{"id":6221,"date":"2015-10-21T20:28:37","date_gmt":"2015-10-21T19:28:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theoillamp.co.uk\/?p=6221"},"modified":"2015-10-21T20:28:37","modified_gmt":"2015-10-21T19:28:37","slug":"apple-day-an-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theoillamp.co.uk\/?p=6221","title":{"rendered":"Apple day an update"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"DSC_1314\"<\/a>Around this time in late October, many places around the UK are celebrating Apple Day.\u00a0 It\u2019s a commemoration launched by the charity \u201cCommon Ground\u201d<\/a> back in 1990, to celebrate \u201capples, orchards and local distinctiveness\u201d.\u00a0 We have good reason to celebrate:\u00a0 the climate in the British Isles is particularly suitable for producing good flavoured apples, and also we have an amazing heritage of apple varieties.\u00a0 The incredible species Malus domestica<\/em> has over 5,000 named varieties, and many thousand more un-named:\u00a0 essentially every apple pip if planted would result in a new variety.\u00a0 Heritage varieties with names like Ashmead\u2019s Kernel<\/strong>, Ribston Pippin<\/strong> and Adam\u2019s Pearmain<\/strong> are now becoming more widely known and treasured for their texture, aroma and flavor.\u00a0 Unfortunately you are unlikely to find them on the shelves of your supermarket, as the global apple supply market is dominated by four apple varieties of Antipodean origin: Gala<\/strong>, Braeburn<\/strong>, Jazz<\/strong> and Cripp\u2019s Pink<\/strong> (marketed as \u201cPink<\/strong> Lady<\/strong>\u201d).\u00a0 These four and their close relatives have the advantage of being good, consistent yielders and do not bruise easily during transport.\u00a0 They also have a consistent texture and flavor, week after week, that many older varieties struggle to maintain.\u00a0 They are not all grown on the other side of the world: Gala makes up over 20% of the UK apple crop, and the area is increasing as varieties like Cox decline.<\/p>\n

Part of the reason that we see only a few varieties on sale is our changing shopping habits \u2013 we mostly shop at the supermarkets, who are all tied in to global supply chains so that apples are available year-round.\u00a0 The old high street greengrocers are mostly gone, though a good street market stall may have a box or two of some different apples for sale.\u00a0 Farm shops are another place to look for interesting varieties.<\/p>\n

Last Saturday we had an Apple Day celebration in our village hall.\u00a0 Over twenty different varieties were on sale, and a further twenty or so on display, from the odd looking \u201cCodling<\/strong>\u201d to the \u201cBloody ploughman<\/strong>\u201d \u2013 the giant cooking apple \u201cEdward VII<\/strong>\u201d to the diminutive \u201cKaty<\/strong>\u201d. If we lose these varieties we lose something of our national heritage, and the best way to make sure they stay around is to eat them!\u00a0 So ask around for something a bit different, see if you can find a variety with an odd sounding name, buy a pound or two, and have a bite.<\/p>\n

Since Andy wrote about his apple day above the situation has not changed much.\u00a0 We are still generally growing as a country a very narrow range of apples.\u00a0 Its interesting and encouraging in a way that varieties Andy mentions above in the shops that were grown in South Africa etc. such as Gala, are now grown in the UK.\u00a0 There are also one or new varieties on offer (at least to me).\u00a0 However, there is one new area of concern, that of worker exploitation.\u00a0 Channel 4 news yesterday had an article on packers on a UK farm from Eastern Europe being treated as little better than slaves.\u00a0 Increasingly I’m trying to make my own apple day and grow my own.\u00a0 I’ve planted three small trees.\u00a0 The picture at the top shows some of the apples that neighbours and friends grew in our city before we made them into cider.\u00a0 It just shows what can be done and I would encourage the reader to visit an apple day or make their own!<\/p>\n

Andy (with update by Neil).\u00a0 Apple day is one of our most popular posts but many of the issues have not altered.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Around this time in late October, many places around the UK are celebrating Apple Day.\u00a0 It\u2019s a commemoration launched by the charity \u201cCommon Ground\u201d back in 1990, to celebrate \u201capples, orchards and local distinctiveness\u201d.\u00a0 We have good reason to celebrate:\u00a0 … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,15,1],"tags":[154],"class_list":["post-6221","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-food","category-practical-low-carbon-living","category-uncategorized","tag-apple-day"],"yoast_head":"\nApple day an update - The oil lamp - shining God's light on peak oil<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Around this time in late October, many places around the UK are celebrating Apple Day. 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