Testing the limits

It’s been a long, difficult winter around here, but now the lilacs are blooming, the leaves are filling out the trees, my hostas are taking over the sidewalk, and the farmer’s market started on Saturday morning.  It was glorious to walk around seeing all the beautiful plants and arts and crafts, and the beginnings of produce.  Asparagus, our spring favorite, was everywhere, and the bunch I bought from farmer Greg was delicious. I was reminded how difficult it can be to eat local all winter, and the darkest months seem to be when the home-canned and frozen goods are running out in April and early May.  But a discovery in our basement made me realize that some of those winter goodies can be stored for an extraordinarily long time in the right conditions.

We had made a pilgrimage to our favorite local orchard, Wolfe Orchard in Monticello, to buy apples in October, right at the end of the season last year.  They advised us to keep the apples in a cool place, closed in rubber Totes containers.  Slightly dubious, we followed their instructions, and put the apples in our basement, which stays around 45-55 degrees all winter.  Different varieties take longer to develop their sweetness, they explained, so they are better stored.  They aren’t necessarily crisp for eating, but are absolutely divine when cooked or baked. The gorgeous, dark-red skinned Winesap is one such variety, so we made sure to include a peck or so in our haul.  They tasted a bit bland in the Wolfe’s tasting room, but only time would tell if the sugars developed into their full potential, hopefully around December or maybe even into January.

Well, our basement is a little….ahem…unorganized, and occasionally things get overlooked.  And so, we forgot about the Winesap apples until we unearthed the container a few days ago.  Fully expecting a disgusting mess, we were shocked to find that the apples, despite being a bit soft, were perfect for baking.  Only a couple of them were completely rotten, but the cool temperatures had kept them from affecting the whole batch.

 

Look at that color!

Didn't take me long to peel and core

Ready for cinnamon, sugar and a squeeze of lemon

This should be very good news for locavores.  I know of very few produce items that keep from October until May of the following year!  I don't recommend reproducing this experiment, but you might be surprised at the longevity of cellar-stored goods.  I'm just thrilled that there are enough of them to enjoy an apple pie and some stewed apples, and I will happily indulge in the last of the season’s bounty.