Green apples
FALL IS HERE," declares the October wind, and with it comes speckled leaves and the pennant chase and a presidential election. To balance these excitements, there is heartache: On store shelves, summer's fruits and vegetables will soon give way to pricier, paler, blander ones. Local corn and tomatoes will succumb to frostbite.
Even so, New Englanders have always embraced the change of season. And fortunately, time-honored customs of autumn here seem more sensible than ever.
Consider apple picking, that New England staple, which now gives us something to fill our crispers (and stomachs) at a bargain price.
The activity has appeal for the whole family: some children wing rotting apples at unsuspecting targets, other children act as site managers, parents can save money on fresh produce, and everyone can revel in the fruit of their labor. And the act is an important reminder to a young generation that spends too much time indoors: Yes, little Sally. Food does grow on trees.
Always a good way to get some exercise in the crisp fall air, apple picking is an ecological boon too. As citizens look to reduce their carbon footprints, solutions lie not merely in matters of gas mileage and thermostats, but also in the food we eat. Apples from local orchards are a good, green choice.
Apples aren't the only artifact of fall, of course. Last month, the popular Verrill Farm stand, which has been selling a variety of produce in Concord since 1918, burned to the ground. But Verrill is bouncing back: A temporary stand is up and running. Massachusetts farmers - those alchemists of the rocky, glacier-scraped soil - continue to beat agribusiness, thanks in part to the popular, do-it-yourself apple harvest.
Leominster's own Johnny Appleseed planted apple trees across Ohio, and orchards abound throughout the Northeast, but supermarkets import the red and green spheres from as far away as Washington, Canada, and even New Zealand and Japan. It is important to ponder the impact of our food miles: Would I drive to Arizona for a cantaloupe? Would I fly to Costa Rica for a pineapple - especially when we have such a good alternative just down the road? 