The apple is an everyday fruit, something we take for granted since it’s one of the staples constantly stocked on grocery store produce shelves. But like the coveted berries and melons, apples have a proper season when their flavor and texture are at their best. The treasured treats that all derive from the humble apple become what we talk about the most, though: apple cider donuts, warm mulled cider, pies and tarts, and galettes and butters. Lucy M. Long’s exploration of the Midwestern apple and the lore behind this region's adoration for the fruit, Sweet, Tart & Golden: Apples in the Midwestern Imagination (3 Fields Books), takes you from Johnny Appleseed truths to festivals all in the name of the apple.
Long begins where her focus is on the apple: the Midwest. Beginning with the cultural influences and leading into the traditional foodways of the apple in the Midwest, Long’s depiction of candied apples and potlucks is thorough before we reach the more focused areas of the book. The family-run orchard is the heart of this book; there’s a deep dive into how each orchard finds its own individuality, or differs from a hobby farm. Favorite apple-picking locations and memories are sprinkled throughout.
Entire sections are dedicated to cider and apple butter, beginning with the roots of these humble products and extending to current-day innovation and rituals. Some of the more interesting sections of the book reflect on how the apple, a classic American fruit image, is actually not from here at all but was brought over from Central Asia. Even the man we learn about in school, the pioneer of the apple, Johnny Appleseed, is a bit of a wildcard when it comes to being a mascot of peace with nature and humanity. He was more of a religious fringe zealot who spread seeds to claim land, not to be one with plants and animals.
As you reach the end of the book, exhausted by the apple knowledge you just devoured, there are recipes to refuel. The recipes range from savory to sweet and all feature family connections and favorites. A mother’s crunchy Waldorf salad, a Korean bulgogi converge with a tried and true apple crisp and the autumnal pastry of choice, the apple cider donut. From the pages prior, you’ll be inspired to go beyond the industrial apple found year-round and head to a nearby orchard for varieties filled with more flavor than the Red Delicious and Granny Smith to try with each recipe. There is something homey, and even very Midwestern, to head out and greet a farmer on their own land, pick from the source, and all load up in the car again, awash in the scent of sweetness and crisp air.
If you are an apple lover, then you are no stranger to Lincoln Square’s annual Apple Fest. Filled with vendors, bakers, and bounce houses, mark your calendars for Oct. 2-4 to get your local apple fix. Until then, Long’s book will give you everything you need to plan your apple picking excursions, fill your brain with apple knowledge, and prep a few recipes for your haul this fall.
Sweet, Tart & Golden: Apples in the Midwestern Imagination is available wherever books are sold. For more information, visit press.uillinois.edu.
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