Nearly all of our apples and pears in supermarkets are now imported, a crying shame considering many heritage local varieties are at risk from extinction.
Apple chunks are choking hazards for babies and people with swallowing difficulties. Keep apple pips/seeds/cores away from pets due to natural cyanide.
Ask permission before feeding to equines, as too many cause colic. If given permission, feed cut up from a flat palm, to prevent choking).
Due to England’s mild climate, England’s apples and pears are some of the best-tasting on earth, but not the ones sold in most supermarkets. They mostly spray apples with shellac (made from dead insects, to make them waxy) so always look for organic apples in farm shops, if you live nearby.
And likewise, ripe juicy pears are more likely to be found in markets, as supermarkets ship rock-hard pears in from abroad (often frozen).
Which Apples & Pears to Use for What?
There are hundreds of varieties of English apples and pears, so don’t just limit yourself to Cox, Braeburn and Granny Smith!
- Bramley apples are good for cooking, as they are too sour raw. Use in apple pies and crumbles, or to make apple sauce.
- Red Prince apples are sweet and tart, and smell a bit like roses!
- Evelina apples are crisp and sweet, with a little acidity.
- Cox was invented in Slough (Surrey) and a good balance of tart and sweet.
- Granny Smith is very tart, and good for making French tarte tatin.
- Comice pears are particularly good with vegan cheese.
Supporting Local Apple Farmers
Organic apples are grown without synthetic pesticides, which is a relief for anyone concerned about chemical intake. By choosing organic, you consume apples that are as nature intended.
Farmers’ markets are treasure troves for fresh produce and a vital link to your local farming community. They offer a variety of organic apples you can hand-pick yourself.
The county of Sussex is home to 30 varieties of apples alone, so why do the big supermarkets mostly import apples, when our heritage orchards are so much in peril?
When you investigate, it seems to be that old chestnut of money and profit. A recent report by Sustain, found that UK farmers often get less than 1p profit from their food, compared to imports from abroad.
A House of Lords enquiry found that some apple growers are now refusing to sell to supermarkets, due to their profits being squeezed.
A quick look at the website of a major supermarket finds 3 brands of organic apples on sale, all in plastic packaging. All sold at around £2.50 for 4 to 6 apples, depending on the ones chosen:
- The Gala apples are from New Zealand
- The Pink Lady apples say ‘produce from .. and then leaves the country blank
- The ‘seasonal apples’ are British, but reviews say many arrived rotten
As apple skin produces ethylene gas, store them in an airtight container in the fridge, to prevent them going brown (or being damaged by rolling around on countertops).
The main types of apples that you’ll find in shops are:
- Royal Gala is the most popular. It has a crispy bite and is very sweet, with a stripy red skin.
- Russet apples are light brown with ‘cream freckles’ and are very sweet. These are quite similar to pears, and lovely with vegan cheese.
- Cox apples have good bite, and a honey aroma
- Bramley apples are green and tart, best for cooking.
- Braeburn are actually native to New Zealand, but now grow here widely.
Did you know that the Core Blimey apple was commissioned by the Orchard Project after a national competition? A local dessert apple, this is similar to a Cox apple but bred to be more disease-tolerant so is easier to grow organically.
Compare this to Riverford, an online organic veg box scheme whose founder campaigns for better prices for local farmers. Yes they cost a little more, but these apples are tasty, organic, local and in season (out of season they ship-freight from abroad).
And they sell for taste, not looks. These apples cost £3.90 but you even get to know the (Kent) farmer who grew them. Delivered fresh from the farm, so wash before eating.
Abel & Cole also sells organic apples online. These are grown by a couple who grow both organic apples (and walnuts) on a farm in Herefordshire (their orchards grow Bramley, russets and red pippin apples).
A Delicious History of the Apple
The Apple: A Delicious History is the fascinating 10,000 year story of the world’s most tempting fruit (yet 70% of apples in England are imported, which is why it’s good to buy local apples to preserve our heritage orchards (also buy organic, to avoid the ‘waxy apples’ covered in shellac – dead insects).
Apple chunks are choking hazards for babies and people with swallowing difficulties. Keep apple pips/seeds/cores away from pets due to natural cyanide.
Ask permission before feeding to equines, as too many cause colic. If given permission, feed cut up from a flat palm, to prevent choking).
This book takes us on a tour of apple’s prehistoric beginnings in the Tian Shan mountains of Kazakhstan to the modern day.
You’ll learn how apples even featured on the shopping list of a senior Roman officer on Hadrian’s wall. The perfect gift for anyone enjoys a slice of apple pie or a drop of cider, get to know your apples (from Bramley to Cox).
In the early 1840s, a young Yorkshire vicar set about planting an orchard next to his new farmhouse. Around him the world was in turmoil. Ireland was in the throes of its great famine. Western Europe teetered on the cusp of violent revolution.
In setting out his orchard, our tree-planting vicar was investing in a happier future. Those fifteen or so tiny saplings would eventually transform into veteran trees which still every autumn, sit heavy with pounds of apples. That orchard and its farmhouse are now my home.
