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saturday aug 31 2002 13 economist sun stouffville tribune healthy living pick the apple of your eye by andrew hind special you know fall is just around the corner when apple orchards open to the pub lic with a host of farms in york region offering great crops and often entertainment for chil dren apple picking is an enjoy able autumn family outing there are a few things to con sider before going to the orchard the first is to identify the kind of apple you want do you want to eat the fruit fresh store it for the winter or bake with it once youve decided youll be able to identify the variety that best suits your needs mcintosh is by far the most popular variety in canada native to ontario it was first grown around 1800 and remains a stal wart due to its appearance taste and crispness the core reason for apple picking is an afternoon of fun for the family mcintosh normally ripen in mid to late september but require cold days to ripen properly so if the month is unusually hot you might want to wait a few more weeks mcintosh can be stored for 60 to 90 days and are equally good fresh or in pies a kissing cousin of mcintosh cortland was cultivated in new york state in the early 1900s very hardy it looks like mcintosh but is somewhat larger and ripens in midoctober its flesh browns very slowly when cut making it ideal for pies though it tastes great eaten fresh as well cortland can be stored for 90 to 100 days arriving more recently is empire introduced in 1966 a cross between mcintosh and red delicious which is not winter hardy and is mostly grown in southern ontario and british columbia it ripens in late september and keeps better than mcintosh up to 120 days the fruit is small but firm and sweet hailing from bc spartan has gained favour in central ontario it regional orchards applewood farm 12442 mccowan rd n stouffville 9056405357 farintosh farms 11858 warden ave gormley 9058875727 forsythe family farm 10539 kennedy rd unionville 9058871087 wwwforsythefamilyfarmcom panteles orchard 16th sideroad west of jane street king city 9058335846 pine farms orchard 16th sideroad east of jane street king city 9058335459 scotch settlement orchard 6th line east off simcoe street bradford 905- 7757116 homestead orchards 3961 old homestead rd sutton 9057225325 is another hybrid of the mcintosh though is generally larger and firmer best eaten fresh it ripens in late september or early october northern spy is common throughout ontario and the mafitimes its a large green fruit with red stripes known for its crispness excellent for cooking and baking it can be stored for 120 to 150 daysand ripens in mid- october when it comes time to harvest handle apples gently so they dont bruise place them in a container lined with soft material to prevent staff photosjoerd witteveen elora passafiume above 21 months picks a paula red at applewood farm near stourrville jim van voorst of scotch settlement orchard says early varieties were hard hit staff photomike barrett by weather damage during transport how do you know when an apple is ready to pick lift it gently and twist if its ripe it should come off the branch easily with the stalk remaining on die fruit if youre going to store your apples the best way is to lightiy wrap each in wax paper or 10- inch squares of newspaper dont make it an airtight seal simply fold the edges over gently apples can be stored without wrapping- but this increases the risk of mois ture loss and the spread of rot you can also store apples in plastic bags preferably small ones with no more than halfdozen apples per bag puncture small holes in the plastic to prevent rot ting and ensure you put only one variety per bag keep apples in a dark cool place between 2 and 5 degrees celsius is ideal that is slighdy humid and make sure to remove apples that show signs of rotting there are a lot of excellent growers in york region and youre sure to come away with bushels of apples at unbeatable prices but the core reason for apple picking is an afternoon of fun for the fam- ily healing soul can heal the body by linda johnson staff writer nowadays medical cures and tech nology seem to go hand in hand but even today many continue to look to the past believing in the connec tion between mind and body they turn to the ancient arts for a deeper more satisfying cure people have a lot of problems they hold on to old personal resentments but whatever we hold on to within out heart in our spirit it begins to manifest in illness in the physical body said sheila hogan owner and operator of wishing wellness centre in newmarket therapists at the centre use a variety of unusual healing techniques includ ing meditation regression reiki treat ment and iridology ms hogan said when something is wrong spiritually or emotionally a per son may have more colds headaches or may get the flu more often all signs from the body something is wrong because the mind and body are connected she said the key to healing any one part is to heal the others we work on all three the mind the body and the spirit we bring the three into alignment so that you have healing of the mind healing of the spirit and healing of the body in any treatment ms hogan said you must discover the root cause of the problem it often lies deep within the person hidden in the past or in the spir it through regression she takes clients back to the moment they first felt the pain or trauma when theyre sitting quietly witfy me i have them close their eyes and when were talking the spirit begins to reveal to the mind the secret thats held deep within a lot of people are really fearful of looking at what is really causing the sick ness in their life or causing them to have pain in their body but seeing the truth- of themselves coming to love them selves and accept responsibility is the start of wellness meditation is the main technique see intuitive page 14 dohhumbl road closure and parking restrictions for the bell canadian open angus glen golf club the region of york will be closing september 28 2002 major mackenzie dr from warden ave to kennedy rd and september 58 2002 warden ave from major mackenzie dr to elgin mills rd all closures will be in effect from 600 am to 800 pm each day please take alternate routes to avoid delays parking restrictions will be in effect in adjacent neighborhoods the town of markham will enforce parking restrictions to ensure emergency vehicle access for more information contact 9054754866 wwwcityrnarkhamonca fvrkham