The Legend of the Ice Apples

Many years ago in a small town in Oregon there lived a farmer named Joe.  Farmer Joe found great joy in growing fruits and vegetables of all kinds for the people who lived in his small town.  He could grow enough food to keep their pantries full all winter long.  You could always find Joe smiling as he worked in his fields, sowing the crops and harvesting the fruits of his labor.  Joe’s apple orchard was his true labor of love.  He nurtured each tree throughout the year, so that in the fall every tree would overflow with apples.  However, Farmer Joe faced failure every autumn.

To grow the juiciest, sweetest, tree ripened fruit, Farmer Joe knew the apples had to stay on the trees as long as possible.  Every year, Joe would watch patiently as his apples matured to perfection.  But every year, just as the farmer was about to pick his delicious crop from the trees, Jack Frost would sneak in and cover the entire valley with frozen frost.  Joe’s beloved apples would immediately turn to mush and be spoiled.  The townspeople felt sorry for Farmer Joe.  He was so proud of his crops, but he just couldn’t grow perfect, sweet juicy apples.
 
Time went by, and Farmer Joe grew old, but his determination never ceased.  Joe was no longer able to care for his crops.   He was only able to enjoy walks through his apple orchard.  Through all these years Jack Frost wasn’t the only one watching Joe’s harvest.  Mother Nature was proud of how well Joe tended her lands.  She knew Jack Frost’s work was important to help control pests and diseases, but she also knew that Jack Frost took too much glee in ruining Farmer Joe’s apples.   It just broke her heart to see Farmer Joe’s disappointment each autumn.   She thought it was time to teach Jack Frost a little lesson in disappointment.

On a cool, crisp morning in October, Mother Nature called on Jack Frost to come for a visit.  Jack Frost glistened with excitement as he talked about his plan to cover the countryside in a deep frost.  Mother Nature noticed that Jack Frost had a red nose and a small case of the sniffles.  “Jack, it looks like you are getting a cold and that just won’t do when you are preparing to freeze the land.  I will get you a cup of my delicious ginger and lemon tea to build up your strength.”  Jack Frost was touched by Mother Nature’s kindness and drank every drop of the warm tea.  Jack Frost thanked Mother Nature for her hospitality and waved to her as he left in a hurry. 

Jack Frost slipped into Farmer Joe’s orchard just as he’d done for many years.  Jack Frost noticed with excitement that Joe’s orchard had produced more apples than ever before. He was happy Mother Nature gave him the ginger and lemon tea to help him get his strength back.  He was going to need it with so many apples to freeze.  With a crooked smile, Jack Frost took a large, deep breath and blew frost straight over the orchard. Expecting an arctic gust of ice, he was surprised to see just a light sprinkling of frost on leaves and apples.  What had happened?  Jack Frost thought for moment, could Mother Nature’s ginger and lemon tea warmed up his breath so that he could not blow damaging frost onto the apple orchard?  Jack’s icy breath was just not cold enough anymore to ruin the apple crop.  Disappointed, he now understood how Farmer Joe felt each year.  He smiled at the apples gleaming in the moonlight and plucked two – one for him and one for Mother Nature.

In the morning, a few townspeople came to check on Joe knowing he would be disappointed after the night’s frost.  As they passed the orchard, they were amazed at the sparkling apples still hanging in the trees.  They plucked one and brought it to Joe.  Joe couldn’t believe his eyes.  He took a bite out of the apple and chewed.  The gentle frost left the apple crisp and caused the inside of the apples to crystallize, resulting in the sweetest, most-delicious apple he had ever tasted.  The townspeople celebrated that day, and helped Farmer Joe harvest his apples.  Word spread of the existence of the “Ice Apples” and people began to flock to the town to taste the special fruit with the sweet, crystallized center.  Farmer Joe became known as the finest apple grower in the land. Later that year Farmer Joe passed away content that he could grow the perfect apple.

As the legend goes, the night before the first frost each autumn, Mother Nature brews a pot of ginger and lemon tea and sets a table for three: one for her, one for Jack Frost and one for Farmer Joe.

To this day, Ice Apples are still grown in the small town of Wenatchee,  Washington.  A select number of Fuji apples are left on the trees until late October so that Jack Frost (with a little nudging from Mother Nature) can turn them into Ice Apples.  You won’t find Ice Apples in the grocery stores, as they are too rare and precious to be mass produced.  Al’s Garden Center is your only destination for this delectable treat.

Here's an Easy and Delicious Ice Apple Sauce Recipe!

Ice Apple arrive November 5th. - available while supplies last.