8 minute read
GOOD EATS
It was the antics of a wily and very hungry fox that serendipitously led to the creation of an applegrowing enterprise and cider mill that are still going strong more than a century later. Back in 1911, George Bowers and a friend started a chicken-raising business on 30 acres of hilly land near Laurelville, according to George’s grandson, Bob. “My grandfather was a rural mail carrier, fi rst on horseback and then by truck, and decided to raise chickens, too. But one night, a fox came along and got all of the chickens. A few apple trees were already growing on the hillside, so they scrapped the chicken business and switched to apples.” That launched what is now the Laurelville Fruit Company, with Bob at the helm, following in some wellworn family footsteps. “My dad took over the farm after World War II,” he says, “and growing up in the ’60s, I remember working my tail off to help out. Some of my high school friends and I would get up at 5 o’clock in the morning and make a thousand gallons of cider before school started, and then jug it when we got home. But it was fun, we didn’t think of it as work.” Today, the Laurelville Fruit Company orchards include “40 acres of apple trees, a couple acres of peaches, and just a smidgen of plums, cherries, and nectarines,” says Bob from his favorite perch in a rocking chair inside the Laurelville sales room. The popular retail shop is open July to December, and sells 12 to 15 diff erent kinds of apples (Bob’s favorite is the tart Winesap variety). But it’s the cider — produced each fall with a vintage rack-and-claw cider mill — that’s the main attraction here. The sought-after Laurelville Fruit Farm cider is made from a mix of sweet and tart, red and yellow apples. But the big diff erence is in the fi ltering. “Most ciders are not fi ltered, but ours is,” Bob says. “It makes for a more pleasant cider, and tastes just like biting into a fresh apple. It’s the only cider I’ll drink.” The shop also houses a slushie machine that turns out refreshing cider slushies each fall. “They’re really good; cider has just enough sugar in it to freeze to the right consistency.” The fruit farm shop is located smack-dab in the middle of tiny Laurelville, but the orchards are on acreage outside of town. Bob and his wife, Sherry, live close by on her family’s farmland, in the middle of 200 acres of row crops. Their home, a few rental properties, orchard buildings, the retail sales room, and a huge cold storage room are all served by South Central Power. Bob raised three daughters … none of whom plan to take over the reins of the fruit farm. A local family has helped the Bowers clan run the business for two generations. “When they’re ready to retire, I’ll probably retire too,” Bob says. “But I hope whoever buys the place will let me keep on sitting right here in my rocking chair.”
Laurelville Fruit Farm, 16181 Pike St., Laurelville, OH 43135. 740-332-2621.
Sherry and Bob Bowers grow and sell 15 varieties of apples from the Laurelville Fruit Farm, but their shop is best known for its sweet-and-tart cider.
Easyas
RECIPES AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY CATHERINE MURRAY
Easy-as-pie apple hand pies
Prep: 30 minutes | Cook: 25 minutes | Servings: 12 3 cups of tart apples (peeled and diced small) 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1⁄3 cup sugar 2 tablespoons cornstarch ½ teaspoon cinnamon ¼ teaspoon nutmeg dash of salt 15-ounce refrigerated pie crust 1 egg yolk 2 tablespoons water 1 cup powdered sugar 2 tablespoons milk
In a medium saucepan, toss together diced apples and lemon juice. In a small bowl, mix together sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add sugar mixture to apples and cook over medium heat until it begins to bubble. Turn heat down to low and simmer 2 to 3 minutes as mixture thickens. Remove from heat and let cool completely. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. On a lightly fl oured surface, roll disks of pie dough out fl at. With a 4-inch round cookie cutter, cut dough into circles. Mold scraps together and roll out to the same thickness. Cut more circles and repeat until all dough has been cut into circles and transferred to the parchment-lined sheets with a spatula. In a small bowl, whisk egg yolk with water to create an egg wash. With a small spoon, place a small amount of the apple fi lling in the center of each dough circle. Lightly brush edges of dough with egg wash, then fold each circle over the fi lling, creating half-moons. Pinch the edges closed and crimp with a fork. Brush tops with egg wash. Transfer baking sheets to refrigerator for at least 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 F. Remove baking sheets from fridge and cut a few small slits in the top of each hand pie to allow steam to vent. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown, switching racks halfway through. Let cool 10 minutes, then transfer to cooling racks. In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and milk until smooth. Brush tops of pies with glaze and let set a few minutes before transferring to an airtight container. Pies keep for 2 days at room temperature or 4 days in the fridge. Makes approximately 12 hand pies.
Per serving: 275 calories, 9 grams fat (2 grams saturated fat), 18 milligrams cholesterol, 217 milligrams sodium, 48 grams total carbohydrates, 2 grams fi ber, 2 grams protein.
Bananas foster cream pie
Prep: 20 minutes | Cook: 15 minutes | Chill: 3 hours | Servings: 6 1 blind-baked or graham cracker pie crust 1 cup packed dark brown sugar ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and cut into chunks 4 large bananas, ripe but fi rm ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon dark rum (Myers’s or Bacardi) 1½ cups milk (2% or whole milk) 5.1-ounce package instant vanilla pudding mix 1 tablespoon cold water ½ teaspoon gelatin powder 1½ cups heavy whipping cream 1 tablespoon sugar ½ teaspoon vanilla
Have a blind-baked traditional pie crust or a graham cracker crust (which would add more sweetness to the pie) ready to go in a pie pan.
Begin by measuring out the brown sugar, cinnamon, softened butter, and rum. With peel still on, cut 3 bananas in half, then slice in half lengthwise, following the curve of the banana. Set aside. In a large, wide skillet (stainless steel is best), place brown sugar, then cinnamon, then butter. Turn stove to medium-high heat and slowly stir as the sugar and butter begin to melt. Stir constantly to prevent sugar from scorching, about 3 minutes. Carefully peel and add quartered bananas to skillet, curve-side down; cook another 3 to 4 minutes, spooning sauce over the bananas and moving them around a bit. Turn off heat and add 1⁄4 cup rum. Using a long lighter or kitchen torch, catch the rum on fi re, swirling the pan constantly until the fl ames disappear, about 30 seconds. (If you’d rather not use fi re, continue cooking another minute on the stove.) Remove from heat and let cool 10 minutes. Meanwhile, place vanilla pudding mix in a medium bowl and whisk in milk until smooth. Let rest a few minutes to thicken. Using tongs or a wide spoon, line pie crust with the cooked bananas slice-side down. Stir remaining sauce to break up any sugar. Fill in any holes where you can see the crust with the sauce. Pour half of the remaining sauce in with the pudding, whisking until smooth, then spoon pudding mixture over the bananas in an www.ohiocoopliving.com/videos Watch videos of our recipes being even layer. Cover pie and refrigerate 3 hours. Transfer remaining sauce to a microwavable container with lid and refrigerate. prepared and pick up tips to create When ready to decorate and serve, place cold water in a small microwavable bowl and these recipes sprinkle gelatin powder over it. Let sit for 5 minutes, then microwave for 10 to 15 seconds at home! until just melted. Using a stand mixer, beat heavy whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla on medium speed. When it begins to thicken, slowly drizzle in the melted gelatin and continue beating on medium-high until stiff peaks form. If desired, pour in tablespoon of rum and beat to incorporate. Slice remaining banana into ½-inch rounds. Pull pie out of refrigerator and decorate with whipped cream and banana slices. Warm up remaining bananas foster sauce in microwave for 20 seconds or so and drizzle over top. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.
