in heavy plastic bags and keep them away from smelly neighbors like cauliflower because they absorb odors readily.
Nutrition wise, apples are hard to beat as a sweet treat! A medium apple, 1/3 pound, has less than 80 calories, no fat, 22g carbohydrates, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, calcium and iron. Call and visit all our apple growers and you will find many delicious and nutritious apple surprises.
Have I missed your favorite grower? E-mail me at eamherb@dishmail.net and I will post them on my Website under Garden News. Have a delectable apple month.
Fresh Apple Cake with Caramel Glaze
This recipe is from the Pulford's who have won awards for their Rome Apple at the Kern County Fair for the last few years. They have a list of award winning apple pie recipes and information on how to enter the Fair's apple pie contest next year. Go Tehachapi bakers!
1/4 cup cinnamon-sugar mixture
4 apples, chopped small
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
Glaze:
2 T Butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 T milk
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a Bundt pan and coat with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Mix apples, egg and oil with an electric mixer. Add flour, sugar, baking soda and cinnamon; mix well. Pour into pan and bake about 1hour or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Allow cake to rest in pan for at least 10 minutes; invert onto a cake plate. To prepare glaze, combine butter, brown sugar and. milk in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and. cook for 1 minute. Spoon over cake. Allow to cool and serve. Enjoy!
Tehachapi Apple Stops
Knauss Ranch 822-4142
Moessner's Orchard 821-6272
Pulford's Appletree Orchard 822-5021
RB Family Orchard 822-5969
Apple Facts
• Three medium apples weigh about one pound
• One pound of cored sliced apples measures about 4_ cups
• About 2 pounds of whole apples will make a 9-inch pie
• One large apple, 1/2 pound, cored and processed makes about one cup ground.
• Johnny Appleseed, John Chapman, knew apples do not grow “true” from seed so he had tree nurseries.
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