With many thanks to Helmut and Christel for sharing this information.
What’s the connection between apples and your local Council? Plenty, if you happen to live in Rheinstetten, Germany. Our friend Helmut has a buddy-buddy relationship with his town council – a very forward thinking lot, those people. Their public land is dotted with apple trees, each with a number. In August Helmut and others sign up for the Apple auction. Then, on a specified day, they bike over to the requested land, choose the trees they want to bid for, and the highest bidder can take all the apples from that tree. Bidding ranges from 1 to 15 Euros with an average of about €4 (about £3 or $4) depending on the amount of fruit, the accessibility of the tree, and the type of apple.
“The hired tree is yours for the year and one can do what he likes,” says Helmut. He dries some, stores some for winter, gives to friends, takes some to a place that produces apple juice, and also makes Schnapps. I would guess that Christel, his wife an excellent cook, could find uses for them too.
And, considering that these trees can live to be 100 years old, it looks as if Helmut will never run out of Council apples.
Roman Apple Cake From More with Less by Doris Longacre.
I’ve made this for a meeting of learning celebrators. We’ll have it as a dessert, warmed and served with a jug of cream nearby..
Mix together well 2/3 cup butter (6 ozs. 170 gms), 2 eggs, 2/3 cup milk (6 ozs. 195 ml) and 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla. Mix together 1 cup sugar (7 ozs. 190 gms) 2 ¼ cups plain flour (9 ¼ ozs, 265 gms) ¼ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon baking powder, 1/1/2 teaspoons bicarb of soda, ½ teaspoon ground cloves, 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Combine with the first mixture and beat until smooth. Fold in 3 cups of peeled finely chopped apples. Pour into greased and floured 9 x 13 pan, or use baking parchment to line the pan.
Topping. Melt one tablespoon of butter, and mix with 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 2 ½ tablespoons brown sugar, two teaspoon flour, 3 tablespoons chopped nuts and 4 tablespoons porridge oats. Mix with your fingers. Then sprinkle the topping on the cake batter.
Bake in an oven on moderate heat, about 35-40 minutes. You can test for doneness by inserting a cocktail stick (toothpick) in the centre of the cake. If it comes out clean, it is done.
More about apples next time.. What are your Apple experiences? How did you share them with your community? Send in your stories. Real apples, mind you, not computers.
food that builds community 