fresh magazine web–exclusives September–October 2010

q&a with judy dimock, apple grower, north star orchards

Here in the Northeast, autumn is synonymous with apples, from visiting orchards, to bobbing for the fruit at a Halloween party, to cooking up pies and tarts for holiday gatherings. For more than 30 years, North Star Orchards of Madison, Maine, has been delivering fresh–picked apples to Hannaford stores. Everett and Judy Dimock purchased the orchard in 1976, and today run the 20,000–bushel–per–year business with their two children, Jennifer and Robert. We asked the Dimocks what it takes to bring customers the best of the bushel. — David Plunkett

What is the season for apples?
New England apples are harvested from late summer through October. The apples are put into cold storage and sold into the spring or early summer.

What kind of apple is the most popular?
McIntosh is our primary crop. McIntosh has been the quintessential New England apple for a very long time, and Maine soils and the climate produce a premium–quality McIntosh.

What other varieties do you grow?
We also grow several early varieties — Ginger Gold, Paula Red, Puritan, Jersey Mac — and fall varieties including Cortland, Macoun, Empire, Red Delicious, and Golden Delicious.

Heritage varieties are Northern Spy, Rhode Island Greening, and Snow, and we have new plantings of Honey Crisp and Gala just beginning to produce.

Why do you grow so many different varieties?
Apples are not self–fruitful. This means that blossoms must be pollinated with pollen from a different variety of apple in order to form fruit. Every single apple that you see on the tree developed from a blossom that was visited by a honeybee carrying the pollen from a different variety of apple. Having several different types of apple trees — and lots of beehives — helps assure that this happens.

How much do you produce?
Our average annual production is slightly above 20,000 bushels. We have about 35 acres of orchard including trees not yet in production.

Is there a lot of care involved with maintaining an apple orchard?
Yes, it’s a year–round job. In the winter the trees must be pruned. Spring is the time for replanting, grafting, spreading fertilizer, and bringing in bees for pollination. The apple trees must be closely observed in the spring and summer to identify insects and diseases that could damage the fruit or the trees, and treated if necessary. The orchard has to be kept mowed and, in a dry summer, irrigated. Of course, fall is harvest time!

Do you deliver directly to Hannaford?
Yes. We currently deliver directly to six Hannaford stores in central and western Maine. Our home area stores are Madison and Skowhegan, and we travel west to Farmington, Jay, Oxford, and Rumford.

Are there any unexpected ways people can use apples besides a pie or crisp?
We have a collection of thousands of recipes using apples in every way imaginable from plain and simple to exotic! Apples really are the most versatile fruit. Be adventuresome — experiment with different varieties. And, of course, whenever possible, buy local.

Applesauce can be canned or frozen to take advantage of seasonal abundance. To make sauce with an appealing color and take advantage of the nutrients in the apple skin, cook the apples without peeling and put pulp through a food mill or sieve.

North Star Orchards Microwave Applesauce

1. Cut 4 — 6 (1.5 lbs) apples into quarters. For chunky sauce, peel and core the apples.
2. Place apples in deep, microwave–safe bowl.
3. Add ¼ cup of water, apple cider, or juice. (Omit this step for thicker sauce)
4. Cook uncovered at full power for 5 minutes. Stir, pressing apples into liquid. Cook another 5 minutes at full power or until apples are mushy.
5. Put mixture through a sieve or food mill for smooth sauce. If apples have been peeled, mixture may be mashed to desired consistency with a fork or potato masher.
6. Sweetener or flavorings may be added to the warm sauce as desired.
7. Serve warm or cool to room temperature; cover and refrigerate. Makes two cups of sauce.

Serving suggestions from North Star Orchards

• Applesauce is a great lunchbox or after–school snack — especially if the kids helped make it!
• Serve plain applesauce with pork or ham.
• Mix equal amounts of applesauce and whipped cream to topping, garnish with shaved chocolate.
• Try applesauce with yogurt.
• Combine applesauce with other fruits — cooked rhubarb, mashed raspberries.
• Try substituting applesauce in recipes for baked goods that call for vegetable oil.
• lavor applesauce with orange zest, almond extract, ginger, or nutmeg instead of cinnamon.
• Sweeten applesauce with brown sugar, maple syrup, molasses, or honey instead of white sugar.

roasting pumpkin seeds

To roast pumpkin seeds, preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray. Separate the seeds from the stringy parts and place on the prepared sheet. Any strings still attached will bake off. Do not wash the seeds — pumpkin juices help salt stick and give the seeds flavor. Spread the seeds over the baking sheet in a single layer, though some clumping is OK. Sprinkle with kosher or sea salt and toss lightly. Bake for 10 minutes. Stir, and continue baking another 5 to 10 minutes. Seeds should be pale brown and dry — no more pumpkin juices. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container.

squash tips

• Use a sharp knife to remove the thicker skin of acorn, Hubbard, and buttercup squash; quarter the squash and carefully separate the skin with the knife.
• To remove seeds, cut the squash in half and scoop them out with a spoon. To roast, separate the seeds from the stringy “guts.” Seeds from squash other than pumpkins can be roasted too, though they often have thicker shells.
• Making a purée? Don’t peel — just cut squash in half, remove the seeds, and roast on an oiled pan at 400°F for 30 to 45 minutes. When soft, just scoop out the flesh.
• In a rush? Peeled, precut squash is available in Produce, or use frozen cubed squash and just start cooking!

tart and tangy

Unlike like the small green tomato it resembles, the distinctively tart and tangy tomatillo (toe-ma-TEE-yo) is ripe and ready to flavor salsas, sauces, stews, and many other dishes.

Also known as the husk tomato or Mexican green tomato, the tomatillo has been an important ingredient in Mexican cuisine since the Aztecs first began to grow them around 800 BC. Today this relative of the tomato contributes its lemony tartness to dishes throughout North America, and tomatillos are becoming increasingly popular wherever Mexican food is enjoyed.

Look for tomatillos with a close–fitting papery skin that isn’t dry or shriveled. Peel back a bit of the light–brown skin to check the fruit — it should be firm, green or yellowish–green, and blemish free. Tomatillos may yellow as they ripen, but they are most often used when they’re green and easier to slice.

Unpeeled fresh tomatillos can be refrigerated in a paper bag for up to two weeks. But they’ll last a week longer if you remove the husk and store them in a sealed plastic bag. Peeled tomatillos may also be frozen — whole or sliced.

Tomatillos still in the husk make an interesting decorative accent, but you must peel off the husk before cooking. The thin, light brown outer skin is easy to remove if you soak the tomatillo in cold water for about 15 minutes, or just peel it under running water, then rinse off any sticky residue. You can enjoy the peeled tomatillo raw, like a tomato, and as an ingredient in salsas and salads (it’s great in guacamole). Or roast, grill, or parboil them to flavor dishes from stews to marmalade.

Tomatillo Trivia

• Available in Produce year–round
• Native to Mexico
• Related to tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplant
• Also known as the husk tomato and Mexican green tomato
• Ready to use when firm and green
• Has no saturated fat, cholesterol, or sodium
• Good source of fiber, niacin, potassium, manganese, and vitamins C and K

This issue’s exclusive fresh magazine video – Carmelizing Sugar