Orange has been growing apples since 1838. Our beautiful region is prefect for horticulture and the hills that roll out before Mount Canobolas are still like a patchwork quilt of fruit trees, though most are now covered with hail-netting, rolled out each spring and retracted before winter to avoid snow damage. These orchards grow cherries and stone-fruit but mostly apples, and right now they are in full swing.
Ever cheerful, professional and helpful (we are always running out of change), they’ve been the best of neighbours. So it was really great to visit their orchard this week and watch their beautiful apples being picked.
Prue and Ian run their orchards Mirrabooka and Stoneleigh with Ian's brother Ross, father Rob and their families. The Pearce's combined orchards cover 163 acres of land just east of Orange and every year for three generations they have picked huge quantities of apples, including Pink Ladies, Red Delicious, Jonathons and Granny Smiths.
Prue says the family’s favourite way to eat their apples is freshly picked from the tree. But in winter, Prue says, "we love stewed Granny Smith apples with vanilla ice cream or crumble".
When we visited the Pearce family, their Granny’s weren’t ready to harvest, so we took home a box of perfectly ripe Gala and Red Delicious apples and stewed most of them. Ever since, we’ve had them in crumbles, on ice cream and over yogurt for breakfast. And they've been fantastic.
The Orange Apples group, of which the Pearce family are a proud part, is represented by a great website full of grower profiles, history and fantastic recipes (all contributed by local chefs). But for my part, when fresh apples are in the kitchen, I am always drawn to the below recipe for Danish Apple Cake. It’s homely, easy, comforting and pretty perfect with a cup of strong Earl Grey Tea.
Gran's Danish Apple Cake
I feel very lucky to have inherited my Grandmother Helen's box of recipes and often turn to it for this one.110g softened butter
100g caster sugar
220g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1/4 cup sultanas
2 dessertspoons of demerara sugar
2 cooking apples, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 tsp ground ginger
Preheat oven to 180C and prepare a 20cm cake tin (grease sides and line with baking paper). Cream butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Add the egg and beat again, scraping mixture from down the sides. Once well incorporated, fold through the flour, baking powder and salt.
Spoon half of the cake mixture into the cake tin, top with the sultanas, sugar, apples and sprinkle with the ginger. Press the remaining cake mixture over the top of the apples and bake for 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.
Prue's Stewed Apples
This isn't a recipe as such, more a suggestion. Peel and chop tree-ripened apples and place in a saucepan with a splash of water (just enough to stop the fruit sticking and burning). Cook, over a low heat for about 30 minutes, stirring every now and then. Once the apples have collapsed and softened entirely they are ready to store, well-covered, in the fridge. Serve with porridge, ice cream, yogurt, wrapped in pastry or folded through your favourite banana bread recipe instead of the bananas.
Note - you can always add cinnamon, ginger, vanilla, lemon and/or other spices but with apples this beautiful there's really no need.
Looks like a delcious recipe...I'll certainly be giving it a go...thank you for sharing!...xv
ReplyDeletehttp://vickiarcher.com
Wow! I haven't travelled to Orange, and really want to soon!
ReplyDelete(also for the wine!! Hahaha)