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Tag Archives: apples

Amazing Array of Apples

08 Tuesday Nov 2011

Posted by wellywoman in Fruit

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

apples, farmers' market, intensive farming, organic fruit grower, traditional style orchards

I am lucky to have an excellent farmers’ market closeby. Twice a month local producers gather on a Saturday morning in the village hall to sell their wares. One of my favourite stalls is a local organic fruit grower and at this time of year he has a great selection of apples.

Pixie, Claygate Pearmain and Red Pippin Apples

The National Apple Register records over 6000 apple varieties that were grown between 1853 and 1968 but many of these will have been lost. Most supermarkets, however sell only a tiny selection of apples, maybe 10 varieties if you’re lucky and some of these such as ‘Fuji’ and ‘Golden Delicious’ aren’t even natives. Before the Second World War most parts of the country had their own apple varieties which were bred to cope with local conditions. Some places such as the south-east, the south-west and the counties of Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire had particularly strong traditions of apple growing. With names such as Cornish Gillyflower, Beauty of Bath, Peasgood Nonsuch and Monmouth Beauty these apples evoke an era when old orchards covered the countryside.

Unfortunately, intensive farming and cheap imported fruit has meant that up to 75% of our traditional orchards have been lost (figure from Natural England). Many orchards have been grubbed up to provide land for other crops, other orchards have become neglected and forgotten about. This is sad for many reasons. Traditional style orchards are incredibly important for biodiversity with the combination of trees, grass underneath and dead wood providing habitats for a wide number of species of birds, mammals, insects and even amphibians. Most importantly for consumers is the fruit that is produced. The taste from these unusual varieties is so much better than any apple I have bought from the supermarket. I’ve eaten apples that have had an orange flavour to them and some that taste of strawberries.

Old varieties do have their problems. Some don’t taste all that great and others are prone to pests and diseases. Cox’s Orange Pippin, for instance, is difficult to grow commercially because it is prone to diseases and needs a lot of chemicals to produce good quality fruit. Traditional orchards are no good for modern day commercial scale fruit production. The large trees make harvesting and maintenance difficult, whereas modern day orchards are designed for maximum yield and efficiency.

But if we look after those old orchards that are left and promote the small scale growing of heritage varieties maybe we can go some way to protecting our amazing array of apples.

For more information have a look at these sitesĀ iansturrockandsonsĀ for an excellent range of Welsh fruit varieties, www.brogdale.org – the National Fruit Collection website and www.orangepippin.com for a great list and descriptions of apple varieties.

The Year of the Tree – My Crab Apple

23 Sunday Oct 2011

Posted by wellywoman in Uncategorized

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

apples, bees, blossom, crab apple tree, RSPB, Westonbirt

I recently posted about my visit to the arboretum at Westonbirt in Gloucestershire and my love for trees so Flighty at flightplot kindly sent me a link to www.thetreeyear.wordpress.com. It is a blog to celebrate trees in this, 2011 The Year of the Tree, allowing people all over the world to blog about a tree or trees that are close to their heart. The idea is to pick a tree/s and study that tree throughout the year. To record how the tree changes through the seasons, what wildlife uses the tree, what plants grow around the tree, in fact anything that tells the story of a year in the life of that particular tree.

What an amazing idea. I love it. Anything that makes us take a closer look, to appreciate our natural environment is so worthwhile. Unfortunately, I have come to all this a little late in the year but I still wanted to contribute so I want to introduce you to my crab apple tree.

I don’t know what variety it is. The tree was already here when we bought the house. It is such a beautiful tree that gives me a lot of pleasure.

In Spring it is smothered in whitish-pink blossom that has a beautiful fresh scent. I will always stop to have a sniff – a smell that embodies Spring. As the blossom fades fresh green leaves unfurl. These zingy fresh leaves provide a perfect background to the Spring flowers bursting into life. Then, as Spring merges into Summer the tree has a quiet spell allowing other plants to steal the attention. Occasionally I will notice that little green fruits are beginning to swell, a taster of what is to come. As daylength shortens and temperatures start to drop, the fruit now the size of a small sweets, become streaked with red. Then, by the middle of autumn, the whole tree is covered in glowing red balls of tiny apples. This is how the tree looks now.

I’m not the only one to appreciate this tree. The birds love its myriad of branches, providing them with somewhere to perch, safely hidden from predators. The RSPB recommends crab apples not just because they provide valuable food for birds in winter but also because they are home to over 90 varieties of insects. Bees love the tree as well when it is in blossom, gorging on the nectar.

That’s all for now but I will post again between now and the end of the year with other stories and photos from my crab apple. Take a look at thetreeyear for more tree tales.

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My latest book – The Crafted Garden

My latest book - The Crafted Garden

My latest book - The Crafted Garden

My Book – The Cut Flower Patch

My Book - The Cut Flower Patch. Available to buy from the RHS online bookshop.

The Cut Flower Patch – Garden Media Guild Practical Book 2014

The Cut Flower Patch - Garden Media Guild Practical Book 2014
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