North Star Orchard • Sample Newsletter

Sample Newsletter

Below is a copy of an email newsletter sent during 2005. The newsletters are sent weekly, primarily during the harvest months of July through November. They contains up to the minute information about what's coming to market, as well as recipes and articles of interest. Our email list is kept strictly private...we will not sell or otherwise give away your email address. If you are interested in receiving our newsletter, please sign up here.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
North Star Orchard E-News
October 10-16, 2005
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Visit our website at www.northstarorchard.com
Email to: lisa@northstarorchard.com
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
In this issue:
~ This Week at Market ~
~ Critter Chronicles #7 ~
~ Recipes: Applesauce Cake, Apple Muffins, Grated Apple Pie ~
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
THIS WEEK AT MARKET:

APPLES: Get ready for MAJOR apples!

“RAZOR RUSSET”: A beautiful russeted apple, with great crunch and juiciness. Slightly sweet. This week may be the last of them.
“ROXBURY RUSSET”: An antique variety. On the tart side, with complex flavor and typical firm russet texture. This week may be the last of them as well.
“SUGAR SNAP”: The name says it all! Awesome for fresh eating, these are sweet-tart, with lots of juice and a great crisp texture. This are like the quintessential apple….all the crunch and juice you want, not too sweet and not too tart.
“ROYALTY”: Medium to extra-large in size, crisp and on the sweeter side. These are great fresh eating…but they also make flavorful applesauce (that you don’t have to add much sugar to!). Have you noticed any areas of ‘honeycore’ in them? Those clear/glossy patches in super-large sweet apples are a highly-prized characteristic in the orient, and indicate areas of the flesh that are super-saturated with sugar.
“LIBERTY”: Very crisp and tart, but more flavorful and not quite as tart as ‘Granny Smith’. If you like tart, crisp eating..choose these! They are also great for making pies, cakes, crisps, etc…as they hold their shape well in cooking.
“STARS”: Thin skin and tender flesh. These are slightly tart, and somewhat similar to a variety called ‘Macoun’. They make great fresh eating, and are good for cooking.

ASIAN PEARS: Remember, Asian pears are picked ready-to-eat. They should be stored in the fridge to preserve their texture and flavor. If you get a big one that you can’t eat all in one sitting, just keep the extra in the fridge for later…it won’t turn all brown like apples do when they’re cut.

“HOSUI”: Sweet and flavorful, melt-in-your-mouth texture, super juicy! We’ll have them for a few more weeks.
“OLYMPIC”: Hurray…my favorite! Super-crunchy, yet sweet and juicy…I love the more subtle flavors in these pears. These are heartier pears that keep for a long time in the fridge. They are also more sturdy for shipping, for those of you who want to send them in a ‘care package’ for loved ones.

APPLESAUCE: The new batch is ready…and the intense flavor may just cause tears of joy (it did for me anyway!). Our sauce is made only with ‘Royalty’ apples, which are cooked in apple cider instead of water, to give the sauce even more flavor. There are no sugar or spices added. This applesauce makes a great side dish to go with heavier foods like pasta or meats, or as a 'cooldown' when your main dish is quite spicy, like chili. It’s also great to have first thing in the morning to wake up your taste buds, or as a healthy snack any time during the day. Pick up a jar ($2.50) this week to try…you’ll be amazed at the flavor!

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
CRITTER CHRONICLES #7

(Some earlier 'Critter Chronicles' can be read at www.northstarorchard.com/WhatsNew.html)

Very early in the morning, on a grey and misty fall day, when the fog is so thick that I can only see a few feet ahead, it is most intriguing to take a walk around the farm.

Everything is hushed and silenced by the blanket of fog. The familiar sounds I’d normally hear are gone…those of birds chattering, critters rustling about in the hedgerows, and the buzz of gnats and bees. It is a surreal environment….quiet and ghostly.

As I hike up the hill and around the back edge of the farm, I become one with the quiet surroundings. The littlest noises that normally go unnoticed, become quite distinct… those of my breathing and footsteps…and vary greatly depending on whether I am walking on a worn dirt trail or in the grass. I start to feel like maybe there’s not much else in the world…just that little bit of area that I can actually see. The shadows just beyond that small area are as if part of a dream.

The rolling hills and valleys that normally stretch as far as the eye can see are invisible. I no longer have a view from the top of the world. Instead, I am feeling that I am deep in the heart of all that is and ever will be. If it were not for the posts of the electric fence line I am following, I would lose my sense of direction. As it is, the posts continue on and on, one looking the same as the next, until I begin to wonder whether or not I am just walking past the same few posts over and over.

A blurred shape begins to enter my limited field of vision. The next post, slowly coming into view, looks different somehow. A still and quiet dark grey shape tops the post, and as my vision clears with proximity, I realize that there is a turkey vulture sitting atop the post. I pause for a moment to consider the ghostly image. It is a solitary figure…as still and quiet as the rest of my world at this moment. Will it fly off as I move closer? And if it does, where will it fly to in this dense blanket enveloping us both?

As I take a few tentative steps closer to the post, I realize that this quiet creature is considering me in perhaps the same way. Perhaps he is wondering where I will disappear to if I continue my journey.

A few steps further brings the next post in the line into view, and I realize that it, too, is topped with a vulture. The dense cloud of fog seems to be thinning somewhat as I continue my walk. As it thins, I can see more posts in my slowly expanding line of sight…each one of them topped by the silent, ghostly figure of a vulture.

A small hedgerow of scrabby trees is just ahead, and I realize, a slight chill coming over me, that the trees are filled with vultures…all of them silently watching my progress. Having seen my share of scary classics, the most notable being Hitchcock’s “The Birds”, I find myself trying to quell a rising sense of panic. It looks like there may be dozens of these large scavengers lurking in the hedgerow….all of them seemingly watching me with great interest.

I decide at this point, that the best course of action is to keep moving, therefore looking more ‘alive’ (I hope) in their point of view.

At the topmost point of the hill, where normally I could see a large part of Chester County spread out below me, I find myself standing in a pocket of rapidly clearing fog. All the world below is still blanketed by clouds, but the mists that surround me are visibly moving…the air clearing. The sky above is blue and welcoming, and holds all the promise of a warm day to come.

The clearing enlarges, encompassing now that hedgerow where the dozens of quiet figures still sit in the trees. As the warmth of the sun stirs them to motion, they individually take flight. One by one, and with nary a sound, the vultures take leave of their trees and fence posts. Only the occasional ‘whoosh’ of a strong wing can be heard. I start counting their numbers as they take off, but give up after hitting 40.

The vultures start to soar, flying higher and higher, in great crisscrossing circles. Never a sound is made. Unlike the noisy din of geese or starlings, these great birds quietly greet the day en masse, soaring ever higher, even as the receding fog reveals more of the awakening world below them.

As I walk back down the hill to start my own work for the day, I wonder - do the vultures start every day in this manner - quietly greeting the morning with the company of their friends and family? It is a moving sight…one that I doubt that even Hitchcock could have portrayed. Fog, astounding silence, and a flock of vultures…what could be more wondrous?

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
RECIPES: Remember, we’re always looking for more yummy recipes to share with other folks who get this email. If you have old favorites, or have come across some more unusual fruit recipes, please send them to: lisa@northstarorchard.com - Many thanks!

APPLESAUCE CAKE (quick and easy…with no eggs or sugar)
2 c. flour
2 c. applesauce
½ c. margarine
2 t. cinnamon
½ t. nutmeg
1 t. vanilla
2 heaping teaspoons of baking powder
½ t. salt
Mix all dry ingredients
Cream margarine, applesauce and vanilla, then add to dry ingredients and mix
Pour into greased 9 X 11 pan
Bake for about 1 hour at 350
Options:
-add to batter 1 c. walnuts and/or 1 c. raisins
-could also add sugar, if desired
-sprinkle top with oatmeal before baking for decorative effect
-top with frosting or a dollop of whipped cream before serving

APPLE MUFFINS
¾ cup milk
1 egg, slightly beaten
¼ cup butter, melted
2 cups flour
¼ cup sugar (up to ½ cup, if you like a sweeter muffin)
1 Tbl. Baking powder
½ tsp. Salt
½ tsp. Ground cinnamon
1 medium apple, peeled, cored, and finely chopped (or Asian pear)
½ cup raisins
In small bowl, combine milk and egg, then stir in melted butter
In large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and fruit
Add milk-egg mixture just until dry ingredients are moistened.
Fill lightly greased muffin tins ¾ full with batter
Bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes
Makes 10 to 12 muffins

GRATED APPLE PIE
The grated apples tend to cook down, ending up sort of like applesauce. Some kids, who are fussy about ‘chunky’ things in their food, might just love this idea!
Use your favorite pie crust recipe, or use a purchased fresh or frozen crust. Chill the crust in the freezer for 15 minutes or so.
5 large tart and juicy apples, peeled and cored
2 Tbl. lemon juice
½ c. sugar
2 ½ Tbl. Cornstarch
¼ tsp. Cinnamon
½ c. raisins
Preheat oven to 400
Grate the apples using the large-sized holes on a hand-held grater.
Place all the grated apples and resulting apple juice in a large mixing bowl.
Add lemon juice and mix well with the apples.
Mix in all the other ingredients.
Place the apple mixture into the chilled pie shell, leveling the top.
Cover with top crust and crimp edges.
Cut in steam vents or poke holes with a fork.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Reduce heat to 375 and place pie on a baking or cookie sheet, in case the juices bubble over. Bake an additional 35 to 40 minutes, until browned and juices bubble thickly
Allow to cool for at least 1 hour.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Copyright 2005 North Star Orchard
Please feel free to forward this email to your friends. However, we ask that you keep it intact and forward it in its entirety.
Lisa and Ike Kerschner
928 Stargazers Rd.
Coatesville, PA 19320
lisa@northstarorchard.com
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

You signed up for this newsletter either through our website, in person at a farmers’ market, or by becoming a ‘North Star Fruit Explorer’. Please let your friends know about us! To Subscribe, send an email to: lisa@northstarorchard.com with the word ‘subscribe’ in the Subject heading. Also include the location of the farmers’ market that you visit us at, so we can send you news specific to that market.