Hi friends,

Wishing you a spooky 31st filled with your favorite sweet treats. (Ideally pilfered from the bowl meant for trick or treaters.) Forever a sour patch kid at heart, I can be found wandering grocery store aisles November 1st in search of discount candy. This is adult Halloween. More scary though than an overly obscure costume fit, I am heads down in candy corn adjacent memes to distract myself from impending election results. And if you’re questioning why this personable, yet quirky foodie publication is mentioning November 5th, I want to remind you that food is political, for anyone who eats.

More pointedly, food is food. A vehicle for cultural discourse and political infusion, globally. We impose meaning onto that which we eat. And every time we vote individuals into power we are changing the discourse. From what food we have access to locally, to emissions regulation on factory farming, or legislation on managing food waste. To the level of micro-plastics we’re consuming to agricultural runoff allowance in our water, to EPA and food education funding and lobbying dollars spent. Food is food and food is fuel for meaningful climate action, at every voting level.

We are in a pivotal moment. To say “we are what we eat” suggests a passive role in our food systems. Better said, “we are why we eat”–active participants in making impactful decisions this election cycle. Regardless your affiliation, (someone who enjoys candy corn vs those who could never,) here’s to the future of food.

Stay hungry,
Hawnuh Lee | Founder, Closed Loop Cooking

We’ll be switching platform providers moving forward! Keep an eye on your ‘spam’ folder, just in case.

Chocolately sourdough discard banana bread.

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• A quick PSA on avoiding microplastics!

• On that note, just thinking about restructuring plastic tax incentives.

• Embracing all autumnal entrees with this crave worthy 5 spice apple squash salad. Must make! Saving all my seeds to toast of course.

• Just learning about the Food Systems Dashboard.

• I wish I could have gone to this cake picnic.

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5 spice apple + squash salad.

The autumnal fruit of Hallowe’en

Write-up by Hawnuh Lee

Feeling nostalgic this haunted season and in the spirit of food for fun and sweet trickery, we’re exploring the early histories of a favorite Halloween fruit–apples. From caramel covered bites to bobbing for red delicious to proper apple divination, these symbolic fruits have been a part of the earliest celebrations of the late autumn harvest festival. A delightful look into historic holidays and a reminder of how far our celebratory tastes have come!

Howard Chandler Christy's painting "Halloween" as reproduced in Scribner's Magazine January 1916. Wikimedia commons.

Approximately 2,000 years ago, the Celts celebrated the harvest festival of Samhain around October 31. Apples were believed to carry mystical powers due to their association with the goddess Pomona, and were seen as symbols of love, health, and fertility. During Samhain, people would use apples in rituals to divine information about the future, particularly for love and romance.

A fitting Halloween theme, wouldn’t you say?

In one traditional practice, individuals, usually younger girls, would peel an apple in one continuous strip and toss the peel over their shoulder. The shape the peel formed upon landing was said to reveal the initial of a future lover's name. Another ritual involved slicing an apple horizontally to reveal the pentagram-like star of seeds, symbolizing protection and magic, and then eating the apple by candlelight, gazing into a mirror to catch a supposed glimpse of one’s future partner.

The game of apple bobbing also became associated with fortune-telling, particularly for matchmaking. Young people would attempt to catch an apple with their teeth to see who would marry first; successfully grabbing an apple meant good fortune in love. This practice made its way to the United States with British immigrants and was eventually simplified into the popular holiday party game.

These customs survived centuries of folklore and celebration, evolving into a fascinating part of Halloween lore. Today, reminding us of the mystical qualities of the fruit and the harvest season’s ties to love and destiny. In such an uncertain moment in our contemporary timeline, maybe we can all toss a peel or two over our shoulder?

A 1909 Halloween postcard by illustrator Bernhardt Wall, of a young woman tossing a long apple peel over her shoulder, hoping the shape reveals her future lover’s first initial.

An apple divination ritual

Ingredients:

• A fresh apple (your preferred variety, I like tart)

• A sharp knife

• A mirror

• A quiet, dimly lit room or candlelight

• Patience and an open mind

To-do’s:

Peel divination

1. Set the scene. Find a quiet, calm space. Add atmosphere–light a candle and dim the lights. Get one more wear out of that overly obscure costume if desired. Kneel on a cushion or sit comfortably.

2. Using your knife, carefully peel the skin of the apple in one continuous strip, trying not to break the peel. This takes patience, but the longer the peel, the better!

3. Once you have your single strip of peel, stand up and loosely hold it in your hand. Close your eyes, concentrate on the type of love (or future political outcome) you wish to see, and internally ask for insight.

4. Toss the peel over your left shoulder. Turn around and look at the shape it forms, documenting as needed. Traditionally, people believed the peel would resemble the initial of a future lover’s (political leader’s) name.

Mirror divination (optional but not really):

1. Cut the apple in half horizontally to reveal the star-shaped seed pattern at the center—this star is a symbol of protection and magic.

2. Take each half of the apple in your hands and stand in front of a mirror in dim lighting.

3. Take a few bites of each side of the apple slowly, gazing into your own eyes in the mirror. As you do, imagine the qualities of your ideal partner or the future (political outcome) you envision.

4. Folklore says with concentration you may catch a glimpse of your future partner’s (or political leader’s) face in the mirror’s reflection. Alternatively, you may feel an intuitive sense of what’s to come.

Once you’re finished, take a moment to appreciate the apple and the natural energies that aided in this divination–a​ connective ritual to centuries-old practices and our natural world. Alternatively, save your leftover fruit for making stovetop applesauce.

Apples have been long honored in autumn traditions. Symbolizing abundance, mystery, and love that ring through centuries of folklore and celebration. From party games, to divination, to stovetop recipes we’re reminded of the timeless ritual in fruit.

And to really wrap up All Hallow’s Eve, let’s celebrate with a speciality spiced cider and a moment of reflection as we look towards the future this November.

Spiced apple cider 

Ingredients:

• 8 cups apple cider or unfiltered apple juice

• 1 large orange, sliced

• 3 cinnamon sticks

• 6 whole cloves

• 3 whole star anise pods

• 1 inch piece of fresh ginger, sliced

• 2 – 3 whole allspice berries (or a pinch of ground allspice)

• 1 – 2 tablespoons maple syrup (optional)

Instructions:

1. In a large pot, add apple cider, orange slices, cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise, ginger, and allspice berries. Stir to combine.

2. Place the pot over medium heat and bring the cider to a gentle simmer. Once it begins to simmer, reduce the heat to low and cover. Let simmer for 20-30 minutes, or up to 2 hours for a deeper flavor. Stir occasionally.

3. Taste the cider and add maple syrup if desired. Stir to combine.

4. Use a fine-mesh strainer or slotted spoon to remove the spices and orange slices. Ladle the warm spiced cider into mugs.

5. Garnish with a fresh orange slice, a cinnamon stick, or star anise. Enjoy!

Did you know this about candy corn?

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