This book contains a complete history of apples and a detailed survey of over 2000 of the world's apple varieties. Moving between continents and cultures, the authors look at the apple's role as a dessert fruit and in cookery; in cider making and the ornamental garden; in myth, medicine and religion. They revisit the apple's Victorian heyday when fine varieties were considered seriously as wines, and bring the story up to date with the apple's transformation into an international commodity.
Find out where your favorite crunchy, refreshing fruit comes from in this snack-sized book. Apples come in all shapes and sizes from all over the world. Take a bite and chew on months of planting, growing, picking, and selling that bring this tasty fruit into the home. With deliciously bright, detailed images and a simple text, Apples is the perfect board book for small curious hands who are still new to the crisp comfort of autumn. Gail Gibbons, a dedicated explorer of the world on behalf of curious young readers, uncovers and educates young audiences with board books on everything from Pumpkins to Bicycles to Boats. Readers ages 4-8 will also enjoy the newly-updated picture book version of Apples, which includes even more delectable details, diagrams, and vocabulary.
What would a greengrocer say if you were to ask for half a dozen Grenadiers and a couple of Catsheads? In the course of the past century we have lost much of our rich heritage of orchard fruits, but with taste once again triumphing over shelf-life and a renewed interest in local varieties, we are rediscovering the delights of that most delicious and adaptable fruit: the apple. Illustrated with Victorian apple paintings, this book tells the intriguing stories behind each variety, how they acquired their names and their merits for eating, cooking or making cider. Includ[es] practical advice on how to choose and grow your own trees.... -- Cover, page [4]
Rosie Sanders, often described as the best painter of the world's most famous fruit, has devoted years to researching this book and submitting the apples to hour upon hour of meticulous observation. In 144 beautifully detailed watercolours she depicts the unrivalled range of form, colour and texture which characterize such varieties as Beauty of Bath, Peasgood Nonsuch, Cox's Orange Pippin and Egremont Russet. Painted with their blossom, twig and leaf, Rosie offers detailed descriptions of each apple's aroma, flavour and season as well as something of the history of each variety. The book is enhanced by a practical essay on apple growing by Harry Baker, fruit officer for many years at the Royal Horticultural Society and one of Britain’s foremost authorities on apple growing.
Gala and Honeycrisp. Pink Lady and Pacific Rose. King Luscious and Winesap. The names of apples are as juicy as the fruit itself. One of the most widely distributed fruits on the planet, apples have always meant something beyond food and drink—their seeds have been planted deep within the myths, religion, and art of nearly every culture. They are symbols of beauty, desire, and sin; signs of hidden poisons and healthy eating; emblems of computers, phones, and music. Exploring the symbolism, art, and literature of the apple, as well as its botanical background, Marcia Reiss follows this iconic fruit from its origins to its now-ubiquitous presence in our world. Journeying back to the apple’s germination in the mountains of Central Asia, Reiss travels along the Silk Road to Europe and the New World. She reveals that, from Charlemagne to Johnny Appleseed to the colonization of South Africa, where settlers were required to plant apple orchards that led to the development of new towns, apples have become a global commodity. In addition to delving into the latest debates about chemical sprays, Reiss looks at the rise of heirloom orchards and the hopes and fears of genetic developments. She also tells the parallel tale of apple cider, its decline during the Temperance Movement and its return as an artisanal alternative to wine. Beautifully illustrated with historic and contemporary images and containing a directory of popular and heirloom varieties, Apple is a book ripe for devouring.
Gravenstein. Coe’s Golden Drop. Mendocino Cox. The names sound like something from the imagination of Tolkien or perhaps the ingredients in a dubious magical potion rather than what they are—varieties of apples. But as befits their enchanting names, apples have transfixed and beguiled humans for thousands of years. Apple: A Global History explores the cultural and culinary importance of a fruit born in the mountains of Kazakhstan that has since traversed the globe to become a favorite almost everywhere. From the Garden of Eden and Homer’s Odyssey to Johnny Appleseed, William Tell, and even Apple Computer, Erika Janik shows how apples have become a universal source of sustenance, health, and symbolism from ancient times to the present day. Featuring many mouthwatering illustrations, this exploration of the planet’s most popular fruit includes a guide to selecting the best apples, in addition to apple recipes from around the world, including what is believed to be the first recorded apple recipe from Roman gourmand Marcus Apicius. And Janik doesn’t let us forget that apples are not just good eating; their juice also makes for good drinking—as the history of cider in North America and Europe attests. Janik grew up surrounded by apple iconography in Washington, the “apple state,” so there is no better author to tell this fascinating story. Readers will eat up this surprising and entertaining tale of a fruit intricately linked to human history.
This book provides a comprehensive reference work, summarizing our knowledge of apples and their production worldwide. It includes 24 chapters written by international authorities from the USA, Canada, Europe and New Zealand. The main subjects addressed include taxonomy and production statistics, plant materials, apple physiology, orchard and tree management, crop protection (including organic production), harvesting and handling and utilization. The book will be of significant interest to those working in horticulture and botany.
In the nineteenth century, most American farms had a small orchard or at least a few fruit-bearing trees. People grew their own apple trees or purchased apples grown within a few hundred miles of their homes. Nowadays, in contrast, Americans buy mass-produced fruit in supermarkets, and roughly 70 percent of apples come from Washington State. So how did Washington become the leading producer of America’s most popular fruit? In this enlightening book, Amanda L. Van Lanen offers a comprehensive response to this question by tracing the origins, evolution, and environmental consequences of the state’s apple industry. Washington’s success in producing apples was not a happy accident of nature, according to Van Lanen. Apples are not native to Washington, any more than potatoes are to Idaho or peaches to Georgia. In fact, Washington apple farmers were late to the game, lagging their eastern competitors. The author outlines the numerous challenges early Washington entrepreneurs faced in such areas as irrigation, transportation, and labor. Eventually, with crucial help from railroads, Washington farmers transformed themselves into “growers” by embracing new technologies and marketing strategies. By the 1920s, the state’s growers managed not only to innovate the industry but to dominate it. Industrial agriculture has its fair share of problems involving the environment, consumers, and growers themselves. In the quest to create the perfect apple, early growers did not question the long-term environmental effects of chemical sprays. Since the late twentieth century, consumers have increasingly questioned the environmental safety of industrial apple production. Today, as this book reveals, the apple industry continues to evolve in response to shifting consumer demands and accelerating climate change. Yet, through it all, the Washington apple maintains its iconic status as Washington’s most valuable agricultural crop.
