Presents a recipe-complemented celebration of America's apple renaissance that explores 120 of the fruit's considerable varieties, including the Black Oxford, the Knobbed Russet, and the D'Arcy Spice.
“For all of us who cherish the apple, its utility, its flavors, and its powers of revelation and connection.” —Adrian Higgins, garden columnist, The Washington Post The apple is one of the most iconic fruits, traditionally picked on cool fall days and used in pies, crisps, ciders, and more. And there is a vast world of varieties that goes well beyond the common grocery store offerings. With names like American Beauty, Carter’s Blue, and Fallawater, and flavors ranging from sweet to tart, this treasure trove of unique apples is ripe for discovery. There is no better guide through this tasty world than Tom Burford, whose family has grown apples in the Blue Ridge Mountains since 1715. His celebratory book Apples of North America is brimming with beautiful portraits of heirloom and modern apples of merit, each accompanied by distinguishing characteristics and common uses. You will also find information on growing apples at home—with specifics on planting, pruning, grafting, and more—and instructions on how to preserve apples through pressing, fermenting, cooking, and drying.
"Wynne's book which ranges from apple cider to apples as a remedy for breast cancer, will tell you more than you ever wanted to know about that ubiquitous and most versatile of fruits. The granddaddy of them all was probably the lowly crab apple of the Caucasus. In ancient times the apple was often confused with the quince or the pomegranate but by Greek and Roman days it was carefully cultivated in orchards and had attained an important place in mythology. As the fruit of love it was dear to Aphrodite and sacred to the sun god, Apollo. Apples frequently figured in lovers' trysts. But as far as that apple in the Garden of Eden goes, it was apocryphal, probably dating from the 15th century. From folklore and mythology Wynne turns to examining the more popular varieties cultivated in the U.S. today. He grades twenty according to color, texture (including those best suited for cooking) and taste. And if your local market sells only Golden Delicious and McIntosh, you are being cheated of some of the very best. In conclusion Wynne provides recipes, most adapted from cookbooks dating back as far as the 15th century. And you might set the kids to bobbing for apples next Halloween. A bountiful fruit, a bounteous book."--Publisher description.
A playful guide to identifying, serving, and enjoying one of America's most delicious foods describes the various types of oysters available in terms of appearance, origin, availability, and flavor and provides a host of tempting recipes, a color guide, lists of top oyster restaurants and festivals, tips on pairing wine and oysters, and more.
"Terroir" is French for taste of place. In this book, a James Beard Award-winning author explores many of the North American foods that depend on place for their unique flavor, including salmon from Alaska's Yukon River and honey from the tupelo-lined banks of the Apalachicola River.
This special re-print edition of the US Dept. of Agriculture's book "Apples: Old and New" is a guide to heirloom apple varieties. Written in 1913, this classic text provides basic insight into over 800 varieties of apples that were grown at the turn of the century.
Ninety North American apples, described in words and identified in the author's beautiful and precise watercolors. In this charming and informative book, Roger Yepsen explores the world of apples throughout history and in the present. Each featured apple is remarkably distinctive in taste, texture, aroma, and appearance. They range from the unusual, like the Knobbed Russet and Hubbardston Nonesuch, to apples everyone has tasted such as Red Delicious and Granny Smith. Also included are recipes for making everything from apple leather to apple brandy, as well as pies, sauces, ciders, and wines; sources for ordering apples, trees, cider, wine, or supplies; and tips on creating and growing new varieties.
A limited, large-format edition of this gorgeous study of apples, featuring a print from the series This large-format (9 x 11.25 inches) special edition of New York photographer William Mullan's (born 1989) Odd Applesincludes a print of the photograph titled Hidden Rosehoused in a pergamin paper sleeve inserted in the book. Mullan's obsession with apples began when he saw his first Egremont Russet at a Waitrose grocery store outside of London. Fascinated by its gnarled, potato-like appearance and shockingly fresh, nutty flavor, Mullan began searching for, and photographing, rare apple varieties. In Odd Apples, each apple is lovingly rendered and styled according to its individual "personality"--a combination of its looks and its flavors. The apples are set against complementary brightly colored backdrops; they are peeled or unpeeled, cut or whole, skin shriveled or perfectly smooth and shiny. Mullan embraces each apple's idiosyncratic aesthetic qualities completely.
In the 1990s, a marine scientist named Brian Kingzett was commissioned to survey Canada's western coast. He saw amazing sights, from the wildest, most breathtaking coasts to the smallest of marine creatures. Along the western side of Vancouver Island, Kingzett nosed into an isolated pocket beach where he found something unusual. Amid the mussels, barnacles, and clams were round oysters-Olympias. Kingzett noted their presence and paddled on. A decade later when he met Betsy Peabody, executive director of the Puget Sound Restoration Fund (PSRF), he learned that this once ubiquitous native oyster was in steep decline, and he knew that together they would return to this remote spot. Rowan Jacobsen, along with Kingzett, Peabody, and a small group of scientists from PSRF and the Nature Conservancy, set out last July to see if the Olys were still surviving-and if they were, what they could learn from them. The goal: to use their pristine natural beds, which have probably been around for millennia, as blueprints for the habitat restoration efforts in Puget Sound. The implications are vast. If Peabody and her team can bring good health back to Puget Sound by restoring the intertidal zones-the areas of land exposed during low tide and submerged during high tide, where oysters live-their research could serve as a model for saving the world's oceans. During a time when the fate of the oceans seems uncertain, Rowan Jacobsen has found hope in the form of a small shelled creature living in the lost world where all life began.