At this time of year, peak English apple harvesting season, I can’t stop lamenting the difficulty I have in buying apples from this country. And the even greater difficulty I have in buying seasonal favourites. When I was a child, I remember eagerly anticipating the very first apples of the season, and excitedly going shopping with my mother to buy the new arrivals. Beauty of Bath and Discovery apples appeared while we were still on summer holiday from school. Then it was George Cave and James Grieve, Then Worcester Pearmain, Laxton Supreme, Lord Lambourne…. Then Cox’s Orange Pippin. We still have those, but they’re not the same. We used to hold them to our ears and shake them to hear the pips rattle. They just don’t, not any more. Then Egremont Russets – still my favourites and – woo-hoo! Still available. Then finally it would be Blenheim Orange and last of all, Newton Wonder.
Apart from Discovery, Cox’s and Russets, I haven’t seen any of these for years and years. It’s all about Braeburns, Jazz and Pink Lady (which don’t even grow here) and a few others like Honeycrisp that hadn’t been developed when I was younger. All are crisp, juicy and pretty tasteless, compared to the old favourites. In my opinion.
Sally Coulthard has written just the book for me: The Apple – a delicious history. She has been cut from the same cloth as me, and is a Real Enthusiast.
She begins her book by telling the history of the apple. I had no idea that the ancestry of every apple we eat can be traced back to an area in what is now Kazakhstan. I had no idea that the apple was spread farther afield over many centuries along what we now call the Silk Road, and indeed that it reached Britain relatively late in the game. She tells us how its popularity waxed and waned as fashion and tastes changed over the centuries, and shares recipes and tips from every period of history.
The latter part of her book describes how old orchards, worldwide, have been grubbed up, and how we are all, worldwide, exposed to the same half dozen or so varieties, flown in from distant climes, year round, with no seasonal variation. She brings hope that growers are finally walking up to the dangers in pursuing this course, and in limiting the biodiversity espoused by all those dozens – no, hundreds – no, thousands – of varieties grown and formerly prized in every continent.
It’s fascinating stuff, and written with a light touch, guaranteeing that every page will be read and enjoyed. A book to be read by everyone who enjoys apples in whatever guise they are presented.
Hooray for the ancient orchards that do still exist. The Walled Garden near here, now a training centre for young people and adults with learning disabilities, used to be the Bishop of Ripon’s orchard. And praise be! The ancient apples and pears and plums grown in its heyday flourish still, are harvested and used still, and that’s where nearly all these photos come from. It’s having an Apple Day tomorrow, as it does every year, showcasing dozens of varieties of apple, selling its home-pressed apple juice, and generally involving the citizens of Ripon and beyond in discovering and celebrating something of our proud apple heritage. It’s good to know I’m not the only apple nerd.
A slightly uncertain entry for Anne’s Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: .Move your Body. She wants us to get near – or distant – from our subjects by physically getting in the right place for the shot. No zoomimg and so on allowed. Have I been gymnastic enough here? Probably not.
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