not far from the tree

When this project fell into my lap just over a year ago, I had never picked an apple before. This lack of knowledge was, in part, my motivation for the project. Environmental issues like food security require us to be curious, willing, and constantly humbled. While it took me years before I had the pleasure of eating a fruit picked right off the tree, this thanksgiving weekend I got to learn from one of the best apple-pickers I know, my 3-year-old niece Claire.

I was home in New Brunswick for my mother’s birthday and thanksgiving celebrations. Claire lives just across the lake from her grandparents, and visits regularly. One day she pounced onto my lap while crunching an apple - but not just any apple. This delicious specimen was picked by Claire’s little hands from my parents’ backyard. Her “secret garden” consists of two apple trees that the neighbours planted as ornamentals. Last year - perhaps inspired by her aunt’s latest venture, way off in Toronto - Claire discovered that the apples they produce are just as beautiful as the blossoms.

With this apple-crunching monster squirming in my lap, I was delighted to find out more. So for our thanksgiving supper Claire and I decided to make apple crisp. She shared, she picked, I documented, she transported, and we baked. It was the most magical thanksgiving moment I can remember. And it only got better, with my first trip to a working orchard the next day. Yes, there is much to be thankful for.