Eat, Drink, Cook: Apple Salsa

“I feel the ladder sway as the boughs bend./And I keep hearing from the cellar bin/The rumbling sound/Of load on load of apples coming in…”

— From the poem After Apple-Picking by Robert Frost

Last night I roasted what will likely be the season’s last homegrown tomato. The forecast is calling for a freeze this week. The long and prodigious growing season is ending. But a salve for this is that apples are still in abundance. Lately I’ve started thinking about substituting apples for tomatoes in a salsa. It can be done by mixing two tart cubed apples, 4 T. lime juice, 1 Jalapeno pepper, 1 Anaheim pepper, ½ medium onion (finely chopped), 2 T. cilantro, ½ c. chopped walnuts (lightly toasted), a dash of fresh ginger and ¼ tsp. salt.

 I can see scattering this over a dollop of sour cream in a bowl of butternut squash or pumpkin soup. Or served with make-your-own chips. (Brush tortillas lightly with water and sprinkle them with a combination of one quarter cup sugar and 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, then cut them into wedges and bake them in a 400-degree over for 6 to 8 minutes until lightly browned.)

That idea reminds me of the baked pita chips personal chef Hethyr Pletsch suggested back in January to go along with her Curried Pumpkin-Chicken Chowder. As it turns out, Hethyr will be teaching a free holiday cooking class on Nov. 13 at Ranch Foods Direct. Her approach to the holidays is to mix tradition with a few new twists, simple surprises like a salsa made out of apples or a soup made out of carrots, something that celebrates what’s in season.

It’s not surprising that apples have often been the subject of books and poems. In Gary Paul Nabhan’s Where Our Food Comes From: Retracing Nikolay Vavilov’s Quest to End Famine, he describes visiting the forests of wild apples in Kazakhstan, where domesticated apples likely originated, rich with the unusual fragrance of so much ripe fruit. He recounts that the famous Russian botanist Vavilov found the apple forests evocative of the mythical Garden of Paradise. There, the diversity of apple-bearing trees and shrubs is unmatched, with at least 56 native variations. But even in that remote area of Central Asia, food production is being replaced by urbanization. 

Eat, Drink, Cook: Tips for cultivating a seasonal kitchen

Michele Mukatis returns for another cooking class Saturday at Ranch Foods Direct. Classes start at 9:30 a.m. and cost $35 each. Consider treating yourself to a couple of hours spent in a small group setting mulling the intricacies of incorporating fresh, seasonal, affordable ingredients into your kitchen routine.

Last month, Michele brandished wild tendrils of garlic scapes and clusters of tender salad turnips while discussing the pleasures of cooking with seasonal vegetables and whisked up simple vinaigrettes with ideas on how to tweak the flavors to suit individual tastes.

Michele is a “certified holistic health and gardening counselor” and runs her own business, Cultivate Health.

Her common sense approach to cooking emphasizes two main points: experiment, based on your own preferences and what’s on hand; and eat in a way that works with your unique physiology and lifestyle.

Michele teaches a variety of cooking and gardening classes around town and also works at Care and Share Food Bank of Southern Colorado, where one interesting new pilot program sponsors CSAs for low-income households. In the initial launch, six families are splitting three CSA shares during the growing season.

“In my business, I work with people who want to experience personal health, planetary health, edible landscaping, and education on growing, cooking and preserving your own food,” she says.

Michele also coordinates the Peak to Plains Alliance, a unique collaboration of farm and food related businesses that celebrate and promote the region’s agricultural heritage. “The group uses its combined strength to leverage marketing, but also fosters community around food resources and having fun in southeastern Colorado,” she says.

Call her at (719) 231-6265 to sign up for a class or to get more info. Additional cooking classes are scheduled in August, September and October.