From the Peel

The other day, I was talking apples with a friend of mine. We compared the varieties we’re growing — she’s in the southeast, I’m in the northwest — and we shared apple-picking memories from seasons past. She told me about the year she and her husband were living out west as a fledgling family with two toddling girls, a barely-there bank account and a few generous old apple trees in the yard. That was the year she started making applesauce from scratch. Her little helpers loved going out to pick all the ripe red fruit they could reach, filling their baskets to the brim. “It was so satisfying to gather our ‘free’ groceries from the trees,” my friend recalled. “I would boil them into succulent sauce and then throw the apple peel ‘packaging’ right back outside for the deer to eat. No paper, no plastic, just good food straight from the peel.” How sweet is that? These days, it’s pretty much the norm to buy produce wrapped and bagged in plastic, even though it has already been naturally “packaged” in rinds and peels. And then, all too often, the plastic get pitched into the trash, destined for landfill longevity. Packaging — even the recyclable variety — creates waste and costs us a fortune in dollars, energy and other natural resources. And the fundamental shame of food packaging is that it seems to stem from a cultural shift toward over-sterilizing food. The more we wrap, box and seal everything we eat, the further we get from our roots. Too few children these days have ever wrapped their little fingers around an apple growing on a tree. It’s time to start eating “straight from the peel” again. Have I piqued your interest in picking some package-free produce of your own? If so, start by searching for a “you-pick” orchard in your area. Since commercially grown apples are laden with harmful pesticides, it’s important to seek out organic orchards to assure a safe and wholesome harvest. Two online resources for tracking down organic orchards near you are Local Harvest (www.localharvest.org) and Grow Organic Apples (www.groworganicapples.com). But even if you don’t have access to an orchard, you can still feed your family without any packaging. All you need to do is bypass the canned fruit aisle at the grocery store and head for the produce section with a reusable bag in hand so that you don’t have to bag them in plastic. Again, look for organic options (preferably those that aren’t already bagged up). Sometimes, avoiding packaging is all but impossible, but it’s worth it to give it a shot. Now, how about stirring up a pot of Straight-From-the-Peel Apple Sauce? True, it takes a bit longer to make your own applesauce than it does to open a jar, but time in the kitchen is well spent, and there is nothing left over to toss in the trash or recycling bin. The best way to go about preparing unpackaged foods like applesauce is to cook big and freeze small. That way, you end up with a bunch of wholesome food that’s easily defrosted in smaller quantities. Those of us who are busy parents and grandparents can recruit the kiddos to help. Cooking with kids gives us the opportunity for some positive and creative interaction that’s hard to come by in our hectic lives. Plus, kids take a personal interest in food they help prepare. A sense of pride and accomplishment seems to make all sorts of stuff taste better! Even toddlers can help wash and peel apples, dump them in the pot, add spices and stir. They may be a little clumsy, and they’re guaranteed to make messes, but your encouragement will make them feel like they’re creating a masterpiece. Here’s a simple recipe for homemade applesauce that’ll be savored by the young, the old and everybody in between. Straight-From-the-Peel Sauce 3 to 4 pounds apples 4 strips of lemon peel juice from one lemon 1 tablespoon cinnamon (more or less to taste) 1 teaspoon molasses 1 cup water 1/2 teaspoon of salt Peel, core and quarter the apples. (Add the peels to your compost pile!) Put all ingredients into a large pot, cover and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat and remove lemon peels. If you like chunky sauce, use a fork or potato masher to mash the cooked apples. If you want smooth sauce, run the cooked apples through a food mill or blender. You can eat it hot or chilled. To freeze, cool the sauce completely, pack it in rigid freezer containers with at least 1 inch of room at the top, and freeze up to 1 year. Once you get hooked on how easy it is to make your own applesauce, you can branch out into other unpackaged foods. Grind your own peanut or almond butter from whole nuts, make your own yogurt, bake your own crackers, or even make your own fruit leather. Homemade food has never had more “a-peel” than in today’s economy!