I am going to start with Gregor Mendel, the monk who crossed peas, the 'father' of genetics in the 19th century. All through the centuries people have crossed different animals, plants, apple trees and roses all number of things to get a better result. It is often the work of the pollinating bee but humans also help, with a soft brush tipped with pollen you can bring a whole new species into life.
Have you ever thrown an apple core out of the car? It lands on the grassy verge, maybe gets eaten by a wild animal, anyway the pips find their way into the soil and bingo an apple tree is born in the hedgerow.
In Britain we have the finest apples grown, or at least did, till the supermarkets started reducing the variety of apples, to about 3 or 4. Pink Lady, sweet and expensive from South Africa or Golden Delicious. Though they may find a russet for you. But apples in this country proliferated over the centuries some also of course died back.
There is the story of Roger Deakin, to be found in this Guardian article of how he had brought back from Kazakhstan the pips of Malus Sieversii, which he potted. Deakin died, but Robert Macfarlane planted a tree in his garden which bears fruit.
In my old journal I have the names of trees planted. I remember planting The Reverend Wilkes and Annie Elizabeth fairly close, because I thought they may have got together;) both culinary apples. Also Orleans Reinette close by, these three did not do too well as they were near the shade of taller trees.
The more modern varieties, Discovery, Merton Russet, Katy, Fiesta,,Gala and May Queen were in the sun. I even had a couple of cobnut trees but of course the squirrels demolished most of the nuts.
Surplus apples made lovely apple juice and our basement smelt sweet because of the trays of apples in there.
When we moved into this 1920s semi there were five mature apple trees in the back garden and a small tree that never seems to grow. That tree produces lovely little eating apples. I have no idea of the variety but I get about thirty apples off it each year. One of the mature trees died for some reason and I had to chop it down. The remaining four trees produce bucketfuls of apples each September. They are cooking apples but sadly two thirds of them end up being composted.
ReplyDeleteWell you could leave the spare apples out in the front by the gate in a box for others to take. The little tree could have been a dwarf one, there is an intermediate tree between that and standard trees. I grew the middle one, they graft them onto the different rootstocks for height.
DeleteI've never grown apples and don't often buy apples either. They do have many different types of apples at my grocery store but I usually buy by price - not type. I've probably been missing out! ;)
ReplyDeleteEllen you should buy by taste and quality, I hate biting into a soft fleshed eating apple.
DeleteIt was not just the supermarkets dropping varieties, England used to have huge variety of cider apples, many of which were lost as the orchards were grubbed up as a consequence of EEC Common Agricultural Policy during our early years of membership.
ReplyDeleteKent used to look beautiful with the old orchards but time moves forward Will. What was the reason the orchards were grubbed up for?
DeleteIt has always made me puzzled that that red delicious apples are not all that flavorful. Out of all the varieties of apples you listed, I recognize only the gala.
ReplyDeleteThe Delicious apples just became good supermarket sellers. The balance between the sweet and sharp taste of the apple depends on the type of apples and the climate. There were hundreds of named varieties now we are reduced to a few Debby.
DeleteHaving come from Florida, the land of oranges, I still find it exotic that apples grow in our UK garden. (Or did -- we had an apple tree that wasn't faring too well and we had to cut it down years ago. It still comes up from the roots, though. Probably just root stock but I'm tempted to let it grow!)
ReplyDeleteI think having apple trees in most peoples gardens was quite normal, the war years would have taught us that. You are probably left with the rootstock the slip was grafted on, it could be a good apple name but know hardly anything on the subject Steve.
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