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Side Orders: Apples are coming into season now

In this Thursday, Aug. 7, 2014 photo, apples hang on a tree at Moldovan farmer Sergiu Calmac's orchard in Harbovat, Moldova. Two weeks before Russia banned most food from the West, it placed a similar embargo on produce closer to home, in Moldova, a small eastern European country seeking deeper ties with the European Union. Farmers there, in one of the poorest corners of Europe, are already feeling the pain, with some deciding not to harvest some of their fruit and vegetables at all this season. (AP Photo/Vitalie Plotnic) In this Thursday, Aug. 7, 2014 photo, apples hang on a tree at Moldovan farmer Sergiu Calmac's orchard in Harbovat, Moldova. Two weeks before Russia banned most food from the West, it placed a similar embargo on produce closer to home, in Moldova, a small eastern European country seeking deeper ties with the European Union. Farmers there, in one of the poorest corners of Europe, are already feeling the pain, with some deciding not to harvest some of their fruit and vegetables at all this season. (AP Photo/Vitalie Plotnic)

By Anne Braly September 23, 2015 3 min read

I came home from college one weekend, rather depressed following a miserable attempt at passing a chemistry exam. My mother had just pulled an apple pie from the oven and, in her infinite wisdom, said, “Sit down honey, have a piece of apple pie and you’ll feel better.”

I knew my right-brained mother would understand my failed attempt at scientific brilliance much better than my left-brained, math-whiz father. And I don’t know whether it was the apple pie, the compassion she offered or, most likely, a combination of the two, but with each bite I could feel my mood on the mend.

Anne Braly

Apple grower Chuck McSpadden, whose Bradley County orchard brims with blushing apples this time of year, says this season is a good one thanks to July’s abundant rains.

“We did have some hail early on that damaged some apples, but only slightly. Just a few pecks,” he says.

But nothing goes to waste. The apples receiving damage can be made into apple juice, sold in the apple house adjoining McSpadden’s 40 acres of trees.

McSpadden started his Apple Valley Orchard in 1972 with just a few varieties. Now he sells more than a dozen different ones. He’s currently picking Honeycrisp, Jonathons, Jonagold, Golden Delicious and Mutsus. Winesap, Fuji and Pink Ladies also are beginning to appear.

“The sizes are really good this year, too,” McSpadden notes.

Orchards across the Volunteer State usually produce around 9 million pounds of apples annually, making it one of the leading cash crops in the state, according to the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture.

Though my mom’s apple pie was one of the best ever – she grated the apples rather than sliced them – I’ve found this recipe at www.allrecipes.com to be even better. Sorry, Mom.

Grandma Ople’s Apple Pie

1 pastry for a (9-inch) double-crust pie

1/2 cup unsalted butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

8 Granny Smith or other good baking apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, white sugar and brown sugar; bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer.

Place the bottom crust in pie pan. Fill with apples, mounded slightly. Cover with a lattice work crust. Gently pour the sugar and butter liquid over the crust. Pour slowly so that it does not run off.

Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F. Continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes, until apples are soft. Serve warm with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream, if desired. And who wouldn’t want to?

Contact Anne Braly at abraly@timesfreepress.com.