by Jennifer Crain
Dave Jekel, owner of Spud’s Produce Market, says he buys Washington apples from Ernie Spada’s Pride Packing Co. because the company is a family operation with a philosophy similar to his own.
“I like the way they strive for high quality items and that they take a lot of pride in what they do,” Jekel says, adding, “For me, it’s all about relationships.”
Spada is the one who answers the phone when Jekel calls to place an order. The two have been doing business together for more than a decade, from the time when Jekel and his wife, Karissa, owned a full-line conventional grocery store in Tenino. Now the Jekel’s are bringing Spada’s Eastern Washington fruit to Spud’s, which draws many of its customers from Olympia’s southeast neighborhoods.
Ernie Spada is the son of Leon and Mary Spada, former row farmers who founded United Salad Co. in 1940. Ernie participated in farming duties as a young boy, kept the business running as a young man and eventually took the reins. In 1972, he stepped into a production role when he bought a 200-acre orchard in Wapato, Washington. Today the fruit-growing company, operating under the umbrella of United Salad, produces apples, pears and stone fruits from 3,000 acres of orchards east of the Cascades.
Tom Dulley, head buyer for United Salad Co., says the company is “one of the only wholesale companies in the United States who’s not only a wholesale company but also a grower. From seed to Spud’s, we’re involved in the whole process.”
Apples grow well in Washington in part because of our chilly weather. According to The Old Farmers’ Almanac, apple varieties need a varying number of “chill hours,” industry-speak for the hours in a day between 32° and 45°F, to set the fruit and guard against problems related to freezing temperatures later. During the growing season, cool Pacific Northwest nights also sweeten apples and give them color. Washington’s ideal apple-growing weather results in what Dulley calls “the most eye-appealing apples,” and the ones that sell best: 95% of United Salad’s apple sales are of Washington-grown varieties. (Some sources say that the uncharacteristic warm temperatures over the past several weeks may bleach out the outer skins of this year’s apple crop.)
No one can predict an early frost, but barring such a misfortune, this year looks to be a good one for Washington apples. In 2012 the state set a record, producing close to 129 million bushels of apples. The success was augmented by massive crop failures in Michigan, New York and other areas along the East Coast, prompting Washington growers to pick even hail-damaged fruit for shipping or processing. The industry isn’t likely to see a similar situation for a long time. This year, in fact, Michigan and New York are setting their own apple crop records. Even so, some predict a harvest of 120 million bushels, which would be the second largest apple crop in Washington history.
Currently Spud’s is stocking the first of the new crop: Gala, Fuji, Pink Lady and the crowd-pleasing Honeycrisp. And more varieties are close behind.
“They’re all just going to start to come in, one right after the other,” Jekel says. “It doesn’t get any better than right now.”
Spud’s will also stock Jonagold, Cameo, Sweetie and Aurora Gold as well as Dave Jekel’s current favorite, a Braeburn-Gala hybrid called Envy. Developed in New Zealand, the variety is his idea of the perfect apple: a good size fruit with uniformly red skin that “tastes like an apple is supposed to taste. I think it’s got all of the right texture, the right amount of sugar – I mean, it’s just really good.”
Spud’s will continue to stock apples from the new Washington crop as they become available. They expect their ratio of conventional to organic apples to be about 2-to-1 during the height of the apple season.
“This is it. If you like apples, this is your time of year,” Jekel says.
2828 Capitol Boulevard South
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Fillo Triangles with Apple Compote
from The Plum Palate
This recipe will work well with any good baking apple. Try Pink Lady, Jonagold, Cameo or Granny Smith. See the original recipe here.
1 good-sized baking apple, diced with skin on
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 teaspoon chopped fennel fronds
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1 package prepared fillo dough
1 tablespoon butter plus 4 tablespoons for brushing
Olive oil
Kosher salt
- Preheat oven to the temperature indicated on the fillo package. Mine said between 350° – 375°.
- Cut unpeeled apple into a ¼ – ½-inch dice.
- Melt one tablespoon of butter and a splash of olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat.
- Add apples and toss to coat. Sprinkle lightly with salt.
- While the apples are cooking, melt the remaining butter and find your pastry brush.
- When apples have softened slightly, add zest, fennel and maple syrup to the pan and stir to coat all ingredients. Cook down slightly. Taste, salt and stir; repeat until the flavor is right. When the apples are tender, turn off the heat.
- Lay a sheet of fillo dough on a clean surface. Brush entire surface with melted butter. Fold dough into thirds and brush again with butter. Place one-fourth of the apple mixture on the bottom left corner of the dough and fold into triangles. The package of dough I purchased says to fold it “like the American flag,”: a good visual.
- Place the triangle on a baking sheet, brush the top with butter and tuck in any loose ends.
- Bake according to fillo package directions, about 20 minutes.
Makes 4. Serve warm or cooled.
