Local Business Highlight - Gleis Orchards

I was raised on locally grown Michigan produce, and it’s nice to know there is a nearby place where I can still get those high quality products.  Eating locally is easy when you can shop at a place like Gleis, just south of Jonesville Michigan.

I recently took my Hillsdale College Horticulture class to visit Gleis and meet with staff horticulturalist Chris Witschen.  We were eager to learn the ideas and practices that has kept this green business thriving for ninety-four years.  Chris described how he has stayed abreast of trends in the plant business throughout his career, which has spanned over 30 years. 

After going through a period of expansion during the mid 1980’s, the greenhouse business has had its ups and downs in Michigan, along with the general economy.  Chris explained the current market emphasis is on low-maintenance, high impact plants, such as wave petunias.  It is not as common these days as it once was to see people growing large flower beds and gardens, but there is a big demand for easy care plants and containerized plantings.  Chris described Gleis selection as a balance between the “bread and butter” items that everyone likes year in and year out, and new plant varieties coming from the breeders to appeal to people’s desire for something unique.  Gleis still provides perennials and more unusual plants for their loyal specialty-customers who often travel some distance every year to visit the nursery. 

Be Still My Heart!  :)

The consumer market’s diversity of interest is also reflected in the apple varieties grown in the orchard.  Most of Gleis customers buy a few types of popular apples, such as McIntosh, Fuji and Gala, and the regional darling Honeycrisp.  But Gleis carries over 30 varieties of apples, including the old favorite Northern Spy.  Chris said he had one customer who comes up from Indiana to the orchard every year to get this variety for her pies.

Another trend in plant sales Chris mentioned is an increased interest in home vegetable gardening, due to taste, economic and food safety concerns.  Gleis has started carrying more variety of vegetable plants in recent years.   They also grow vegetable crops to sell for their summer farm stand.  But there’s even more to love at Gleis!  You can find indoor potted plants and flower arrangements, as well as many food items including cheese, nuts, preserves and maples syrup.  They sell items to decorate your indoor and outdoor spaces for holidays too, including Christmas trees and pumpkins, Easter lilies and poinsettias.

When I asked Chris if Gleis had any interest in the organic movement, he emphasized his company uses a variety of non-chemical techniques for controlling pests, such as crop rotation and companion planting.  This is part of their integrated pest management philosophy.  It makes economic sense for them to use methods of crop management that prevent pest problems before they require a lot of chemical inputs.  He felt that USDA Organic certification was an impractical process due to many cumbersome hoops to jump through, such as the requirement that fields go without pesticides for three years before being awarded the certification.  That’s a difficult business model to follow and I have heard this complaint from many small growers over the years.  The policies and politics of “organic” in this country are a fascinating study, but that’s another article! Meanwhile, as I always say, best to seek out your local producers and get to know them and their practices.  They are usually happy to share!! 

Chris couldn’t give us any magical formula for his successes at Gleis, but he did emphasize keeping up with best practices and having a good soil formula and nutrient regime in the greenhouse, along with keeping records and following research through trade publications and professional networks.  He attributed much of his ability to manage things well to years of trial and error experiences.  We weren’t too long in Chris’ company before we realized why his colleagues call him the “Walking Encyclopedia!”  When it comes to keeping a small business running, there is no substitute for hard work and dedication and Chris Witschen embodies these principles!

Ms. Rose Makes Pink Applesauce!

Having recently returned to my home state of Michigan, I have become reacquainted with the wonderful variety of apples for which my agricultural powerhouse of a homeland is known.  At my local Meijers store, they label Michigan-grown apples, and there was one on the shelf I had not seen before, Ida Red.  My curiosity was piqued; I had heard it was a good pie apple, so I looked it up online.  One of the things I found out was you can make pink applesauce with this variety if you cook it with the peel!  If you know anything about me and my love of pink things, you know I had to give it a try!

The pesticide dilemma

Ida Red.  Isn't that the cutest apple!

The problem with using apple peel in applesauce is apples are one of the most pesticide-intensive produce crops out there.  They are at the top of the Environmental Working Group's list of the “Dirty Dozen” testing most heavily for pesticides.

Organically labeled apples cost more than conventionally grown ones, and variety is rather difficult to come by, so I usually circumvent problems by peeling the apples I eat.  But in this case I had to figure how to get rid of the pesticide residues, no easy matter.  That would be a great topic for another article, perhaps another day.  

There are many variables to consider if you want to go about cleaning apple peel in a scientifically proven effective way.  One problem is apples are coated with waxes in addition to having natural waxes on their skin.  Pesticides adhere to these waxes.  Also, many pesticides are waxy, and hard to remove with water.  If pesticides just washed off with water, they would be less effective because they would wash off when it rains.  Some pesticides do wash off this easily, some don’t.  You don’t necessarily know what pesticides any given apple producer is using--one reason to get to know your local farmers and buy from them, that way you can ask!  

After doing some research, I decided to wash the apples in warm water with a mild natural soap, and then rinse them with water and follow that by a vinegar rinse to remove any possible soap residue.  Some sources will tell you soap isn’t necessary and it could add additional toxins to your apples.  While this is true for some washes, not sure it is true for all.  As far as I can tell that assertion isn’t backed up by any science, it's purely conjecture.  Pesticide removing washes haven't been widely studied.  Soap's chemical constituents will vary depending on what kind of soap you use, and eating a lot of soap might give you a stomach ache, but I have no reason to believe the chemicals in the soap I used are going to bio-accumulate in my body or wreak havoc with my immune system, unlike some pesticides.   I made the educated guess the tiny amount of soap chemicals that might adhere to an apple’s skin weren’t going to be a problem, but I hope to explore this topic more in a future post.  I used a natural soap with the non-toxic ingredients listed.  I scrubbed the apples with a brush, which is also recommended.  The ratio of vinegar I used for the rinse was 1 cup vinegar to three cups water.  I used apple cider vinegar.  I didn’t notice any soapy taste in the final product at all.  Here is a good link from Colorado State University Cooperative Extension on cleaning produce, with the standard recommendations, Guide to Washing Fresh Produce

The peel dilemma

The second problem I encountered making this applesauce was removing the peel from the sauce.  The easy way to do this is to run the cooked applesauce through a food mill of some type.  The peels will get caught in the mill and pure sauce will come out the other end.  This is the standard efficient way to make applesauce,  since peeling apples wastes time and energy.  I have a Roma food mill but I don’t have access to it where I am right now, so I had to get creative.  I thought I could peel the apples, leave the peel in big pieces, and then fish it out later.  I didn’t realize the peel would cook down significantly, so the task of fishing out the peels was very fussy.  Also, a lot of sauce adheres to the peel.  After fishing out the biggest pieces, I ran the peel through a sieve to extract most of the sauce.  There were a few small bits of peel in the sauce but sans the pesticide load, that’s good for ya!  I was reminded of my Baubie’s homemade applesauce which often had bits of peel in it.  I didn’t like that as a kid but now it brings back a wave of nostalgia for Baubie’s old kitchen and Baubie’s old arthritic hands somehow still managing to make yummy homemade applesauce and homemade noodles.  I always feel connected to her when I make applesauce like she did so long ago.

 

The taste dilemma

So here’s the finished results.  Not so much pink as a very pale peachy color.  As far as taste, not my all- time favorite, rather mild.  I have found that when it comes to apples, taste is very subjective.  My mom likes mild applesauce made with soft McIntosh, she thinks that kind tastes most traditional and has the best texture.  Dad and I like spicier, chunkier applesauce.  My go-to apple for sauce is Golden Delicious.  Many folks swear by a mix of apples, some tart, some sweet.  I recently made a batch of applesauce that was a mix of Jonagolds and Empire, which are themselves crosses between Jonathan and Golden Delicious, and Red Delicious and McIntosh.  Best of both worlds, it was a hit with everyone in the family.

Just for fun, you might try checking out this Web site, “Orange Pippen,” where folks post reviews of various apple varieties.  You might find yourself spending a good bit of time reading the fascinating range of opinions!