Garrett Hardin, in 1968, used the concept of the ‘Tragedy of the Commons’ to illustrate his concerns about the ability of the planet to survive the over use of its natural resources.  The basis for the ‘tragedy’ was found in a pamphlet in 1833 inEngland. The story goes like this: “Picture a theoretical pasture open to all. Herdsmen are allowed to use the ‘commons’, an unfenced pasture, without cost. Each herdsman soon realizes that he could keep as many cattle as he wants on the commons, with good return and no extra cost. Such an arrangement worked for centuries because tribal wars and disease kept the numbers of both man and beast well below the carrying capacity of the land. Finally, however, comes the day of reckoning and the self-interest of the individual herdsman overcomes the ability of the commons to sustain itself. Because it is free the desire of the herdsmen to make full use of the resource is overwhelming, until tragedy occurs and the resource is lost to all.

Today, the National Parks present a contemporary instance of the ‘tragedy of the commons’. Parks are open to all at the moment but the number of people who want to enjoy them is soaring. Meanwhile, funding to maintain the parks is static or even dropping. The favorite vehicles in the parks are ATVs, snowmobiles and large SUVs causing further damage to the environment. The bottom line – our national treasure, the Federal Park System, is in serious decline – the 21^st Century example of the ‘tragedy of the commons’.

But there are more examples. The air is free to all. Hence in the industrial age there no one thought of the need for controls on the use of the air. Only with the passage of the Clean Air Act by Congress in 1972 was there any consideration of the price being paid for polluting the air that everyone breathes.  Recently the Supreme Court confirmed the need to include carbon dioxide as an air pollutant and therefore covered by the Clean Air Act. Efforts to continue cleaning up the air are ongoing.  Complex market systems are being devised to get control of CO2 emissions. Meanwhile, in China, when the sun shines through the dense layer of industrial pollution it is a day for celebration.

In this region water has been so little thought of as a finite resource that the residents of NYC were only metered for their water usage in the last few years. Fire hydrants are regularly opened on hot days for the children in spite of efforts to control the practice. A few years ago the tenuousness of the water supply came to the fore. A severe drought created the need to use Hudson River water to supplement the diminishing upstate reservoirs. The City of Poughkeepsie depends entirely on the Hudson for its water supply which is above the point of the brachish water from the sea. If too much Hudson river water is pulled out below the city the salt moves up river, endangering the Poughkeepsie water supply.

Globally, there is a permanent shortage. The water we have today is all we are ever going to have. Yet 85% of freshwater is now used for agriculture, largely as the result of inefficient subsidies and protections for agricultural interests. For instance,California, essentially a dessert, grows crops more appropriate for a tropical climate. Historic water rights make it possible. However, even in California market strategies are being introduced.

Meanwhile, the developing world is hoping for an equal share of the ‘commons’. However, for that dream to be realized the resources of two more planet earths would be required. As the discussion of global warming caused by our carbon footprint gains more attention, the uneven distribution of the earth’s treasures and the consequent greenhouse gases will be hard to ignore.

In preparing a talk recently on the making of applesauce I discovered that all the postings on the internet that described ways to make apple sauce this supposedly easy way, were actually far more time-consuming than the process used in the 1950s or even earlier. Today the dominant process involves peeling and coring the apple, cutting it in tiny pieces, then cooking the prepared apples to the desired tenderness, adding a bit of sugar maybe, and some seasoning such as cinnamon, basically the seasoning one might use for apple pie. To my mind this process is unbelievably tedious and time consuming.

Some personal background would explain my different take on the current process of apple sauce making. In the late 1950’s my family moved to a little house in Ardsley situated on an acre and a half with seven MacIntosh apple trees loaded with incredibly rosy colored mar free apples ready to be picked. The prior owner of this property, a scientist, had bought thousands of ladybugs to enhance his apple crop. And spectacular it was.

Even though I had two very young children and a third well on the way my frugal nature demanded that these apples be preserved in some way. A neighbor recommended the Foley Food Mill as the basic tool. Though this kitchen tool would have been standard a hundred years ago it is rarely found either in the home or in retail stores. It is available through Amazon at about $20. With the advent of an endless array of electrified kitchen appliances today’s homemaker, if that word is even appropriate any more, would prefer electronic power over the use of a little muscle power. Intriguingly, no modern appliance can do what the humble Foley Food Mill can do and here is why.

The first step in making applesauce my easy way is to acquire a good supply of somewhat tart apples. My favorite is Granny Smith. However, on one of the postings Granny Smith was NOT recommended because it was TOO tart! Obviously, personal preference plays a big role in applesauce making. No matter what type of apple you prefer the first step is to wash the apples. Gather a large pot, large bowl, sharp knife, sugar and seasonings, either jars for canning or containers for freezing.  Now the process – cut the apple in six pieces. No need to be neat about it. Just make the pieces reasonably uniform in size. Put them in a pot with about an inch of water in the pot. The time involved to this point is about five minutes for a large pot of cut apples. Put the pot on the stove and the heat on high. Stir the apples from time to time to be sure the water hasn’t boiled away.

When the apples are soft when punctured by a knife you are ready for the Foley. Place the mill securely on the large bowl. Use a large measuring cup with a handle to scoop the apples into the mill. They are very hot. Two measuring cupfuls should do it. Then start grinding the apples through the mill, turn the handle backwards regularly to reposition the apples in the mill. You may want to raise the handle of the mill when grinding to give more power to your effort. It’s a personal thing. When finished with that first batch only peel, seeds and stem are left. Scrape it all out and start another batch of cooked apples in the mill. When you are finished  milling all the cooked apples
season the apple sauce to taste, possibly adding a touch of salt if the apples are bland. No need for any more cooking. The sugar will dissolve in the hot apple sauce.

Now let’s compare the two systems – the time consuming  type –  peel and cut the apples in small pieces and cook until tender VERSUS the Foley Food Mill system – merely cut up apples in sixths and cook, no peeling or coring.  Neither system uses electricity except for the power used in the stove. It is a matter of taste and how much you have to spend.  Bottom line the Foley Food Mill is the appliance for the future – only human power drives it. It has stood the test of time.