As fall 2012 begins, Colorado’s largest fruit crop is just taking off. “This is one of the biggest years for apples we’ve had in a long time,” Jeff Schwartz said. He’s the owner of Delicious Orchards, an organic orchard, market and cafe in Paonia. Schwartz makes Big B’s organic juice, which is distributed throughout Colorado, and has perfected a prolific fruit crop of cherries, peaches, apricots, apples, plums and pears sold on site, in their cafe and to niche markets.
“Apples might not be as sexy as peaches, but there are more varieties, they last longer, and are more useful — there’s a huge processing market for apples,” said Schwartz. Right now you can visit Delicious Orchards, sling a basket over your shoulder and wander through the rows of trees picking your own Honeycrisp, MacIntosh and Jonagolds.
Colorado used to be one of the biggest fruit-growing regions in the U.S., but with increased global competition, the apple crop in Colorado shrank and farms started planting more cherries and grapes. In the late 1980s, Washington State began marketing the shiny Red Delicious apple that looked nice on a table but, said Schwartz, “was starchy with a cardboard-like texture.” The honey crisp variety, a cross between Macoun and Honey Gold apples, “started a revolution with more people devouring different apple varieties,” Schwartz said.
Apples are at home in local restaurants right now. “It’s that sense of terroir and seasonality,” said
, owner /chef of Six89 in Carbondale, Phat Thai in Carbondale and Denver.
They are also meaningful to chef Thomas Salamunovich at Vail’s Larkspur and the Larkburger restaurants. The “soul of a classic dessert, the apple Tarte Tatin, was one of the first apple dishes I learned to make,” Salamunovich said.
“I was told to hold the apple like a violin and the peeler like a bow, and to peel the apples to Chopin,” Salamunovich said. Larkspur’s pastry chef, Mark Metzger, and Salamunovich recently baked and taste-tested 25 apple tart variations.” (In one tart) the pastry is spread with a Fuji apple and ginger puree, topped with sliced apples set in a fan formation, finished with butter and sugar and served fresh out of the oven with a lemongrass creme anglaise and a candied ginger creme,” he said.
Chefs think apples should be in main dishes too. “I prefer using Empire or MacIntosh apples in savory applications,” said Fischer, who prepares roasted Brussels sprouts, sauteed apples and sage with a roast duck at Six89. But for eating “give me a honey crisp,” said Fischer. Try a Jonathan with a wedge of Lamborn Bloomer goat cheese from Colorado’s Avalanche Cheese Company.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.