Big Apple Autumn 2009

Another wonderful Big Apple Festival this year! We supped cider and perry at Gregg’s Pit orchard…..

…whilst watching Morris Men dance.

We admired the vast variety of apples on show…

..and watched fruit being pressed ready to make next year’s cider.

My husband also managed to fit in a spot of cider and perry-making so we have our own little batch to look forward to – although I’m not very good at the whole waiting thing….. especially where cider is involved

Wassail!

Yesterday was Old Twelfth Night, the time when wassailing in orchards traditionally takes place. Waes haeil means ‘be healthy’ and wassailing apple trees was believed to encourage a good crop.Traditionally, the largest or oldest tree in the orchard is selected as the focus of the wassailing, but, lacking either an orchard or a large apple tree, we decided to wassail my mother’s recently planted apple trees!

We hung some cider-drenched toast in the branches and poured cider around the trees roots. In keeping with tradition, a large quantity of cider was also consumed (although we did this part after the baby had gone to bed)! You can read more about the wassailing tradition here and here.

A Bad Apple

It’s not often I get on my soap box, but after (reluctantly) visiting my local Tesco Metro today, I feel the need to vent.

I normally steer clear of the fruit and veg aisles in supermarkets, preferring to get whatever we don’t grow in the garden from the market, but after reading this report from 2005, I thought a spot of reconnaissance was in order to ascertain whether things had improved at all. These were my findings:

There were 14 ‘lines’* of apples on offer. The countries of origin for these apples were as follows:

South Africa: 4 (29%)

UK: 3 (21%)

France: 2 (14%)

Spain: 2 (14%)

New Zealand: 1 (7%)

Italy: 1 (7%)

Country of Origin not displayed: 1 (7%)

*I should point out, there weren’t 14 different varieties as some varieties doubled up, being sold in both bagged and loose apples forms (if that makes sense?!).

I find these results very disappointing. The British apple season is in full-swing so why does Tesco deem it necessary to fly apples half the way around the world? In 2005 Tesco is recorded as stating that it planned to double sales of UK apples over the next three years. Three years on and this certainly doesn’t seem to be the case in my local Tesco. 

By importing apples during the British apple season, Tesco is not only failing British growers, they are also contributing to climate change. There is also a risk that traditional varieties could die out and orchards could be lost. Common Ground estimate that about two thirds of Britain’s orchards have vanished since 1960. If supermarkets continue to import apples then I’m sure we’ll see many more disappear. So what can we do? On a personal level I have taken a pledge to only buy apples from the UK. I have also written to Tesco to ask why they import apples during the British apple season and have given a small donation to Common Ground to help support their campaign for local distinctiveness. I’m very interested in the idea of community orchards and hope to learn more about this soon. I realise that my actions aren’t exactly going to change the world overnight but every little helps!

A bit more variety…

I know Apple Day has been and gone but I still have a couple of apple-related posts that I’d like to share with you. First off, a trip to the farmers market today enabled me to try a couple more apple varieties:

Herefordshire Russet

I do tend to be biased towards things associated with Herefordshire, but that aside, these are lovely apples. Much more juicy than the Egremont Russet and without the slight bitterness to the skin. A lovely, fresh tasting apple with just the right balance between sweet and sharp. Similar in taste to a cox but, in my opinion, even nicer. Highly recommended!

Elstar

(sorry no pic for this one – I scoffed them all before they had chance to be snapped)

This has been one of my favourite apple varieties for a while now. I was introduced to it at the Big Apple a few years back and was bowled over by it’s flavour. Since then, whenever I see them on sale, I snap them up. The flavour is a little sweeter than I usually like, but there’s still enough ‘tang’ to keep me satisfied! I imagine the sweetness would make them popular with children. My baby certainly seems keen on them.

For more on apple varieties, please see my previous post – and, yes, I do think I’m in danger of developing a bit of an apple ‘habit’. I must eat at least 4 of the things every day….. still, I guess there are worse things to be addicted to! 

Book Recommendation: The Apple Source Book

The Apple Source Book is written by Sue Clifford and Angela Hill of Common Ground, a truly inspirational organisation which aims to promote local distinctiveness. The book encapsulates the ethos of Common Ground, emphasizing the importance of variety and celebrating the folklore and customs associated with apples.  It contains a wealth of practical advice on apple identification, local varieties, orchards, cider-making, wildlife and specialist suppliers of fruit trees. In addition to this, there is also a mouthwatering array of apple-related recipes from people such as Hugh Fernley-Whittingstall, Sophie Grigson, Rose Prince and Nigel Slater. As well as being a useful book this is also a very attractive book, with wonderful, whimsical illustrations throughout. It would make a wonderful addition to the bookshelf of anyone interested in apples, orchards or traditional english culture. You can read an extract from the book here.

Happy Apple Day!

You can view all my apple-themed posts here.

Autumn Apple Feast

In order to celebrate Apple Day, I wanted to cook an apple-themed ‘feast’ for our little family. I don’t have much time to devote to cooking during the week so I decided to hold it a little early. This is what I cooked on Saturday:

Chicken in Cider with Apples

Ingredients

4 chicken thighs

1 medium onion, finely sliced

1 clove of garlic, crushed

2 russet apples, cored and cut into chunks

200ml cider (I used Westons Organic)

a few sprigs of thyme

flour for dusting

olive oil and a little butter for frying.

In a frying pan, fry the onions in a little olive oil until soft and golden. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute. Transfer to a flameproof casserole dish. Next coat the chicken thighs in flour and fry in a little butter and oil to seal both sides. Add the chicken to the casserole then add the apples and pour over the cider. Bring to the boil then simmer, covered, for 45 minutes.

I served this with some potato and celeriac mash.

Apple Tart

Much quicker than making a full-blown apple pie, and just as tasty. The recipe can be found here.

and on Sunday we ate:

Sausages Braised in Cider

Absolutely delicious. I used some of my butcher’s “prize winning” Pork, Apple and Cider Sausages and they were wonderful. I strongly recommend you give this recipe a try. It turns bangers and mash into something very special!

Pears poached in Spiced Cider

Ingredients

4 firm pears

500ml bottle of cider (I used Dunkertons Organic)

40g vanilla sugar or caster sugar

1 large cinnamon stick (or 2 small)

6 cloves

Peel the pears but leave the stem on. Place in a saucepan with the cider, sugar and spices. Bring to the boil then transfer to a casserole dish and bake in a low oven for 1 hour. Turn the pears over and bake for a further hour. Can be eaten warm or chilled. 

We ate very well this weekend! Hopefully, one or two of you might be inspired to cook similar apple-themed meals to celebrate Apple Day – if you do, I’d love to hear about it!

Recipe: Spiced Apple Jelly

As part of my apple-themed celebration I wanted to come up with some interesting preserves. Obviously apples taste wonderful as they are and last reasonably well if stored correctly, however by preserving them in various ways you can make them last even longer and turn them into something really special and unique. Most of my preserving tends to be of the jam or chutney-making variety, so I decided to try something different for a change: jelly. Also, as some of the jars will probably end up as christmas gifts, I wanted the jelly to have a christmassy twist. What I came up with was Spiced Apple Jelly.

This is an unusual but incredibly tasty preserve which reminds me of the mulled cider I like to make. It is delicately spiced and sweet but with a sharp vinegary hit from the cider vinegar. If you want a more straightforwardly sweet preserve, simply omit the vinegar. I imagine the jelly will go well with roast pork or gammon but is also nice with cold meats or cheeses. I also plan on using it as a sticky glaze for roasting pork sausages and adding to gravies and sauces. It’s also pretty darn good straight from the jar . Anyhow, without further ado, here is the recipe. Enjoy!

Spiced Apple Jelly

Makes approximately 5 small jarfuls. 

Ingredients

• 1 kg of apples – a mixture of cookers and eaters works well (I used bramleys, russets, topaz and elstar)
• water
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 12 cloves
• 75ml cider vinegar
• granulated sugar

Equipment

• Jelly bag
• Preserving pan or large saucepan
• large bowl
• measuring jug
• jam jars
• seals

Method

Roughly chop the apples and place in pan. There is no need to peel and core. Cover with water (I used a little over 1 litre) and add spices. Bring to the boil and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes.

Pour into a scalded jelly bag suspended over a large bowl. Leave to strain for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight. Don’t be tempted to prod or squeeze the jelly bag to get more juice out as this will make the jelly cloudy.

Measure out the juice and return to the pan along with 450g sugar for every 575ml (1 pint) of juice. I found I had exactly 2 pints of juice so used 900g sugar but obviously this will vary depending on how juicy your apples were, how long you strained them and how much water you used.

Stir in the cider vinegar and bring to the boil. Boil rapidly for approximately 10 minutes until setting point is reached. 

Pour into warm, sterlised jars, cover and seal. The jelly will keep for up to a year unopened, stored in a cool, dark place but once opened needs to be kept in the fridge and used within 3 weeks.

A bit of variety….

 

As I mentioned in the previous post, I came back from the Big Apple Festival amazed by the sheer variety of apples in existence. Amazed, but also a little saddened that so few of these varieties are available commercially. Most supermarkets seem to value looks and resilience to bruising over taste and distinctiveness. It is a great shame as there are some spectacular apples out there. 

I bought many, many apples at the festival. Some of these were varieties that I hadn’t tried before and I decided to record my impressions, so that when I finally get round to planting some apple trees, I’ll know which varieties to opt for.

Left to Right: Ashmead's Kernal, Lord Lambourne, Egremont Russet and Topaz

Ashmead’s Kernal

Not the most attractive of apples, but what it lacks in looks, it makes up for with flavour. It is refreshingly zingy, very flavourful and one of the tastiest apples I’ve eaten in a long while. If you like your apples crisp and sharp, this is the one to go for.

Lord Lambourne

A lovely juicy apple, neither too sweet or too sharp. Crisp and tasty with an aromatic flavour. Delicious!

Egremont Russet

Interesting delicate flavour, nicely balanced between sweet and sharp. However, I found the flesh strangely dry and the skin had just a hint of bitterness, making this my least favourite of the four.

Topaz

Crisp and tasty with quite a sharp flavour. Again, a little on the dry side for my tastes but still pretty good!

If like me, you’re keen to support the growing of traditional apple varieties and encourage diversity and distinctiveness, please take a look at Common Ground, a charity promoting these aims.

The Big Apple, Herefordshire

This weekend we were blessed with some wonderful weather and what better way to enjoy it than supping cider and perry in an orchard whilst watching Morris dancing? Ok, so Morris Men might not be everybody’s cup of tea but we had a wonderful time celebrating all things appley at the Big Apple Festival in Herefordshire. The festival is held twice a year at Blossomtime (May) and Autumn (October). Each festival has it’s own unique delights, with the autumn events being held in and around Much Marcle and the Blossomtime celebrations focusing on the nearby village of Putley.

Despite having attended the festival quite a few times now, I never cease to be dazzled by the huge array of apples on display in the Great Barn at Hellens. It’s amazing just how many varieties there are and I think it’s a great shame that so few of these varieties are available in the shops. I confess to not being much of an apple fan when I was younger, regarding them as ‘boring’ when compared to exotic fruit like mangos and pineapples. However, I’ve since realised that this was largely due to the bland, woolly tasting apples that tend to fill the supermarket aisles. Now, thanks to the likes of the Big Apple and various Farmers Markets, I know just how delicious apples can be. We returned home with 2 big sackfuls of apples and we’re getting through them very quickly. 

For me, I think the highlight of the weekend was the open day at Gregg’s Pit. Here we strolled around the orchard, watched a pressing demo and sampled some delicious cider. The staff from Truffles Delicatessen in Ross-on-Wye provided a wonderful ploughmans lunch and some irresistible cakes which we enthusiastically munched on whilst watching the Morris Men dance in the orchard. In fact, I think we became Morris Men groupies – every time we turned up at a venue, the Morris Men seemed to just be starting up!

All in all it was a wonderful weekend and I eagerly look forward to Blossomtime – especially the grand cider tasting!