Apple Pie Day
I move fast. I know it, I try hard to not do it but it is inevitable with all there is to do. So I look for things that purposely slow me down. Yoga. Breathing. Meditating. Cooking.
I relish food buying. Each Sunday, the ritual of shopping at Farmers Market and buying the fruits and vegetables from our local area and meeting all that labor to get them to me inspires me beyond belief. Since it is Apple Pie Day (Huh?! Isn’t it everyday?!) I wanted to share my recent discovery. The beauty of this simple apple, that I discovered last fall, was enough to remind me to pump the breaks a little, slow it down and soak in what is right in front of me. Apples are a perfect food and I found a most amazing variety that I had never heard of before; The Hidden Rose Apple.
My husband and I discovered this special fruit at a little farm stand in Malibu, California. The proprietor had about five of them left and the act of handing one of these special apples to me seemed was like she was sharing a family secret. Biting into it was a revelation and tasted so much like strawberry lemonade it was unbelievable!
I took a few home and savored them, took pictures of them but sadly there were not enough to make my grandmothers crust to encircle them within a pie. So I just allowed the apples be an inspiration all to themselves. The color, the flavor, the attention that they quietly asked for, made me pine for a good, homemade pie as that simple creation makes everything feel better. Unless of course it’s not cooked all the way through!
For years I’ve been making my grandmothers crust while lovingly following her original recipe. Both my dad and uncle, each wonderful pie makers themselves reminded me through these years to keep careful attention to all my grandmothers’ finely attuned details. Keep it simple, let it cook all the way and take your time to do it right! These lessons in pie making from my two exacting critics continue to keep me on my toes in the kitchen today. I savor the beauty and mind the process. Those are two things I try to do in my everyday life working with food, with people who create food, evaluating food safety and working alongside our team to reach our goals. I’m so glad a simple apple pie can reinforce my values while creating an experience of reaping what we sow with delicious abandon! I am always reminded of the beauty waiting for me and can be enjoyed in a single bite.
-Adrienne Steele