“How do I love thee…apples….”

124 Replies

When the first blush of autumn tints the oak,

First tint of autumn

First tint of autumn

and one can feel that quintessential, autumnal air in the breeze,

the apple harvest comes to market.

It's a Breeze

It’s a Breeze

” Dull Russet, glossy  Quarrenden,

Green Wellington,  and scarlet-peeled  Pearmain…

You apple-trees,  give up your sum-

Your time is come, your time is come.” (*Apple-time by Eleanor Farjeon)

I am Smitten

Smitten by apples

Smitten by apples

by apples. I adore them. Should I blame my love affair with the apple

I *heart* apples

I *heart* apples

on Eve,

Was it Adam or Eve?

Was it Adam or Eve?

or  Adam?

“Like Adam, I was born

To go  and seek the apple-trees…

the green, the yellow, and the red,

The streaky  pippin-stripe,

The windfall and the still unshed,

The ripe and the unripe-” (* The Favourite Fruit by Eleanor Farjeon)

Or, perhaps,  I should leave that scenario alone, clouded as it is with doubt, and attribute my love of apples to the irresistible  Beauty of  its feng shui,

A Beauty

A Beauty

which brings harmony and peace  to  hearth and home

and rosy good health, too; according to the ancient wisdom of Dae Jang Geum

The wisdom of Dae Jang Geumhttp://www.koreandrama.org/wp-content/uploads/2006/06/daejanggeum3.jpg

The wisdom of Dae Jang Geum

who, in  Episode 52    of  The Jewel in the Palace, insists that apples be placed next to the King, because the aroma of apples will improve his well-being.

And, though I am no King,  I can attest to the loveliness of falling asleep with the sweet scent of apples next to one’s pillow.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

So, when the hint of a flush colours the leaf,

Autumn in the air

Autumn in the air

feast on *”the ruddy apple of the sun” in all its variety, complexity

"Ruddy apple of the Sun" http://echodale.co.nz/apples

“Ruddy apple of the Sun”Suncrisp

and deliciousness.

Apple and raisin crepes with apricot fool, adapted from A Girl called Jackhttp://agirlcalledjack.com/2013/11/20/apple-sultana-pancakes-22p/

Apple and sultana crepes with apricot fool, adapted from  A Girl called Jack

© silkannthreades

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124 thoughts on ““How do I love thee…apples….””

  1. Liz Gauffreau

    Riffing on apples–what could be better? The aroma you’re evoking reminds me of going to an apple orchard in Quebec with my mother to get drops to make applesauce. To this day, there is only one variety of apple my mother considers worth eating: Macintosh.

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  3. Sheryl @ Flowery Prose

    I love that first photo with the sunlight shining through the leaves! You have some wonderful apple varieties I’m not familiar with. We keep getting more new ones every year, it seems – and we’re fortunate to live next to a great apple producing province, British Columbia, so in the fall, apples are cheap and plentiful. I’m just sad I cannot eat raw apples anymore due to allergies – I miss all those great flavours!

    Reply ↓
    1. Gallivanta Post author

      I am glad you can still eat cooked apples. I am not sure I would manage without apples. During my first pregnancy I craved apples which was awkward because apples were almost non-existent where we lived at the time. Luckily, enough were found to satisfy my cravings!
      Recently there has been a lot of debate in our city about the dangers of silver birch pollen http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/opinion/perspective/9630789/Evidence-shows-toxicity-in-birches Because of this I have learned about the Oral Allergy Syndrome http://foodallergies.about.com/od/Other-Food-Allergies/a/Apple-Allergy.htm which apparently explains the apple allergy.

      Reply ↓
    1. Gallivanta Post author

      That was delightful. I tasted some ambrosia apples last year and they were ambrosial 🙂 I love that apples, an almost universal fruit, bring together people/workers from all over the world. I love to hear that an apple has a face. Isn’t that wonderful? Thank you for a delightful clip.

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      1. Steve Schwartzman

        I don’t think the asker had any particular kind in mind. I brought a bag of golden delicious apples, a type that’s common in the United States but that I hoped would be a novelty in the Philippines:

        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Delicious

        The Philippines is too tropical a country for apples to grow well. I think most of the apples sold there come from New Zealand, and because they have to be imported, they’re not cheap.

        Reply ↓
        1. Gallivanta Post author

          Ah yes.. the Golden Delicious. It was one of the apples of my childhood. Golden Delicious, Red Delicious and Granny Smith apples were standards. I rarely see the Delicious apples in the shops now but I can still get them at a local orchard.

  8. Sheryl

    The apples looks absolutely wonderful. And, I just realized that if there is a hint of autumn in New Zealand–that I’ll soon be feeling a hint of spring here in the US. I can hardly wait, it’s been a long winter here.

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  9. lagottocattleya

    Lovely post – beautiful apples! Their scent, when you come into the cold cellar where they are stored, is heavenly! Your words and pictures bring back sweet memories of my childhood. My grandparents had an orchard and I used to love lying in the grass under the trees in spring. I love apples too – but only recognize Royal Gala here – you have such a variety! Someone mentioned Jona Gold, which we also have in Sweden. From my childhood I remember Transparent Blanche and my favourite Ingrid Marie. I still buy Ingrid Marie if I can. It’s an old apple with a very fresh and distinct taste.

    Your arrangement of apples make them even more tasty, and I do think I will have one now…

    Reply ↓
      1. lagottocattleya

        Yes, we go there every other year. – it’s wonderful and people come from the whole country to see it. Last year we didn’t visit, but this year we will again. It’s not so far from where I live. An hour or two driving.
        And I’m so grateful for my childhood days with my grandparents. I went every day after school. .Picking all sorts of fruit and berries took a great deal of my summers, but I loved it. We used to come the whole family – all four children of theirs and their grandchildren too.

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        1. Gallivanta Post author

          So glad you know the Apple Market. I am looking forward to an on the spot report, one day 🙂 Your childhood days sound wonderful; I am smiling as I imagine them.

    1. Gallivanta Post author

      Seasons do change and from day to day, it seems. As if to make a liar out of me, we are now sweltering. The leaves are changing colour but today it is 32 degrees celcius. Did you see the pear masquerading as an apple in the heart?

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    1. Gallivanta Post author

      Thank you Laurie. The heart was fun to make. Do you know that, even though we have so many of our NZ apples coming on to the market, I found USA apples on our supermarket shelf. From California, maybe?

      Reply ↓
  13. KerryCan

    This is such fun–now that I have friends in NZ, I can enjoy autumn twice a year! It’s so interesting to see apples I know and apples I don’t know. Does all of New Zealand have the right climate for growing apple trees or just certain areas? In a couple of months, we’ll be experiencing the other side of the cycle–the apple blossoms will pop and we’ll know our spring is finally here!

    Reply ↓
    1. Gallivanta Post author

      It is fun, isn’t it? Apples are grown throughout most of New Zealand but commercial apple growing areas are concentrated around Nelson and Hawke’s Bay.

      Reply ↓
  14. afrenchgarden

    Apples must be one of the most versatile fruits for eating and there are so many varieties which are so different from each other. I won’t see any of your New Zealand apples in France as they sell only their local fruit here (as long as it grows in France, that is.)

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  16. vsperry

    Apples are my favorite fruit, I try to eat one with lunch every day. The sweeter the better. I grew up with Macintosh and stopped eating apples because I thought they were all soft and mushy. Then I found that there are many different kinds…now I love them. Love your post too!

    Reply ↓
    1. Gallivanta Post author

      I used to love all the apple varieties we had in New York State. In the fall we would buy huge bags of different apples as well as apple cider from apple barns and farmers’ markets. And apple butter 🙂 And, yes, mushy apples are unpleasant! Very unpleasant.

      Reply ↓
  17. Joanne Jamis Cain

    Awesome! Your fall means my spring is coming closer! Yay!
    And I love love love apples. My favorites are Gala, Jonagold, Honeycrisp.
    I’m looking forward to one of your good posts on an apple recipe!
    😉

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  22. ordinarygood

    What an array of apples you have gathered….and a pear which remains unnamed. My Mum loved a tree ripened Cox’s Orange (Suncrisp stickered in your photo). We are enjoying the Royal Gala at the moment. Heritage varieties seem to be gaining favour and I love the name Peasegood Nonsuch!!!!
    We are promised a week of summer here and so far so good….autumn please wait in line so we feel we have had some summer weather in a stretch.

    Reply ↓
    1. Gallivanta Post author

      Isn’t Peasegood Nonsuch a great name? A great apple too! When I was little, there used to be orchards all around Christchurch, and I used to love going with my grandparents to buy apples/fruit from them. Now, of course, most of the orchards have gone to housing. My apple trees don’t have any fruit at all this year. But, last year, I loved picking and eating the apples straight from the tree; full of sun and juice. The pear is a Morettini; I don’t know it all. Can’t wait to try it.

      Reply ↓
      1. ordinarygood

        I think most of our apple crops now come from Hawkes Bay and Nelson. I lived in HB for 5 years and as a student thinned apples for a part time job. My husband grew up in HB and lived on an orchard so he enjoyed tree ripened fruit of all description. He is bewildered at the sheer number of new varieties around to buy now.
        Seasons are fickle and frustrating. I can imagine you missing your own produce and its delectableness(that is not a word I am sure?!)
        I don’t know the Morettini pear but I like its colourful name.

        Reply ↓
        1. Gallivanta Post author

          My brother used to do apple picking in the May Varsity holidays, as many students did. Nowadays I think a lot of the work is done by RSE migrant workers.
          I am also amazed by all the new varieties. A lot of them seem to arise, quite haphazardly initially, from sports http://gardening.about.com/od/gardenproblems/ss/Botanical-Sports-And-Reversions.htm
          I have now eaten the Morettini pear. It was good, although perhaps would have been juicier if I had let it ripen more.

        2. ordinarygood

          I know after I no longer needed that type of work the orchardists began to use gangs of pickers and that, in theory, was cheaper but they tended to use rather poor picking techniques – hitting the trees with sticks and hope the fruit fell into the bins or bags!!!!!
          Now as you say it is migrant workers who may work very hard for poor reward perhaps?
          Pears do have to be at optimum ripeness to be at their best and I find that can be a tricky judgement to make. It looked a good size to be manageable.

        3. Gallivanta Post author

          I think the RSE workers are well trained and are highly valued by the orchardists and growers. Probably the worst aspect of their job is coping with the relatively cold weather compared to their island homes. And, yes, pears are ever so tricky to judge for optimum ripeness. I haven’t figured it out properly yet.

  24. Just Add Attitude

    It’s strange to read of the first signs of autumn on the other side of the world, I hope some harbingers of spring make an appearance here soon. I share your love of apples, one of my favourite comfort foods is apple crumble. 😉

    Reply ↓
  26. teamgloria

    oh! what a lovely post.

    the apples are (golden) delicious.

    but we *peered_closely* at the tea towel.

    whimsical and story-like.

    is there a story there?

    a 1950s style department store – passed on to you by an Aunt?

    Brought from Abroad (when you lived in upstate NY?)

    do tell!

    we became transfixed.

    Reply ↓
        1. Gallivanta Post author

          The camellias on the tea towel look as though they are from an illustration from one of the library books. The prints are so lovely on that site. Beautiful tea towels make kitchen tasks much more fun.

  27. Tiny

    The apples are indeed as beautiful as their tempting names! I love the inventiveness :Cherry Gala, Smitten, Eve, Suncrisp and NZ Beauty! I’m thinking of August or early September on the northern side of the globe and my dad’s apple trees 🙂

    Reply ↓
    1. Gallivanta Post author

      A few years ago, one of our independent TV channels screened The Jewel in the Palace. My daughter and I were absolutely hooked. We are soooo in love with Jang Geum and all the history that goes with her. Would love to watch similar Korean costume dramas but that independent channel ‘died’.

      Reply ↓
        1. Gallivanta Post author

          Some downloads have English subtitles. But probably better to get it on iTunes. It is melodrama, I suppose, but fascinating. And Jang Geum’s love interest makes the heart flutter 😀

  29. shoreacres

    The apples are lovely, and so many varieties I don’t know! But we do have the Royal Gala here, and New Zealand apples have been increasing in the markets over the past five years or so. There was an attempt made to begin apple growing here in Texas – not the best climate for many varieties. But what turned out to be the real problem was, of all things, cotton root-rot. Who knew that the same disease that affects cotton plants would attack apples trees? Well, no one knew, until some folks decided to try apples here.

    I do think that some other varieties are being planted now, and they’ve proven more resistant to the diseases of a warm, humid climate. Here’s my favorite Texas grower. I love that their ranch is called Love Creek, and that their orchards bear the same name.

    But what really tickles me is to see Eleanor Farjeon mentioned here. She’s not well known in the US – or at least not in the circles where I’ve been – but her “People Look East” is fabulous, and my favorite Advent/Christmas song.

    Reply ↓
    1. Gallivanta Post author

      It’s lovely that you have Love Creek to grow beautiful apples in your area. I recognise some of the apple varieties. However, and this will make you smile, I didn’t know People, Look East. I am delighted that you introduced it to me! I doubt that many people in NZ would know Eleanor Farjeon, although many would recognise Cat Steven’s Morning has Broken. Here is another post I wrote in which I mention Eleanor https://silkannthreades.wordpress.com/2013/10/15/3161/ You may enjoy it 🙂

      Reply ↓
  30. Mrs. P

    Oh, I do so love your change of season posts but since I have started reading them, I have become so aware of the passing of time and it is passing all too quickly. Though that in itself is not a bad thing as it certainly keeps me from being bored…it is reminding me of my older self getting older. 😦

    But at the same time encourages me to get done the things I want to get done…time marches on and I don’t have any to waste. So I am at least productive! 🙂

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  31. YellowCable

    Look lovely delicious! I have not paid much attention on those little stickers on apples or fruits. I see creativity with the designs. Using apples for “%” on the apple in the second picture and heart shape with apple on the stickers of a couple pictures are cute.

    The dish in the last picture looks good. I am hungry now.

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    1. Gallivanta Post author

      YC, you spotted the pear. Excellent. It is a Morettini pear. A variety that is new to me, though it is not a new variety. “An Italian bred Pear that dates back to 1956. Quite a dumpy pear with greenish-yellow skin that has an attractive red blush. The flesh is white and is very juicy with a rich flavour that is sweet and spicy. Pollinate with Williams bon Chretien. Ripens early, around Feb/March.” Quoted from http://www.wairere.co.nz/index.mvc
      I don’t normally buy apples or fruit with stickers because I find the stickers annoying. But they are quite artistic. I bought stickered fruit this time because I wanted to try different varieties and so I needed to remember which fruit was which.

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  33. Heather in Arles

    Ah, autumn, my very favorite season and how long I will have to wait for it! So happy that you are in its midst. And I especially love the heart o’apples.
    I too have sellers at my local market that specialize in old varietals…but I don’t go to them because they are a bunch of meanies! 😮

    Reply ↓
    1. Gallivanta Post author

      Oh, how can lovers and growers of apples be meanies?. That is very wrong! I am sorry to hear it. Are there places in the area where you can forage for apples?

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  34. utesmile

    Those apples look delicious, I didn’t know you have such a big variety. We have apples from New Zealand too, but just one sort. Your closeup pictures make me want to bite in it! Yummy!

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      1. utesmile

        Yes mainly Braeburn and they are lovely. Pricewise, they are in the same category with all the others really. So lots of NZ apples are bought here! … and of course Kiwis come from you too!

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        1. Gallivanta Post author

          The Braeburn is a great, all purpose apple. I like Kiwis too, but would you believe that most of the Kiwifruit in our shops at the moment come from Italy!

    1. Gallivanta Post author

      Mmmm….for some people it may be the most delicious. At the moment, the Royal Gala is my favourite followed by the Smitten. There are so many varieties, and different NZ varieties are popular in different countries.

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  37. BEAUTYCALYPSE

    aaaaw, apples. aaaw, apricot fool. it’s facsinating to me to experience such a lovely celebration of fall today whilr it’s clearly spring outside *my* window, cold, windy spring without blossoming trees yet. (my guess is the trees are muchas confused right now anyway because we’ve had one week of real winter, if any.)

    but back to the, no – to THE fruit: I share your love of apples. and am very happy to have a shop over here that’s dedicated to ancient apple varieties. monocultures are a problem, and so there are quite a few engaged farmers across europe who maintain the most interesting old varieties.

    and did you also know that:
    “one apple a day keeps everyone away if thrown hard enough”? 😉

    Reply ↓
    1. Gallivanta Post author

      Oh, so excellent to hear that you have access to the ancient varieties of apples. Later on in the season I go to an apple orchard which has some of the older varieties, and I love going in to the cold apple shed and seeing (and smelling) all the different apples. I quoted the English poems in my post because I loved the names of the apples…ones that are not familiar to me here. By the way, did you spot the pear? Mmmm…I did not know that saying but I am sure it is true!

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      1. BEAUTYCALYPSE

        ha! a very sneaky pear! had to check back and look again 😀

        to be honest, some of those old varieties were pretty disappointing, you know the kind of apple that is all like a cotton ball, not juicy or crisp at all. but some were amazingly fragrant, and sweet, or sour – an almost forgotten taste of wild apples, really tart, fresh, crisp and oh so delicious!

        Reply ↓
        2. BEAUTYCALYPSE

          after a quick internet research, I have to say that elstar, gala and cox orange are the closest relatives to the sturmer I know but none of those is “very sour”. interesting!

        3. Gallivanta Post author

          Perhaps they are not actually as sour as I remember. I could have been influenced by my grandmother saying ” Have a good apple. You don’t need to eat those sour old things.” To which I would reply, “But I like them!”

        4. BEAUTYCALYPSE

          😀 here’s to sour old things!
          (there’s a tart joke somewhere in here but it’s too late o’clock for me to figure out)

  38. Juliet

    Mmmm. This post is good enough to eat! I’ve been enjoying the first royal gala apples of the season over the weekend. Delicious.

    Reply ↓
  39. Travelling Kiwi

    What a happy juxtaposition of apples with the words of Eleanor Farjeon, herself clearly smitten by apples. Her ‘Martin Pippin in the Apple Orchard’ is one of my favourite books.
    A thousand or so kilometres north of you, we haven’t seen any signs of autumn yet. It’s still weather for beaches and peaches 🙂

    Reply ↓
    1. Gallivanta Post author

      Eleanor Farjeon seems to have been smitten by many lovely things. My book has Martin Pippin’s Flower Songs which are all very charming. I haven’t read Martin Pippin in the Apple Orchard 😦 It is barely autumn here; it has crept upon us in the last week….. and,suddenly, the leaves are changing colour and there is a certain je ne sais quoi in the air. Enjoy your beaches and peaches 🙂

      Reply ↓

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