Gravenstein Apples

I got an interesting email from Slow Foods today. It was about ordering some apples. Since my family consumes mass quantities of apples (seriously about a bag and a half a week!) this was of particular interest to me. So I've cut and pasted most of the body of the email here.

What You Get:
Enjoy 5 pounds of delicious fresh Gravenstein apples delivered within two days of harvest, along with a special apple tart recipe from acclaimed northern California cookbook author Michele Anna Jordan. Cost: $20. The box is 75-100% post consumer recycled cardboard. The apples will be picked from two local organic orchards.

What You Support:
Your purchase supports Sonoma County's remaining Gravenstein Apple orchards. The Gravenstein Apple is on Slow Food USA's Ark of Taste, a catalog of over 200 endangered American foods. The Gravenstein Apple Presidium promotes farmers who nurture their apples from tree to table. The Presidium has documented the history of Gravenstein apples, organized the remaining apple farmers, and developed production protocols, marketing materials, and strategies to promote sales.

The Gravenstein Apple:
Among the hundreds of California apple varieties, the heirloom Gravenstein Apple is beloved as one of the best snacking and baking apples. A fine balance of sweet and tart, its full-bodied flavor intensifies when made into sauce, juice, pie, or vinegar, yet the Gravenstein Apple is in danger of becoming commercially extinct. Suburban development, the popularity of wine grape production, and competition from imported apple juice concentrate are among the factors that have greatly reduced the number of orchards and apple acreage in Sonoma County.

How to Order:
To order, contact The Fruit Guys at 877-FRUIT-ME or via email. Gravensteins have a short and precious harvest season and will be available for shipment the weeks of August 15th and August 26th only. More information is available at their website.