On Tuesday, the apples were heavy on the trees in northern Georgia, their skins shining a rich red, minty green, and gold in the late September sunshine. A beautiful day to wander an orchard, choosing the perfect apples for fall recipes.
And while I didn’t really know where I was or where I was going on Highway 5 North, I happened to stumble upon the Sasquatch Museum and Research Center just down the road from Mercier’s Apple Orchard. Always game for a mythical adventure, I could not resist the museum tour. I mean, why are we so fascinated by a creature most of us secretly suspect does not exist? Why do we buy tickets, pose for photos, and study plaster footprints as if they were relics from a sacred shrine?
A Few Observations: You Decide
Myth as Mirror
Bigfoot is more than a hairy hominid. He’s the Wild Man, the archetype that haunts the edge of civilization. His footprints are an invitation to remember The Signal & Spiral’s Mythic Commitment #3: Our senses are intelligent. Perception is a portal. What we feel, notice, and track is data of the soul. Myth thrives where certainty falters, and Bigfoot lives in that blur where all we have is our intuitive knowing.
Technology vs. Myth
It’s ironic that, with superpower cameras and AI-image enhancement techniques, the best evidence of Bigfoot remains shaky, grainy videos. Perhaps the sharper our tools, the deeper our hunger for mystery. Among the forests and the swamps of the unconscious, there’s the call of the wild for each of us that we cannot quite decipher, and that’s what makes it thrilling.
Local Patterning
The Cherokee once told stories of Tsul ‘Kalu. It was described as a giant spirit of the slopes, elusive and powerful. The museum may sell mugs and magnets, but beneath the kitchen hums an older song. Myth belongs to a place. These mountains hold stories as surely as they hold orchards.
The Archetype of the Outsider
Bigfoot is the one who refuses to be captured or categorized. He is mocked, sought, denied, defended, and, judging by the size of the crowd on a weekday afternoon, perhaps even worshiped. Bigfoot has that je ne sais quoi quality of being indescribable. Bigfoot is a feeling more than a being.
Here’s the Signal
Maybe Bigfoot endures not because we believe in him, but because he believes in us. He’s a reminder that the world still holds shadows unmeasured, trails unmarked, and mysteries unwilling to be resolved. Bigfoot keeps wonder alive at the edge of the orchard, and for that, I am grateful.
Sasquatch Apple Crisp (with a couple of notes)
They say Bigfoot leaves only footprints. But Tuesday, I carried something more tangible to feed heart and soul—Red Delicious and Granny Smith apples. This Sasquatch Apple Crisp is a way to honor the orchard, the wild, and the mysteries that feed us in unexpected places.
Apples Discovered by Chance
Both “Granny Smith” and “Red Delicious” apples were happy accidents by two seedling cultivators on opposite sides of the world in the late nineteenth century.
In New South Wales, Australia, the story goes that Maria “Granny” Smith had been testing French crab apples in various recipes. She threw the apple cores out in the yard along with other apple varieties. Volia! Meanwhile, in the heart of the American Midwest, Jesse Hiatt, a farmer in Peru, Iowa, was doing much the same as Smith. He happened upon the Red Delicious, which he called the “Hawkeye” apple.
To make a 9x13-inch crisp, I use between six or eight apples, depending on the size. The Granny Smith apples are tart and firm. The Red Delicious are sweet and a touch softer.
The Recipe
3 or 4 Granny Smith Apples
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon of a thickening agent (cornstarch, arrowroot, etc.)
For the Topping
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup pecans (if you’re in Georgia!) or walnuts
Directions
As you peel and slice, notice how the tart scent of Granny Smith apples mingles with the sweetness of Red Delicious apples. Mixing oats, sugar, and butter with your hands is its own small meditation. Fall baking is a lovely reminder that creativity begins in the body as much as in the mind. Apple crisp is less a recipe than an invitation to step away from the keyboard, let the senses lead, and find a quiet equilibrium in the rhythm of making.
Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 350°F (175°C)
Step 2: Slice and squeeze the lemons. You’ll need two or three tablespoons of juice. I love the smell of fresh lemons. But it’s perfectly fine to use juice you have in the refrigerator.
Step 3: Prepare the apples by peeling, coring, and slicing into 1/2-inch wedges.
Step 4: Toss the apples in a large bowl with the lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and thickener (if using). Then, spread evenly in the baking dish.
Step 5: In a separate bowl, combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Mix in the small cubes of butter with your hands or use a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, or more poetically, small sandy pearls. Stir in the nuts (if using).
Step 6: Sprinkle the topping evenly over the apples. Bake uncovered for 40 to 45 minutes, until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is golden brown.
Step 7: Remove the Crisp from the oven and allow it to cool for about 15 minutes before serving with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, or enjoy it as is.
Enjoy!