In preparation for this blog post, I did what all experienced writers do. I began with a deep dive into my topic—LOCAL APPLES! Then what almost never happens, happened. Someone wonderful had already written (quite articulately I might add) and published everything I was looking for.
“They say that money doesn’t grow on trees, but in Haywood County it just might,” goes the opening sentence to The Mighty Apple feature published by the Haywood Snapshot Project. This essay is written so beautifully that we decided to abandon our own thoughts completely and share an excerpt of their essay here:
They say that money doesn’t grow on trees, but in Haywood County it just might. In the 1930s, the county income from apples was twice that of cattle and dairy combined.
The Barber Orchard, established in 1903, was the largest orchard in the county and the largest private apple producer east of the Mississippi, harvesting 225,000 bushels a season in its heyday. Its success was partly due to a type of soil native to the area known as porters stony loam. The combination of minerals in this soil helped to grow the large, richly flavored, deeply colored, crisp, and juicy apples for which Haywood County is famous. —CLICK HERE to read the full feature.
The article goes on to drop the nifty fact that, “the apples even made it as far as England: Queen Victoria once said that her favorite apple was the Haywood Pippin!”
Historically food was raised, grazed, foraged and preserved by settlers who recognized their very survival depended on it. In Haywood County (as in many rural places) our heritage was born through centuries of “making do,” never wasting and seeing delicious opportunities everywhere. I love thinking about early innovators making note of the soil’s ability and capitalizing on the opportunity by growing apples.
Inspired by the heritage of apple growing in Haywood County, I’m sharing an old family recipe. If you ever attended a Sunday picnic at church growing up or had a great-Auntie who brought one thing to every get together, this recipe might look a lot like what you know as “Cuppa Cuppa Cuppa.”
Just in time for the season, here’s one from my family table to yours:
APPLE-BLACKBERRY COBBLER
Ingredients:
8 Tablespoons, unsalted butter
4 cups peeled and sliced firm, tart local apples
2 half-pints plump blackberries
1+1/2 c sugar
1c all-purpose flour
1c whole milk
2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 Tablespoon raw sugar
Preparation:
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Place the butter in a 10″ cast iron skillet (or baking dish) and put it in the oven to melt while the oven pre-heats.
- Toss the apples and berries with 1/2c sugar in a medium bowl. Add more sugar to taste.
- Remove skillet from the oven and pour the melted butter into another medium bowl. Add the remaining 1c sugar, flour, milk, baking powder, vanilla and salt; whisk to combine. Pour the batter into the baking dish. Place the fruit on top, but do not stir (the batter will rise as the cobbler bakes, the two exchanging places).
- After 20 minutes or so, sprinkle the top with raw sugar. Return to the oven to continue baking.
- Bake a total of 35-45 min or until top of crust is golden brown and cobbler is thick and bubbly. (Make sure to subtract the initial 20 minutes before adding raw sugar).
- Serve warm with bourbon whipped cream and vanilla ice cream, or whatever is desired.
Author’s Note: You can substitute almost any fruit—peaches, blueberries, nectarines, peaches + raspberries, frozen fruit in the off-season.
Read more from the Haywood County Historical & Genealogical Society HERE