It's Apple Day.
Celebrating the poetry of apple varieties. Saving our orchards.
It’s Apple Day today, a celebration of orchards and all the orchard fruits this country has to offer. Common Ground introduced Apple Day in 1990 as a day to raise awareness of the danger of losing apple varieties, orchards and landscape. The organisation was founded in 1983 by three former members of members of Friends of the Earth; Angela King, Sue Clifford, and Roger Deakin. Their aim; to promote local distinctiveness and encourage and support grass roots awareness and campaigns. Sadly we’ve lost many of our traditional orchards.
The Orchard Project, the only UK charity dedicated to preserving and planting community orchards, works in tandem with community groups across the country. The People’s Trust for Endangered Species counts orchards amongst its projects. They continue to map orchards, finding that over 90% of our traditional orchards have been destroyed since 1950.
There has been a renaissance in our appreciation of orchard fruits. Many are being revived, and new farm orchards and community orchards planted. On average, apple and cherry trees can live for 80-120 years; pear trees 200-300 years. I’ve visited several orchards saved from neglect. It’s life affirming to walk through an old orchard, grass growing waist high, fruit trees sometimes choked with weeds, dead branches covered with moss, others weighted down with fruit that nobody is picking. Hearing bees buzzing, seeing crickets jumping, avoiding wasps doing their crazy dances. Knowing that the trees will be loved, looked after and cherished again.
The top apple variety grown in the world is the ubiquitous red delicious; the all too perfect Disney apple. Polished, shiny, waxed, usually huge. The fashion model of apples. All style, no content. We grow close to 3,000 varieties in this country, although 6,000 varieties are recorded on the National Apple Register (of the 7,000 that exist worldwide), with the most amazing names and flavours. British Apples and Pears only lists 17 varieties on its website. The Orchard Project stated in 2016 that just two varieties of apple, Gala and Braeburn, both natives of New Zealand, make up almost half of British sales. THIS is a wonderful archive of information about all the different varieties available.
Supermarkets blame the consumer for the too perfect shiny specimens on their shelves. And many shops have been taken to task for their over reliance on orchard fruit from over seas. I don’t think I’ve bought a non English apple for many years.
Please do seek out apples grown in your area at farmers markets and farm shops. Some supermarkets are doing better at supporting local growers, but they’re still nowhere as good as the fruit that’s sold direct by farmers. Find your nearest community orchard. Look for apples whose names tell stories; they’re like a poem. Look out for them and buy whilst you can.
Whilst I was writing this (still feeling slightly the worst for wear after a night flight back from Crete) this beautiful piece popped into my inbox from
, saying everything I would like to say about orchards, and cider making, just as my brain wants me to lie down in a quiet room.
Here are just some beautifully named heritage apple varieties; how many have you tried? Happy Apple Day!
Aldermans Pippin
Margil
Gascoigne Scarlet
Histon Favourite
Sunset
Cats Head
Beelye Pippin
Fameuse
Charles Ross
Rosemary Russet
Curl Tait
Washington Strawberry
Hewsons Golden Reinette
Belle de Boskoop
Blue Pearmain
Beauty of Kent
Nutzu
Issac Newton
King of Tomkins County
Nutmeg Pippin
Crawley Beauty
Pitmaston Pineapple
Merton Knave
Tydemans Late Orange
Allington Pippin
Norfolk Royal
King Pippin
King Acre Pippin
Kidds Orange Red
Pixie
Winston
Orleans Reinette
Sturmer Pippin
Suntan
Lord Hindlip
Saltcote Pippin
American Mother
Coronation
Jonathan
Thanet Beauty
Sops in Wine
Bismark
Bess Poole
Gravenstein
Autumn Pearmain
Upton Pine
Non Pareil
Ribston Pippin
Bournmans Reinette
Red Alistaham
Meads Permain
Cornish Gillyflower
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Russet apples are my favourite, haven’t seen them for years.
Thank you for mentioning my post on apples! I LOVE the insight you shared and wonderful old images of orchards and their communities. Such a treasure to see.