Near Jackson, Tennessee; Summer 1962

The summer after my grandfather died, when  I was twelve, I went to spend some time with my grandmother, who lived 600 miles from our home in the South Carolina Lowcountry.I learned more about food in those few weeks than I would learn in many years to come. It was Grandma’s approach to living more than her recipes, however, that so influenced me, and I am forever grateful for that one time alone with a real homemaker and her garden. There was much solace for her in her daily chores, and I,  too, learned to enjoy hanging clothes  on the line , watching for cracks in the soil around the potato plants, and drying apples in the  sun.

We removed all the window screens from her house, scrubbed and hosed them clean, and set them in the sun to dry. We then gathered green summer apples from the trees that bordered the garden, and she showed me how to pare, core, and slice them. We placed the slices on the screens which were stacked on concrete blocks in the sun. Every night we carried them into the garage, away from the dew, then  back out into the sun each day until, after about a week, the apple slices were perfectly — and naturally — dried.

Grandma placed the dried apples in cloth bags that she hung in the basement, with her cornucopia of  grape jams and jellies, jarred tomatoes and tomato sauce,  fig preserves, brandied fruits, pickled peaches, and applesauce. The applesauce was made with the dried apples, which would also go into an occasional, multi-layered Apple Stack Cake, traditional throughout Appalachia and the Ozarks.

50 years later in Bulgaria

Though the Balkans are perhaps known more for their grapes, plums, cherries, and strawberries, Bulgarians grow a lot of apples as well, particularly around Kyustendil, where we recently spent several days. Apples, in fact, account for as much of the fruit harvest as cherries, peaches, and plums combined.  Though the land area devoted to apple orchards has decreased dramatically in recent years, harvests have grown by leaps and bounds, mostly because more productive modern hybrids have been planted. These trees have not replaced the older, heirloom varieties; indeed, many old orchards were simply  unattended during the Soviet era, and again as the younger generations have moved to cities. The newer orchards include the crosses made from Mollie’s Delicious, Melrose, Greensleeves, McIntosh Wijcik, Elise Rathke x Prima, Liberty, and Florina. The new, compact trees, which are easier to prune, include both early- and late-ripening varieties that are resistant to scab, powdery mildew, and aphids.  In this recent article, other indigenous varieties have been named as disease-resistant.

Kyustendil is also the home of Vladimir Dimitrov, called The Master, the most important modern painter in Bulgaria’s history. Known for depicting peasants amongst apples and pears, Dimitrov is a national hero whose work is featured on the country’s currency. A gallery in Kyustendil is devoted to his paintings, and there was a new exhibition going up when we were there. Kyustendil lies southwest of Sofia, but to the northwest of the capital, the talented rug weaver Seeka Tacheva spends months fashioning kilims that copy The Master’s works. Mikel and I were fortunate enough to buy one of her exqusite tapestries (pictured at left).  This one features pears, not apples, but you get the picture.

In spite of the rain and snow and icy puddles, I spent several hours walking around Kyustendil one afternoon. In the shadow of an abandoned mosque, there was an open air market where peasants were selling their homemade jams, pickles,  braids of garlic, peppers, homemade woolen socks and slippers, and walnuts. I bought a half-pound bag of dried apples from this guy (about 65 cents) . He also had some herbs, prunes, and bottles of rakia (homemade “brandy,” possibly made with apple cider, and very potent: think moonshine more than cognac!). I probably should have bought some, though I have a refrigerator full — everyone makes it.

I’m going to try to recreate Grandma’s applesauce, but I don’t have a recipe. I think I’ll get some local fresh cider and simply cook the dried apple slices in that. I’ll puree it, taste it, add some sugar if necessary, and cook it until it’s the right consistency. I’ll keep you posted.

Here’s another vendor’s stand, such as it is, at the same market. There are socks and garlic and peppers and several jars of pickled foods, but I’m not sure what the sticks are for. My sister suggests they are perhaps switches for those who have been naughty!

P.S. December 31, 2012: I have since found that they are probably branches of dryan, the Cornelian cherry, and have written about them here.