From The Editor: Love, Apples

As much as this time of the year resounds with the gathering of all kinds of our beloved northern crops—the last ripe tomatoes, the first mellow squash, the grains and beans and corn and carrots—for me nothing comes closer to the essence of the season than apples.

Maybe it is because apple season is so long, stretching as it does from the first cricket-song evenings of early September to the late October days of fallen, frosty leaves and grinning jack-o-lanterns.

But it’s also because of their bounty of color, and the thin skins that enclose the crispy white sharpness of their flesh, and the way they yield their sweet golden juice to the press. It’s the waiting for my favorite varieties, but still finding others that I love along the way. It’s in the admiration of the beautiful orchards on the landscape, in those who take care of the trees and the careful production of their fruit—along with the resilience of trees that have made it on their own in wilder places and the thrill of finding these survivors and enjoying their fruit.

And finally it’s in the way that apple trees seem to give of themselves so willingly (the Wizard of Oz trees being an evil storybook anomaly). The fruits hang invitingly ready to pick, or fall to the ground with some grace time allowed for gathering before spoilage sets in. In good years there can be more abundance than we know how to handle.

Dear humans, Here is this food.

Love, apples.

And northwestern Lower Michigan, dear readers, is a wonderful place for apples. The nearby lake, the latitude, growing season and day lengths, the cold winters and cool fall nights—all these conspire to help produce delicious apples in a wide variety and of the highest quality. Over the next few months, reach for our local apples and all the good products that come from them. Enjoy the recipes and apple stories of this Fall issue, and, most of all, remember to give thanks for the trees and the farmers who tend them.

- Barb