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How to celebrate British apples
Laura Sevier, The ecologist
There's more to apples than Golden Delicious and Granny Smith. As this year's Apple Day approaches, Laura Sevier outlines the who, what and where of rare and local varieties

If you were under the spotlight, in a quiz-type scenario, with the clocks ticking and were asked to name as many varieties of apples as possible in say, 20 seconds, how would you do?

On a recent TV quiz show a celebrity contestant was asked just that. She managed to name two. At first I was shocked but then I realised that if it had been me I'd have probably only got to five: Granny Smith, Braeburn, Pink Lady, Cox..., um..., Golden Delicious.... before running out of steam.

After years of just munching on the same old types, I can barely name a single rare variety.

Cut to the National Fruit Collection at Brogdale Farm in Kent a few weeks later and I'm walking round a vast orchard that's home to more than 2,000 varieties of apple...
(15 Oct 2009)
We import 90 to 95& of all the fruit in the UK. This in a country that has such a heritage and history of apple growing. Organisations such as Common Ground and Brogdale Farm are trying to help reverse this trend. -KS

Putting Up Produce: Yes, You Can
Anne Campoy, The Wall Street Journal
(15 Oct 2009)
Pots are boiling on every burner and the kitchen counters are covered with a jumble of bowls, measuring cups and jars. Steam fills the house with the scent of vinegar and caramelizing sugar.

We're canning.

This two-century-old technique of preserving food—or "putting up," in canning-speak—is making a big comeback.

The worst recession in decades and a trend toward healthier eating are inspiring many Americans to grow their own food. Now the harvest season is turning many of these gardeners into canners looking to stretch the bounty of the garden into the winter.

Canning statistics are hard to come by, but Elizabeth Andress, project director of the National Center for Home Food Preservation, a government-funded program that advises consumers on how to safely preserve food, says requests for canning classes are flooding in at a rate not seen in many years.

Hundreds of cooks gathered at the end of August in simultaneous countrywide canning fests organized by Canning Across America, a new Web site for canning devotees (www.canningacrossamerica.com). At Jarden Corp.'s Jarden Home Brands—the maker of Kerr and Ball brand jars—sales of canning equipment are up 30% this year through mid-September, over the same period in 2008. And canning classes from Brooklyn, N.Y., to Boise, Idaho, report seeing skyrocketing enrollments this year.

Canning has been around since the dawn of the 19th century, when, at Napoleon's behest, a Frenchman developed a method of sealing food in bottles to prevent spoilage on long military campaigns. The process was later adapted to factory-sealed metal cans, but at home, "canning" is still practiced in thick glass jars.

Lately, canning has found new appeal as a healthier alternative to the chemicals and preservatives found in many prepared foods, says Brenda Schmidt, brand manager at Jarden. By preserving their own fruits and vegetables, people can also customize the amount of sugar or salt used. Canned foods will keep for varying lengths of time, depending on the recipe, but the National Center for Home Food Preservation says that you should can only what you plan to eat within a year...
An article about canning food in the Wall Street Journal! Now that's food for thought! And don't forget that Sharon Astyk's new book, Independence Days, is out now from New Society. Everything you need to know about food preservation, storage, and personal food security. -KS

From farm to table, a link to the past
Aaron Kagan, The Boston Globe
If our modern system of food production has got you down, don’t despair. Reach for a Jimmy Nardello’s sweet Italian frying pepper. Or a Sibley squash, Boothby’s Blonde cucumber, or early blood-rooted turnip beet.

These heirloom vegetables are being showcased through next weekend during Heirloom Harvest Week, so they should be easy to find. Restaurants in Boston, Providence, and Portsmouth, N.H., are featuring dishes made with rare varieties of produce, some originally grown in this region almost two centuries ago.

The event is part of a larger program called RAFT Grow-Out. RAFT, which stands for Renewing America’s Food Traditions, is affiliated with Slow Food USA and made up of many smaller organizations dedicated to what RAFT calls the “save it by eating it’’ paradigm. The Grow-Out, held for the first time, provides farmers with donated heirloom seeds and connects them to chefs who create menus based around the crops. Boston-based nonprofit Chefs Collaborative is the RAFT partner working with this event. Participating restaurants include Henrietta’s Table and Hungry Mother, both in Cambridge, and Tastings Wine Bar and Bistro in Foxborough.

Renewed interest in heirloom foods stems from a variety of factors. Some chefs like the taste of antiquated squash, others want to preserve crop diversity as a matter of food security.

Chef and owner Evan Mallett of Black Trumpet Bistro in Portsmouth, N.H., prefers heirlooms to many items available today. “We’re losing these [heirloom] products and their uniqueness in exchange for bright colors and things that look good in supermarkets,’’ he says...
(14 Oct 2009)