Saturday 28 November 2015

Apples












A couple of weeks ago I took the boys to the country park and paid a visit to the orchard. I have a bit of an obsession with orchards, especially when they're full of fruit. So many windfalls go to waste, it's a shame. I picked up a bagful of the not-too-bruised ones and took them home for crumbles. I wish the trees were labelled, but the varieties are probably long forgotten.

Down at the supermarket there are bags of delicious little English apples for sale very cheaply. They also buy apples from Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Chile, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, the USA, South Africa and Australia. AUSTRALIA. What sort of madness is this? Our orchards will all be ripped out if we don't support them. And replaced with goodness knows what. Wherever we are in the world, we should be eating local fruit where we can.

I've ranted on about Pink Ladies before, but maybe you'll forgive me if repeat what I said about them once before. Pink Lady is not an apple variety, it's a commercial brand owned by Apple and Pear Australia.  UK farmers are not allowed to grow it, and yet our supermarkets are full of it.  Each and every apple shipped here from far away, each and every apple pushing the market share away from our fantastic British orchards.  The marketing behind Pink Lady is phenomenal.  It has a logo, a slogan, a club and an all singing all dancing website with a blog and a whole section aimed at children.  The apple itself, in its plastic wrapper, with its countless food miles, is available all year round.  Don't buy it.  Have a lovely British apple instead.

I really feel passionately about saving our remaining orchards and supporting our farmers. I love the sight of rows of fruit trees in spring, a mass of blossom and bees, and heavy with fruit in autumn, ready to fill our stores for winter. I hope you'll forgive me for banging on about it a bit, but orchards really are one of my favourite things.

41 comments:

  1. Recently we stayed on an old Herefordshire farm and the owner explained that she had to stop picking apples from her orchards because the trees were too old and large for mechanised picking. She has decided not to grub up the trees and replant with new varieties because she values the wildlife habitat but the apples fall and rot because it is not economic to pick them.

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  2. Most of the foreign ones taste like turnips anyway I think. There is something about a proper English apple that is quite different they are not always peicture book perfect and some are even rough and brown (Russets) but the flavour is wonderful. I didn't know that about Pink Lady apples - not that I buy them anyway coming from the West Country I prefer our local apples whenever I can get hold of them. What a waste just because they aren't perfect eh? Bit like Hugh@s parsnip farm if you saw the War on Waste programme?

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  3. I don't like apples, so I don't buy Pink Ladies or anything else. But the thought of us importing apples all the way from Australia.. it's obscene.

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  4. We are lucky to see more orchards being introduced in Jersey, hopefully some of their fruit will reach the shops here. I had no idea about Pink ladies...I am not surprised at how you feel. Food for thought I will look carefully next time I buy apples. Bx

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  5. You are so right CJ. Here in The States, especially where I live, we are blessed with an abundant of apple trees and the supermarkets carry them, which is a true blessings. Enjoy the ones you picked ... I am sure they are going to taste super delicious :) mari

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  6. I agree with you to eat locally produced everything.. support local farmers.. keep the $$$ in your own community. Good for you to speak about this.. gives us all food for thought. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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  7. Yes, sadly the big apple and orange growers here with the help of the government and big supermarket chains export our best fruit overseas. Then they import fruit from many of the countries you have already mentioned, they are kept in cold storage, some of the apples we buy this week were picked six months ago, it is a disgrace. Meanwhile many of our smaller growers are going bankrupt, their crops being ploughed back into the ground. You have to look carefully to find a locally grown apple.
    xoxoxo ♡

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  8. I totally agree with you on the "eat local" thing. Unfortunately, it is really hard here in Florida, but it is slowly getting better. Most of what we grow leaves the state and many things just don't grow here. :-(

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  9. I always try to buy local apples - you can't beat a good English apple and I look forward to the Egremont Russets all year. I tried a Pink Lady one once and actually found it rather unpleasant; not to my taste at all and they're really expensive (unsurprising I suppose if they have to travel all that way!). We're quite lucky in that there are quite a few community orchards round here and they grow the more unusual heritage varieties. It would be so sad if we were to lose all that. xx

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  10. Isn't it ridiculous with the supermarkets bringing in apples from overseas, especially pushing Pink Lady for profit! We have an ancient orchard at work and with 30 of us picking apples every day for a month during our lunchtimes, even with this we still have loads of apples left. It's such a shame that the supermarkets feel that they need to import a fruit which is so readily available and in abundance.

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  11. How did I not know about this?! Totally, utterly bonkers to be importing apples from the other side of the world! I'd be interested to know the thinking behind it. All-year-round availability? Thank you for raising this issue. It's so much better to buy local produce if you can. Here in Kent, the supermarkets do stock some local fruit and veg but you have to look for it. Pink Lady is a stupid name as well... Sam x

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  12. A passionate post, with good photos, which I completely agree with. I like apples and do my best to buy British ones.
    Flighty xx

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  13. Thank you for writing about this CJ. I care about our orchards too and it is a sad day when an old orchard is grubbed out because it is uneconomic to pick the fruit. Our new old cottage garden used to be orchard in the days when communities were self-sustaining. (There are still four old apple trees remaining, and many more in the neighbouring garden. Brock Badger has been weaving his way across our garden to snaffle all the windfalls.) Thank goodness for the National Trust who are reinstating orchards on their land. Our local NT property has recently planted two new orchards with local varities of Apple, pear, damson and medlar. Both have beehives too and I'm pleased to say my children helped with these projects when volunteering. About five years ago I surveyed all the orchards in my village and I went on to survey the neighbouring villages too. I did this on foot and by bike and it was such an interesting exercise on so many levels and alerted me to the important role old orchards play in sustaining wildlife, especially invertebrates and bats. What can one say about Pink Lady apples, it is a yet another marketing exercise to make people eat rubbish. We are so lucky to have our allotments, which with the five fruit trees I planted I am proud to refer to as my orchard. I'm sorry to leave such a long comment, I probably should be writing my own post.

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  14. I am a great believer in eating local as much as you can. More needs to be done to stop the old orchards disappearing forever. My freezer is packed with apples picked locally for some beautiful crumbles and puddings. Take care.

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  15. As an Australian, I'm taken aback to realise that Pink Ladies are being pushed so hard in the UK. They take up a lot of space in our own supermarkets and, to be honest, I think the apple that is usually sold as a Pink Lady, is awful! We have many other much nicer apples here as I expect you do too. I agree whole heartedly with you - eating local is far better, usually fresher and tastes a lot better.

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  16. Hey CJ,
    Brilliant. I'm with you every step of the way here. The UK have so many apple varieties, and yet so many are imported. There is a farm not far fro me, that has the most amazing fruit orchards. They make their own cider, sell the apples in the farm shop and make lovely puddings with them in their café. Just up the road is a plant nursery, which also grows apples and Xmas trees. They employ adults with learning difficulties, who help to grow everything there. Every year they have an apple day, and showcase many varieties. It's a great day out. Just the sight of your gorgeous gnarled trees covered in lichen make my heart stop. Beautiful and ancient.
    Leanne xx

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  17. Your blog is looking so wonderful my friend. I wish I could buy your British apples right here, I think that would be fun to bite into one and think that I was sitting right next to you!
    I so agree, buy local and support your community.
    Meredith

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  18. It's totally ridiculous. The world's gone mad. :-)

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  19. I agree, it's madness. It isn't just apples though, it's most fruit and veg. I'm so lucky, I have a brilliant local greengrocers who sell local produce. If I don't grow it myself, I know that what I buy will have been grown not a stones throw away. Well, in most cases.

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  20. Orchards are special places, aren't they? I thought your photos captured their essence really well. I didn't know that about pink ladies. Shameful. We've just finished our apples here and I'm back to buying, but we choose British varieties, they taste better because they're fresher. xx

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  21. I'm from the US and I agree with you. Let's use our locally or country grown items before we use items from other countries.

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  22. Good for you CJ - educational rants like this are needed! Spread the word. I am still picking the unattractive windfalls in our yard that have fallen about 35 feet to the ground, yet still make delicious food.

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  23. Good post. I had no idea about pink ladies so thank you for the info. Nearly every plot on our allotment has its own fruit tree, but even there, there are lots of windfalls that go to waste. We pick them to freeze and also juice them for a hot apple and cinnamon drink. Lovely.

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  24. One of the things I used to like about Aldi was that the carrots came from Lancashire! I haven't looked recently, but we really have become spoilt by out of season food all year round from across the globe! And apples are only a small part. I do try to buy British when I can, but sometimes it can be a hard job. And we found Pink Lady a ridiculous price for not a lot.

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  25. So true living in Kent, we have mile upon mile of orchards and it's sad to see them go, my Grandad was a fruit farmer and passed in his pruning and grafting skills,the whole way are fruit and vegs travels the world is bonkers, plus the whole madness about supermarket and cosmestcially atrractive fruit and veg drives me crazy, is just insane, people are going hunger and perfectly good food os ploughed back in :( don't get me started
    Clare xx

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  26. I didn't know about Pink Lady and now that I do will avoid like the plague. Unfortunately there are two in the fruit bowl.

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  27. Hear, hear! An impassioned post and well worth reading. I totally agree with you about our lovely orchards and hate to see untouched windfalls going to waste. I was pleased to see that our local supermarket is selling several British varieties of apples, and they are very clearly marked.
    Cathy x

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  28. Jazz apples are a good substitute for pink lady if you like that type of thing. But maybe they are just as bad.. Must check Sarah

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  29. I don't think I've ever seen a Pink Lady apple in the store here but I will certainly keep this in mind. It's important to eat as much locally-grown food as we can; better for the earth and for the economy. I hope your warnings will be taken to heart!

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  30. It's such a shame to see fruit going to waste and old orchards under threat, especially as we grow some of the best apples in this country.

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  31. even I will say have a lovely British apple instead :-) the world is crazy - I was only having a kitchen-conversation about this earlier this morning with my workmates; Australian vs Turkish apricots and mexican asparagus.
    the old orchard with its moss is just beautiful - you have captured it so wonderfully.

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  32. Thanks for sharing the information about Pink Ladies, CJ. I have not seen them advertised here, but I have bought some here...not thinking of them as a brand but rather a variety...grown here...and I can appreciate your concern.

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  33. I am totally behind you! Eat seasonal, eat local, support your local shops/farmers/independents...
    I never buy Pink Ladies, I don't think they have them in my "cooperative" but I had no clue about the marketing behind! Do you mind if I share your post on my FB page?

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    1. Not at all Stephanie, thank you for asking. And thanks for your lovely comment. CJ xx

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  34. I share your passion for saving our orchards. When the children were small we spent a week's holiday on a fruit farm in Kent. They had dug up so many of the apple trees as they couldn't sell the apples - everyone was buying the foreign imports We hadn't realised until then what effect the supermarkets had on the farmers - (it was nearly 20 years ago!). We have a local orchard that sells it's apples in one of the green grocers and garden centre. It is a pleasure to buy these loose local apples and choose and taste so many different varieties. There is a constant supply from this orchard from August-January. Sarah x

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  35. Supermarkets are no Toria's father madness! I bet the blackbirds will love those apples as well as any passing fieldfares and red wings etc .

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  36. I have been meaning to comment for days, but it has slipped my mind. I think Pink Ladies are awful and would never buy them. There are not that many orchards around here but I know from our local history that the estate we live on used to be one large orchard before it was turned into an estate in the 1920s. Lots of neighbours have fruit trees in their gardens, possibly to keep the history of the area alive? Maybe I am reading too much into it. I remember cherry orchards from when I was little. Millions of cherries for my greedy little mouth. xx

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  37. Gorgeous photos and passion about British apples, we are losing so much of our native produce and so farmers and small holders to large commercially grown food, usually on the other side of the world.

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  38. Absolutely right, CJ. British apples are much tastier than Pink Ladies in any case. I have a nostalgic memory of orchards. When I was ten, we moved from suburbia to rural Sussex where my dad set up a small-holding and planted an orchard as part of a fruit farm. He single-handedly, over a period of months, planted 1500 trees (Victoria Plums and 5 varieties of apples).
    My bedroom window used to look out over the orchard and the blossom in the spring was a sight to behold. The orchard was still there last time I visited, although not as tidy as when my dad owned it, but there nonetheless. xx

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