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Apples an Irrestistible Temptation
October 8, 2008
Apples an Irresistible Temptation
Farmers' Markets
DENISE MILLER
For the Journal
Good apples -- I mean really good, crisp apples -- are hard to beat.
Crunching every bite of flavor is certainly one of autumn's pleasures.
Good cider is much the same. Each swallow of a handcrafted blend of sweet, tangy apples dances on the tongue.
New Mexico has many great apples, from the northern orchards near Velarde to the scattered orchards in the middle Rio Grande around Corrales to those in the northwest near Farmington.
We also have a few good cider makers.
But this is an autumn without the robust apple crop of past years. Many orchards, particularly those in the north that didn't have fans to keep warm air circulating, lost much of their crop during late spring frosts.
One grower whose orchards escaped the difficult spring is Leif Rustebakke of Finca de los Cerros Rusticos, or Farm of the Rustic Hills in Placitas.
Placitas sits at a little more than 6,000 feet, and Rustebakke said this year was "the perfect storm" for his farm because his trees, which tend to bloom later, were fine.
Rustebakke's orchard is in the spot where he grew up, where his mother, Ann -- who helped start the Bernalillo Farmers' Market during the 1980s -- still lives.
Their five acres of fruit trees, wild asparagus and gravity-fed ditches are nestled in the old, quiet part of the village, where it's hard to believe that about a dozen miles away is the urban density of Rio Rancho.
Most fruit trees were planted in the 1940s and have gone through several periods of neglect, Rustebakke said.
Now, after returning to New Mexico, Rustebakke tends the orchard's cherry, apricot, plum, pear, quince and peach trees, in addition to the apple trees, the mainstays of which are Winesap, Rome, Red Delicious and Jonathan.
While Rustebakke and his wife also grow vegetables here and at their home in Rio Rancho, this time of year his focus is apples: picking apples, washing apples and pressing apples.
Not only does Rustebakke sell fresh, crisp apples at several area growers' markets, but he also sells delicious nonpasteurized apple cider he presses with his family's old wooden press.
Cider must be a blend of several kinds of apples, but the question as to whether cider should be pasteurized (cooked to 165 degrees Fahrenheit for a few minutes) has advocates on both sides.
Nonpasteurized cider runs the risk of containing E. coli or salmonella bacteria that can be harmful to children, elderly and people with weakened immune systems, but many cider lovers say nonpasteurized is the best.
He makes nonpasteuerized cider because it tastes better and contains good enzymes, Rustebakke said. The scale of his operation doesn't allow him to spend $10,000 on the equipment for ultraviolet flash pasteurization, he added.
"In most cases, bacteria has come from the feces of horses or cows where the apples fall. We don't have any livestock, and to protect against any contamination on the apple, I rinse the apples in a very light bleach solution, followed by a clean water rinse. Also, every piece of the press is meticulously cleaned before and after each use," he said.
The cider, which Rustebakke sells frozen, can be stored that way for up to a year. Once it has thawed, it must be refrigerated and should be used within a week or two since it doesn't have preservatives.
The opportunity to educate at market is appealing, Rustebakke said.
"It's also fun to show people all the different kinds of apples, and then have someone say, `Oh, you mean there's more than one kind?' "
Rustebakke said he plans to build a new press this winter that he will be able to assemble and disassemble so he can haul it to a certified kitchen, making it possible for him to sell his cider at more growers' markets.
Comparing farming to his other profession -- production manager at the University of New Mexico's Department of Theater and Dance -- Rustebakke explained what keeps him going.
"Just like street theater, I get my applause when people say it tastes great. I also like being able to feed people something good at a fair price -- something they remember," he said.
Rustebakke's cider is definitely memorable. After the first bottle I bought at the Bernalillo Farmers' Market, I bought five more, four for the freezer and one that is now only a great memory.
