My apple journey began with childhood memories of our community garden in Kyiv. It was surrounded by majestic apple trees. We lived in a somber Soviet-era apartment building. The garden was the only source of beauty in our lives and all the neighborhood kids deemed it to have magical lore. We thought faeries were born in the blossoming fruit trees at the first signs of spring and it was a good omen when summer brought us an ample harvest. Picking apples as a child was forbidden as the trees were very tall. But of course, that’s what all us kids wanted to do - the taller the tree, the greater the challenge. We simply couldn’t wait for the apples to fall to the ground. Glad I don’t have to climb trees to get them now.
To our great surprise, Tom and I discovered a young apple tree in our garden a few years ago. It was very small and sad. We had no idea how to take care of it. So we started watching YouTube videos on pruning. Practice makes perfect. Over the years we got better at listening to our tree and finally this year it brought us amazing gifts.
The next challenge was to figure out what kind of apples these were. At first we thought they were Fujis or Jonagolds. After many research tastings at the Olympia Farmer’s Market, the mystery remained. Finally, a few weeks ago, our apples grew to full size and turned a beautiful shade of vibrant striped red that could only be one varietal – Honeycrisps. Tart and sweet with floral overtones, these are the best apples I’ve ever tasted. So thrilled to have them in our garden!
My favorite way to cook our delectable harvest is in an apple parfait with rose water and coconut yogurt. It’s a simple recipe that never disappoints.
Apple Parfait Recipe – serves 2
2 oz unsalted butter
3 Honeycrisp or Granny Smith apples
1/4 cup raw honey
2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 cup rose water (optional)
2 cups of plain yogurt
Cut apples into thin quarter-moons. Brown the butter. Add apples and sauté on low heat for 5 minutes while stirring. Add honey and nutmeg. Sauté for 5 more minutes or until apples are soft. Deglaze with rose water. Layer in a glass or bowl with your favorite yogurt and serve. Yum!