Clear to partly cloudy. Low 52F. SSE winds at 10 to 15 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph..

Clear to partly cloudy. Low 52F. SSE winds at 10 to 15 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph.

Clear to partly cloudy. Low 52F. SSE winds at 10 to 15 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph..

Clear to partly cloudy. Low 52F. SSE winds at 10 to 15 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph.

Late summer forage opportunities are not all wild edibles, take for example the sensational Gravenstein apple, a domesticated hybrid. The issue today is that there are very limited markets for the Grav-apple, which means they rot on the ground for many orchards, especially in older farms. At this point the apple is in ‘late season’ for tree ripened fruit. Opportunity knocks for the forager, if you don’t have a known person to approach for a box of apples, you might ask around among friends or co-workers who may know of an untouched orchard or someone who has a tree. One box (40# lug) of apples is a lot of Gravenstein to process. Once you have the apples there are a few ways to process this short shelf-life fruit. 

First use them fresh, apple pie is the highest and best use, fresh, the spicy, exotic flavor its forward in your mouth. One way to keep Gravensteins fresh is to put the most perfect ones in a paper grocery bag in the back of the refrigerator. Mrs. Comstock was able to make fresh Grav-apple pie for Thanksgiving. This may be the most time you can keep them fresh. Apple sauce made with Gravensteins will capture the natural spiciness. Follow your favorite applesauce recipe and the instructions for canning. Added spices, primarily cinnamon, is best added at the table, some sugar is needed if you can. An alternative preservation for applesauce is to freeze the fruit in pint size plastic containers made for freezing the applesauce with tight fitting lids. This approach is good for six months, give or take, before the flavor begins to deteriorate. Another preservation method is to dehydrate the fresh fruit and store them in zip-locks or glass fruit jars. The dehydrated Gravenstein is a treat to eat, they retain that natural flavor for a long time. Other apple varieties are just beginning their peak-of-season ripeness and benefit from a similar approach to preservation.

Roadside blackberry bushes are in the peak-of-season right now. Rumor is that Luther Burbank was working with different berry bushes in his quest to improve the fruit. One such was the ‘Himalayan’ variety. He rejected it because of the vicious thorns and massive number of seeds it produces. The downside is that with so many seeds, some of them pass through the digestive tract of birds unharmed. Birds love ripe berry as much as we do, which brings up another feature, they grow like crazy when birds make a deposit. In a hundred years since introduction the ‘wild’ blackberry is now growing in patches all over the north bay, into Oregon and many western states. Many roadside ditches, creeks and fields are overgrown by this vigorous plant. Their season is very short, take advantage now. When processing this blackberry, be sure to strain them through cheese cloth or a fine strainer to eliminate the seeds, most of them anyway. The resulting berry-mass can be used fresh for cobbler and berry pie or put them on ice cream for a real treat. Blackberry jelly is excellent, and the pulp can be frozen for later use. Blue staining in the mouth is common, it’s easy to tell which child got in the cobbler, Dad!

Forge on the backroads and in ads for free or low-cost fruit and veggies. Little ‘Lemonade’ stands offering garden surplus for sale is a common sight right now. Asking friends and family for low cost or free fruit is often productive, most every gardener is willing to share to prevent composting perfectly good fruit they worked hard to grow.

Bill Hanson is a Sonoma County native and a lifelong sportsman. He is the former president of the Sonoma County Mycological Association. Look for his column in The Community Voice each week.

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