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Tart and Sweet Ready to Take on Taste Buds
July 29, 2009
Tart and Sweet Ready to Take on Taste Buds
By Denise Miller
For the ABQ Journal
If you're ready for spectacular local fruit, orchardists such as Ed and Louella Costanza of A-Bee Honey and Apple Farms are ready for you.
Along the Rio Grande corridor, trees are beginning to hang heavy with their annual bounty. That's good news for everyone who appreciates the crunch of a local apple or juice of a local peach.
No strangers to the rigors of cultivating fruit in New Mexico, the Costanzas were raised in orchards, Ed in Belen and Louella in Taos.
Ed, whose father was an apple man from Pennsylvania, got started in the apple business at age 10. His family farm was a commercial orchard of 1,200 trees that his family still owns and operates.
Louella grew up on an orchard home to naturally grown heirloom and Europeanvariety fruit. They still run this orchard.
While two orchards might be enough for most people, the Costanzas also own property between Edgewood and Moriarty with about 140 trees, and Ed consults for and manages an orchard in Corrales. In addition, he is president of the New Mexico Apple Council.
A veritable cornucopia of fruit
About 80 percent of their fruit trees are apple, but they also have many pear, apricot, plum, cherry and peach trees. This year, they will sell mostly plums, pears, apricots and, of course, apples.
(The Costanzas' peach trees didn't do well this year, but overall it should be an excellent peach year for other New Mexico growers.)
The Costanzas, who have been selling at area markets for more than 20 years, grow about a dozen varieties of apples, including northern sky, ginger gold, Fuji and gala that should be available in early August.
Louella says their best-selling apple is the Arkansas Black Twig, a late season beauty usually available in October.
"It's a deep burgundy red that looks black in the trees," she says. They are the most popular because they keep so well, she says, adding that they can last until March when stored in a cool place.
In early August, apricots should be available, followed by plums and pears from mid-August to mid-September.
Other than one longtime employee who has been with them for about 30 years, family members do most of the orchard work, and Ed and Louella go to as many markets as possible.
"The hardest part is running from point A to point B, and keeping everything first quality," Louella says, adding that her mother-in-law always insisted that everything be clean and perfect.
All of the Costanzas' apples are hand-graded, washed and polished, and they are grown with natural methods (mostly pesticidefree).
The Costanzas also sell to schools as part of the state's Farm to School program and help with state and federal lobbying efforts on behalf of small farmers.
They donate food to Roadrunner Food Bank and the Bethel Community Storehouse of Moriarty.
"We love to re-educate people about traditional foods, including black turtle beans, freshly ground blue corn, fava beans, honey and even fruit ciders," Louella says.
Education is a big job, but with the Costanzas' knowledge, experience and expansive energy, everything is possible.
FRUIT COMPOTE
Serves 2
Prep time: 5 minutes, cooking time 15 minutes
Some recipes use a syrup of water, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla. But if the fruit is good, only water is needed. If mixing harder and softer fruits, add the softer fruits later so they don't disappear while the harder fruits cook.
3 local apricots, sliced
3 local peaches, sliced
3 local plums, sliced
¼ cup of water
Place apricots, peaches and plums in a saucepan. Add water and bring to a boil. Simmer about 15 minutes. If water disappears, add more. Cook until fruit is soft. Serve warm or cold. With a granola topping, it tastes just like a warm pie, but without the trouble of a crust.
PER SERVING:159 calories; 1 g fat; 39 g carbs; 3 g protein; 6 g fiber; 1 mg sodium. Featured growers
WHO: Ed and Louella Costanza, A-Bee Honey and Apple Farms
WHAT:: Fruit, such as apples, pears, plums and more
WHERE TO FIND THEM: Albuquerque Downtown Growers' Market, Nob Hill Growers' Market, Edgewood Farmers' Market, Belen Farmers' Market, Los Lunas Farmers' Market, Eldorado Farmers' Market, Corrales Growers' Market (occasionally)
