Fresh Ontario apples are a sure sign of fall

(NC) You know it’s fall when fresh Ontario apples show up on the shelves at retail stores, on-farm shops and farmers’ markets across the province. Ontario’s 200 commercial apple farmers grow approximately 15 main varieties, along with many others, of apples along the shores of Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, Lake Huron and Georgian Bay.

Ontario is Canada’s largest apple-producing province, growing about 35 per cent of the country’s apples. The three most popular varieties are Gala, Honeycrisp and Ambrosia. These juicy, crisp and flavourful apples can be enjoyed fresh or as an ingredient in a recipe like this pistachio apple crisp recipe from Ontario Apple Growers.

The work to grow a great apple starts every spring when trees are pruned to ensure healthy growth. Blossoms are pollinated and once tiny apples, called fruitlets, start to grow, they are thinned so the tree can produce as many large, evenly sized apples as possible.

Warm temperatures and sunshine help build flavour until the fruit is ready for harvest – which usually starts sometime in August for many tasty early varieties.

Growing apples is very labour-intensive, and because both the trees and the fruits are delicate and must be handled with care, most of the work is still done by hand. Many Ontario apple growers depend on seasonal farm workers – often called migrant workers – to help grow, manage and harvest their crops.

Every year, approximately 17,000 international farm workers come to Ontario through the government-approved Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program to work on fruit and vegetable farms, where they’re valuable members of the workforce. In fact, many have been coming to Ontario – and often to the same farm – for decades.

Pistachio Apple Crisp

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
Makes: 6 servings

This pistachio apple crisp offers a small twist on the classic and much-beloved dessert. It features saucy, buttery soft Ontario Honeycrisp apples baked under a crisp and nutty, cookie-like crumble. The crust, which is loosely inspired by the treat baklava, is comprised of pistachios, walnuts and oats, with a hint of cinnamon and rosewater. Topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a drizzle of honey and chopped pistachios, this apple delight hits all the right notes. 

Ingredients:

Apple mixture:

• 8 Honeycrisp apples, peeled, cored and sliced
• ½ cup (125 ml) light brown sugar
• ¼ cup (60 ml) all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp (4 ml) vanilla extract
• 1 tsp (4 ml) ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp (2 ml) ground ginger
• ½ tsp (2 ml) ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp (1 ml) salt

Topping:

• ¾ cup (175 ml) all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup (175 ml) light brown sugar
• ½ cup (125 ml) pistachios, lightly salted
• ½ cup (125 ml) walnut pieces
• 1 tsp (4 ml) ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp (2 ml) salt
• ½ cup (125 ml) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 1 cup (200 ml) old-fashioned whole rolled oats
• 1 tsp (4 ml) rosewater (optional)

To serve:

• 1 pint (473 ml) vanilla ice cream
• ¼ cup (60 ml) honey
• ¼ cup (60 ml) pistachios, coarsely chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a cast iron skillet with butter and set aside.
2. Place the apples in a large bowl. Add the sugar, flour, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Toss to coat the apples. Pour them into the cast iron skillet and set them aside.
3. For the topping, place flour, sugar, pistachios, walnuts, cinnamon and salt in a food processor. Pulse until the nuts are pebble-sized and the dry ingredients are well mixed.
4. Add the butter, oats and rosewater (if using) to the food processor. Pulse until the butter is evenly distributed. Sprinkle the crumble evenly over the apples.
5. Cover the crisp and place in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes and remove the cover. Bake for another 15 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Let stand for 5 minutes before digging in.

To serve, spoon the crisp into bowls. Top with vanilla ice cream, a drizzle of honey and a sprinkling of chopped pistachios. Serve immediately.

Did you know…?

• The Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program was launched in 1966 when 264 Jamaican farm workers first arrived in Ontario to help with the apple harvest. Today, the program is open to workers from Mexico, Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago and the Eastern Caribbean islands.
• Under Canadian law, Canadian employees and migrant workers are paid the same wages for the same work. This means that seasonal workers earn at least minimum wage, with many able to earn much more.
• Migrant workers have the same rights to apply for permanent residency as anyone else from outside of Canada. Having Canadian work experience is considered a significant advantage in eligibility under Canadian immigration programs, especially for workers in year-round jobs such as in greenhouses.
• Growing apples is seasonal work. Most Canadian job seekers live in urban centres, far from the farms where workers are desperately needed and are looking for year-round jobs.

Attention Editors: This content is reserved for distribution in Ontario only.