"It is remarkable how closely the history of the apple tree is connected with that of man." — Henry David Thoreau
Here we are. Sweet September. The kids are back to class, work feels a little more routine and the fall weather is quickly coming on.
It's funny how you notice the little things when you pause to take in what Mother Nature is telling us.
The smell in the air changes, the plants around us look different, even the insects sound different. It's a visceral thing to experience and a privilege of select few of us with the geography to see the seasons change.
Fall has always been a reflective time for me. Not going to lie, I’m a big fan of the comfortable hoodie and steaming mug of spiced cider on chilly fall evening.
But before the pumpkin spice season really takes over, I prefer to celebrate the time of the apple harvest.
As with most random musings over a warm mug, I’m taken aback to the connections and associations of my childhood. Even the humble apple has a place in that repertoire of memories.
From my first taste of homemade apple sauce, to enjoying a big slice of Gramma's apple pie with ice cream, to making my very first apple crisp as a budding young cook, the humble apple has always played its part.
My grandparents' farm was the backdrop to so many of these experiences. At the farm, we climbed in the old apple trees that lined the trails and helped my grandmother plant new trees with the promise of fruit pies in the future.
One instance in particular stands out in my mind. My grandfather's library was always a place of amazing discoveries for me. As a young book worm, I would read anything and everything. Vivid memories of a particular book come back to me. It was a hardcover collection of children’s stories and fables. There was one story in the book that spoke to me more than the others. It was the story of crazy man who wore a tin pot for a hat named Johnny Apple Seed. The images and story of the lone man walking the wildness sowing the seeds of agriculture across the frontier captured my imagination.
In the years since, I have had the opportunity to learn more of the story and the real history of John Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed — not a fictional character in a book of fables, but an American pioneer; a nurseryman who introduced apple trees to large swaths of the states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and here in parts of Ontario. He was an American legend known for his kindness, generosity and leadership in the conservation of nature.
In my literary wanderings, I happened upon a poem written in 1880 by abolitionist author Lydia Maria Child that's credited with mythologizing Johnny Appleseed:
“In cities, some said the old man was crazy
While others said he was only lazy;
But he took no notice of gibes and jeers,
He knew he was working for future years...”
And if they inquire whence came such trees
Where not a bough once swayed in the breeze,
The answer still comes, as they travel on,
"These trees were planted by Apple-Seed John."
The more I look, the more it becomes evident that maybe the simple apple is not so simple after all and is really the iconic symbol that Johnny saw it for.
Our community has a strong connection to apples and apple growing in and around our region. All along the escarpment the same micro-climate that helps grow world-class grapes in Niagara also allows for the humble apple to flourish. Here, along the shores of Georgian Bay, beautiful orchards line our roads in and around Simcoe and Grey counties.
Even if not an “orchard,” per se, it seems that every farm always has a few such trees. This year we planted a small grove of apple trees on the Georgian College campus in Barrie. Our hope is to try our hand at fruit growing and maybe supply enough to bake a few pies for our baking and culinary programs.
There is a type and variety of apple for every taste and every application. The Ontario Apple Growers association states:
— There are 15 different main varieties of apples are grown on nearly 15,580 acres in Ontario
— Ontario’s major apple-producing areas are along the shores of Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, Lake Huron, and Georgian Bay
— Farm-gate value of the Ontario apple crop is approximately $97 million, which includes sales to fresh and processing markets and on-farm/pick-your-own
— Top five varieties in Ontario (based on acreage planted) are McIntosh, Gala, Honeycrisp, Red Delicious, and Empire
The Ontario Apple Growers have an excellent website with a plethora of information for you to find your new favourite variety or to learn a little more about how this fruit grows and what it provides for our communities.
Our kids loved the chance to get out and pick their own apples. I have always tried to share my love of cooking and growing food with them. We have made so many happy family memories out for a stroll through one of our local orchards. Out there among the trees heavy with fruit, the warm sun on your shoulder I think you can feel just a little of reverence that Johnny Appleseed was trying to share.
Just a few more deep musings for cool fall night. Here’s hoping you and your family take the opportunity to grab a few apples and breath in the season.
