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qatsiBook Review: The Apple Orchard - The Story Of Our Most English Fruit, by Pete Brown
I picked this up almost a year ago in the work book sale. The apple tree here (most likely a Bramley) fruits heavily every other year, and last year was an "off" year. This year is an "on" year, and for several weeks I've been harvesting windfalls; shortly it will be time to pick them off the tree itself.
Brown bases the approach for his monograph on the annual cycle, beginning with apple blossom and the festival of Beltane, and moving on through the cycle of fruit ripening, harvesting, produce, and ending with dormancy. Apparently Brown has written previously on beer and cider, and it is this aspect of apples that recurs throughout the book (Brown tells us he is allergic to apples themselves), so many of the growers with whom Brown engages in discussion are in Herefordshire and Somerset. Like the book on tea I recently read, the subject of terroir crops up, the intangible combination of plant genetics, soil structure, and climate. Along the way there are Biblical discursions on the subject of the Forbidden Fruit, widely supposed to be an apple, though in some cultures figs and pomegranates are also under suspicion. It turns out no-one ever thought to write down the description of Eden in very much detail. There are passing references to apples in science and literature too, from Isaac Newton to William Tell and Snow White. Brown also quietly acknowledges the misapprehension present in the book's subtitle, as apples are believed to have originated in Central Asia. There's also useful discussion on the technical aspects of growing, such as grafting (summer) and pruning (winter). A sadly familiar tale emerges on the subject of food research within the UK, as growers are squeezed by commercial reality and opt for global varieties because "that's what the consumer wants". I'm always a bit suspicious about that as an excuse, because the consumer can in fact only buy what's available on the shelves. There's a reluctant acknowledgement that new varieties such as Gala and Jazz may be better dessert apples, whilst still retaining outrage over the destruction of heritage orchards. At least Britain leads the way in the sphere of culinary apples, with the Bramley being the only widely grown named variety, and meriting a whole chapter to itself in the book. After harvesting, of course, Brown investigates the processes and rituals of producing cider in particular, while also expressing concern at the number of chill units required for apple trees and whether a mild winter is sufficient.
I picked this up almost a year ago in the work book sale. The apple tree here (most likely a Bramley) fruits heavily every other year, and last year was an "off" year. This year is an "on" year, and for several weeks I've been harvesting windfalls; shortly it will be time to pick them off the tree itself.
Brown bases the approach for his monograph on the annual cycle, beginning with apple blossom and the festival of Beltane, and moving on through the cycle of fruit ripening, harvesting, produce, and ending with dormancy. Apparently Brown has written previously on beer and cider, and it is this aspect of apples that recurs throughout the book (Brown tells us he is allergic to apples themselves), so many of the growers with whom Brown engages in discussion are in Herefordshire and Somerset. Like the book on tea I recently read, the subject of terroir crops up, the intangible combination of plant genetics, soil structure, and climate. Along the way there are Biblical discursions on the subject of the Forbidden Fruit, widely supposed to be an apple, though in some cultures figs and pomegranates are also under suspicion. It turns out no-one ever thought to write down the description of Eden in very much detail. There are passing references to apples in science and literature too, from Isaac Newton to William Tell and Snow White. Brown also quietly acknowledges the misapprehension present in the book's subtitle, as apples are believed to have originated in Central Asia. There's also useful discussion on the technical aspects of growing, such as grafting (summer) and pruning (winter). A sadly familiar tale emerges on the subject of food research within the UK, as growers are squeezed by commercial reality and opt for global varieties because "that's what the consumer wants". I'm always a bit suspicious about that as an excuse, because the consumer can in fact only buy what's available on the shelves. There's a reluctant acknowledgement that new varieties such as Gala and Jazz may be better dessert apples, whilst still retaining outrage over the destruction of heritage orchards. At least Britain leads the way in the sphere of culinary apples, with the Bramley being the only widely grown named variety, and meriting a whole chapter to itself in the book. After harvesting, of course, Brown investigates the processes and rituals of producing cider in particular, while also expressing concern at the number of chill units required for apple trees and whether a mild winter is sufficient.