Robin Van Creveld encourages us to plant trees and enjoy their fruit

“A great shopper” will never be my epitaph! I thoroughly dislike shopping and very rarely buy ‘stuff’. My gifts are generally home-made and often edible.

I’m not particularly mean or grumpy, although I suspect my daughter might think otherwise; I just find the cycle of consumerism particularly tedious and deeply unfulfilling. For me, home-made gifts or sharing food are always a more satisfying way of expressing my love than adding extra fuel to the insatiable fire of materialism.

When my children were born we were showered with gifts. In addition to the hand-me-downs and spanking new ‘stuff’, both children were given apple trees, which we planted ceremonially. A fruit tree is one gift I particularly approve of because it fits into my “is it useful and can you eat it?” baseline. Fruit trees are a living reminder of fundamental events like a birth; they grow with you, punctuate the seasons and yield free bounty for many a year.

Once again, I’m in the throes of apple magic. My van smells like a packing shed and my kitchen is awash with rare varieties like Crawley Beauty and Slack ma Girdle. Autumn may be the time for picking apples, but winter is the time for planting and cooking them. I feel deeply blessed to be part of a Sussex-based project that plants heritage fruit orchards in schools and community spaces. We’ve planted over 50 orchards so far and in so doing are ensuring that rare varieties are preserved and communities have sources of free local food for future generations to use and enjoy.

I run hands-on fruit cookery workshops with children and communities alongside the tree plantings, and these recipes are from this year’s programme. They also lend themselves to being given as gifts.

 

Spiced squash and apple soup

This sweet and spicy soup is the perfect tonic for banishing the winter blues. The raw garlic and ginger added last are a great boost for the immune system. You can make it in bulk and give it away to your hungry friends and family or freeze it in useful portions using recycled yoghurt pots. It takes less than 30 minutes to make.

 

Serves 6

1 tbsp olive oil

2 onions, chopped

2 small cooking apples such as Bramley or Charles Ross, peeled, deseeded and

chopped

1kg (2 lb) butternut or kabocha squash, peeled, deseeded and chopped

1 tbsp mild curry powder

1l (2 pt) reduced-salt vegetable stock

1 tbsp grated ginger

2 cloves garlic, chopped

Salt and pepper

 

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large pot and fry the onions until they start to brown.
2. Add the chopped apples and squash to the pot and cook for a further 5 minutes.
3. Add the curry powder and cook for a minute more.
4. Add the stock and bring to the boil.
5. Reduce heat to a fast simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
6. Before you serve this soup, remove one cup of liquid and blend very well with the ginger and garlic. Return this to the pot and blend the soup to a very smooth consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

 

Variations:

• I like to serve this soup with toasted sesame seeds and a swirl of cream.
• Adding a spoon of seasonal pesto to each serving of the soup looks wonderful and adds further depth of flavour. Try this easy combination: blend 3 tbsp toasted hazelnuts, a clove of garlic and 6 tbsp chopped coriander with 3 tbsp olive oil. Season with salt and pepper or a dash of chilli.
• You can also add red lentils to this soup to make it even more hearty and nutritious.
• Make a simple baby food by steaming some extra squash and apple on top of the soup to use as purée or finger food.

 

Apple fritters spiked with perry and pepper

This is a truly delicious dish, sweet, hot and rich. On cold winter days it really hits the spot. Serve it as a sweet, dusted in sugar or dipped in thick hot chocolate or with strong cheese, white meats or fish. Make sure the oil is up to the correct heat or the batter will drink it up and be greasy and soggy.

Sunflower oil, for deep frying

4 firm eating apples such as Cox or Windsor

150g (6 oz) self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ground black pepper

50g (2 oz) caster sugar

175–200ml (⅓–½ pt) perry or pear juice

 

Method

1. Heat the oil to 180 °C (356 °F) in a deep-fat fryer or large saucepan.
2. Remove the core from the apples using an apple corer, and peel. Cut off the top and bottom of the apples and then slice the fruit into pieces about 2cm thick.
3. To make the batter, sift the flour, cinnamon and black pepper into a bowl and stir in the sugar. Whisk in enough of the perry or pear juice to make a thick coating batter.
4. Dip the apple slices into the batter and carefully slide into the hot oil. Do just a few at a time to prevent them from sticking together. Fry for about 1–2 minutes, until they are light golden brown and crispy.
5. Remove from the oil, drain on kitchen paper and eat straight away.

 

Apple and ginger jelly

Jelly making can be a labour of love, but if you have the time and space it is well worth it. Preserves like this make great presents. They are cheap to make but expensive to buy. Apple is low in pectin, the natural setting agent found in most fruit, but the pips are full of it, so make sure you use the whole apple. The ginger adds a warm layer of flavour that slightly offsets the intense sweetness of the jelly. Serve with bread and cheese, rich meats or apple fritters.

 

Makes about 2 litres (4 pints) of jelly

2kg (4½ lb) Bramley or any other sharp-flavoured apple
cold water to cover
approximately 1.5kg (3 lb) preserving sugar
100g (4 oz) fresh ginger

 

Method

1. Chop the apples and place the fruit – cores, pips and all – into a large, heavy-bottomed pan. Chop up the ginger and add to the apples. Add enough cold water to cover. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 30–40 minutes, or until the fruit is pulpy.
2. Pour the fruit and liquid into a sterilised jelly bag or triple-folded clean cotton muslin and allow it to drain through into a large container until it stops dripping, (about 3–4 hours). Be patient and don’t be tempted to squeeze the bag too much or the jelly will be cloudy.
3. Measure the juice by volume and allow 450g (1 lb) preserving sugar for every 500ml (1 pt) of juice.
4. Place the juice and sugar in a clean pan. Bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Reduce the heat and skim any scum from the surface with a metal spoon.
5. Return to the boil and boil hard, continuing to skim off any scum, for 15–20 minutes or until setting point is reached. The setting point for jelly is 105° C (220 °F). Use a sugar thermometer to test this or put 1 teaspoon of jelly onto a cold saucer and allow it to cool for a minute. Push the jelly gently with your fingertip. If the surface wrinkles, setting point has been reached.
6. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to settle for a few minutes. Skim the surface again if necessary.
7. Place clean jars the right way up on a baking tray in an oven heated to 90 °C (200 °F/Gas Mark ¼) for 10 minutes to sterilise them.
8. Pour the hot liquid jelly through a sterilised funnel into the hot jars. Seal the jars while still hot.

 

Chocolate-dipped nut and apple brittle

This is my take on peanut brittle, but without the sugar or the peanuts. It is a delicious and nutritious sweet treat that is easy to make and stores well, so with some creative packaging it is a good dish to give as a gift. The seeds are a great source of carbohydrates, protein and healthy fats. You can use this combination of seeds and nuts or improvise and create your own.

 

2 tbsp chopped hazelnuts or pecan nuts

2 tbsp pumpkin seeds

2 tbsp sunflower seeds

2 tbsp sesame seeds

1 tbsp apple juice concentrate – available from health and wholefood shops

2 tbsp barley malt syrup

100g (4 oz) dark chocolate for dipping

 

Method:

1. Oil a large flat plate lightly with sunflower oil or prepare a non-stick silicone mat.
2. Dry fry the nuts and seeds in a large frying pan over a medium heat, stirring constantly until they go a shade or two darker.
3. Remove the pan from the heat and add the apple juice concentrate and barley malt syrup. Return to the heat and cook gently for a minute longer, stirring well. The mixture should dry out a bit but still be sticky enough to bind together.
4. Turn the hot, sticky seeds onto the oiled plate or silicone mat. With wet hands, mould into a uniform shape and push gently down. Allow this to cool and harden and then cut the slab into slices or wedges.
5. Break all the chocolate into a stainless-steel or glass bowl and place this in a saucepan of simmering water (bain-marie). Slowly melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally.
6. Using two forks, dip the brittle into the chocolate, place on baking parchment or greaseproof paper and leave to cool.

 

 

Robin Van Creveld is a chef, educator, social activist and entrepreneur. He lives in Sussex and is married to the artist Riga Forbes. When he is not parenting Anoushka, aged 5 and Orlando, aged 1, he runs www.communitychef.org.uk

 

For more info about the Local Fruit Futures project, visit

www.brightonpermaculture.org.uk/fruit

www.ruralsussex.org.uk/service/food-local-products