Juicy fruit: apples: the core of the matter - horticulturist Tom Burford - cooking with apples; recipes - Interview

Vegetarian Times, Oct, 2003 by Alexandra Greeley

"My favorite apple is the last apple I ate," says Tom Burford, who specializes in the history of apples. As a Lynchburg, Virginia, orchardist and nurseryman who has raised more than 500 different varieties of apples, Burford reveres the apple--botanically, Pyrus malus--and he sees his mission as convincing everyone else to love apples too.

He also bemoans the apple's gradual disappearance from the global marketplace. A world without apples? "We have to keep in mind," says Burford, "that in the early 1900s, an inventory was made that listed 17,000 varieties in the world." Today, there are probably only 2,000-3,000 apple varieties left, with a few dozen of these dominating the commercial market.

For such a notable fruit, does extinction really loom? No, believes Burford, who spends almost every moment as an apple detective, tracking down rare or presumed deceased varieties all over the world, often relying on the memories of apple octogenarians to get a consensus on whether the apple under scrutiny is the Rainbow or the Red Winter Pearmain variety. Written documentation is very limited, and often descriptions disagree, he says.

Fortunately, Burford is not alone in his quest to preserve the apple's dignity, for this is a fruit with an ancient pedigree, having come to symbolize almost everything in life from stolen pleasures to homey comforts--and plenty in between. It's possible that apples were the very first beloved fruit. But the first of the sweet apples resembling today's picks appeared several thousand years ago in Kazakhstan. And the ancient Greeks had already domesticated at least a dozen different kinds of apples. Among these, the tiny Lady apples are still grown and enjoyed today for their delicate sweetness and as decorations in holiday boxwood wreaths.

From Europe, apples made their way to the New World with early settlers--not to be grown for their good eating qualities, but to be grown from seeds for their juice, which farmers used to make into hard cider each fall. But early Americans soon learned that apples made good eating, not only raw out of hand but turned into pies, puddings, sauces, dumplings and cakes. In colonial America, apples were also dried for later use.

Today, thanks to the efforts of many growers and special interest apple groups such as the Old Time Apple Growers Association in Winchester, Virginia--Winchester and the surrounding areas in Virginia include some of the nation's prime apple-growing terrain--and the National Apple Museum in the town of Biglerville, Pennsylvania, many American consumers are beginning to appreciate apples--and demand those with old-time flavor.

Not every heritage apple is a superior fruit, says Burford. Some are rejected by consumers because they are not pleasing to the eye or because they don't taste very good. Others come from trees that don't bear well and are subject to diseases. However, apple experts agree that many modern varieties--such as the Fuji, Braeburn, Pink Lady, Swiss Gourmet, Honey Crisp and Cameo--are equal to the best old-timers for texture and flavor.

An apple's complex flavor makes this fruit stand apart. "The apple has a diversity of flavors," says Burford. "I can do an apple-tasting with 15 different varieties, and the most common remark is, 'I can't believe an apple has so many different tastes.'" Of course, taste is subjective, and what you like, someone else may not.

When eating an apple, keep in mind the two categories of flavor, says apple enthusiast Mike Berst, publisher of the Apple Journal in Eastport, Michigan. The first is tart, as found in apples such as Sierra Beauty, Golden Russett and Macoun. The second is sweet and includes the Fuji, Gala, Swiss Gourmet, Sweet Bough, Cameo and Empire varieties. "Some apples are confrontational in taste," he says, citing one of his favorites, the Macintosh, which has texture, flavor and juice. To find your favorite apple, find one that has your preferred balance between tartness and sweetness with a lingering, pleasant aftertaste.

One of Burford's favorite apples for the first fresh pie of the year is the Carolina Red June, which ripens in late June in central Virginia. Although Burford declares he loves all apples, perhaps his all-time pick is the russeted Ashmead's Kernel, which originated in England around 1700. "It has a lot of sugar and a lot of acid," he says, "and when picked and allowed to mellow, its taste will knock your socks off. I really recommend that sissies don't eat it." Sounds like this is the apple of his eye.

Curried Apples and "Chicken"

SERVES 4

A hint of india peeks through in this hearty apple-and-"chicken" dish, spiked with lashes of hot--or mild--curry powder. Serve over Indian basmati rice, and pass with yogurt and flat Indian bread.

2 Tbs. vegetable oil 1 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric 2 tsp. hot or mild curry powder, or to taste 1 onion, chopped 1 Tbs. grated fresh ginger 3/4 cup apple juice or apple cider 2 Tbs. cornstarch 1 6-oz. pkg."chicken" strips 8 oz. sliced mushrooms 1 apple, cored and diced, skin on 1/2 cup dry-roasted peanuts for garnish