The Apple Club Newsletter

Autumn 2002

Officially autumn commenced on August 1st, although here on the farm, we always feel that September 1st would be a more appropriate day. No matter which way you look at it, autumn is definitely here now, and so are our apples; the ultimate reminder of the season we are in. We hope that you enjoy our autumn newsletter.

RTE at the Apple Farm

During the summer, we were lucky enough to be asked by RTE television to participate in the making of a cookery program. The chef in question is Seamus O'Connell from “The Ivory Tower” in Cork city. His mission on our farm was to select some of our produce for a “white forest gateau”. Luckily we were able to supply our strawberries, raspberries, redcurrants, free range eggs, and even some ingredients that we did not know we had (such as rose petals and elderflower), for the delicious recipe. Everything was made on the farm, baked in our oven, and sampled by customers who had the patience to wait for a few hours while the work progressed. The result was an unbelievable success; a white forest cake like none that I had ever tasted before. I look forward to getting the recipe when the program is screened after Christmas.
The taste of the elderflower sauce has even inspired us to try making an elderflower juice next year.

Apple growers open day

Here in Ireland we have an organisation known as the “Irish Apple Growers Association”. Every now and then we hold an event for growers and other interested parties, and this year the theme of our event is “new apple varieties”. The event is split over two afternoons, one on September 24th, and the second on December 4th. At the first meeting we will be touring an orchard in Cappoquin, and looking at new varieties. We will have one expert from the UK with us on this day to guide us through the good, the bad, and the ugly.
For the December meeting we expect to have a researcher from Holland who has assessed one thousand new varieties over the past ten years. Of great interest will be his assessment of a number of new disease-resistant varieties. These varieties are showing great promise for gardeners who do not wish to spray, and will also make life easier for organic growers.
If you wish to find out more about this event, and apple varieties which will be good in your garden, keep an eye on our website. And if you have a deep interest in apples, and want to attend this event, please give us a call at the farm for more details.

An apple a day

There is now clear research showing what we always suspected; that an apple a day is good for your health, and that two a day may be even better.
Here are a few of the healthy facts about apples:
Cholesterol reduction:
Apples and apple juice contain phenolic compounds (phytochemicals) that act as antioxidants against LDL (low-density lipoproteins), the "bad" cholesterol that clogs arteries. Antioxidants reduce or prevent oxidation in certain cells, thus preventing cell or tissue damage. Eating apples not only lowers cholesterol, it also improves the ratio of beneficial high-density lipoproteins (HDL) to harmful LDL.
- Life Sciences (April 16, 1999)
Apples are also an excellent source of pectin, a soluble fibre found in most fruits and vegetables. A number of nutrition studies have proven that pectin helps reduce cholesterol.
Early research indicates that D-glucaric acid, an ingredient in apples, may be a natural regulator of cholesterol. A diet rich in D-glucaric acid can help reduce damaging LDL by up to 35 percent.
- Nutrition Research
Cancer prevention & healthy lungs:
There is growing evidence that eating apples may help prevent lung cancer. The US National Cancer Institute has reported that foods containing flavonoids like those found in apples may reduce the risk of lung cancer by as much as 50 percent. Apples have the highest concentration of flavonoids of any fruit. A Cornell University study found that phytochemicals from the skin of an apple inhibited the reproduction of colon cancer cells by 43 percent. These findings supported earlier research which indicated that antioxidant flavonoids appeared to reduce the incidence of lung cancer.
- Journal of the National Cancer Institute (January, 2000)
- Nature (June, 2000)
- Amercian Journal of Epidemiology (1997)
A British study of Welsh men indicated that people who eat at least five apples per week experience better lung function. It's not certain why apple eaters could breath more easily, but researchers believe antioxidants contained in apples may ward off disease by countering oxygen's damaging effect on the body.
- Thorax (January, 2000)
Heart disease & stroke prevention:
A Finnish study published in 1996 showed that people who eat a diet rich in flavonoids (in which apples are very high) have a lower incidence of heart disease. Other studies indicate that flavonoids may help prevent strokes.
- The British Medical Journal (1996)
Weight loss:
Apples are a delicious source of dietary fibre, and dietary fibre helps digestion and promotes weight loss. A medium apple contains about five grams of fibre, more than most cereals. Consuming apples leads to a slowing down of the absorbtion of fast-acting sugars like glucose. This means that the body needs less insulin which results in less fat storage and a lower tendency to being overweight.
Dental health:
Condensed tannins are found in apple juice. Tannins have anti-adhesion properties that may help prevent periodontal or gum disease because they inhibit some bacteria from bonding to each other and producing dental plaque. Tannins also may help prevent urinary tract infections and reduce the risk of heart disease.
-Journal of the American Dental Association (1998)
Do you feel healthy after reading all of this? Perhaps it’s time you had another apple!

Autumn in the fruit garden

Raspberries
Keep an eye on your raspberries for the next four weeks. The young canes may give you an extra autumn crop of delicious large berries.
Also, you may need to remove any weeds you find within the rows. Depending on how well you did this during the season, this job may now be easy or difficult. If there are excess new canes (more than ten per metre), the weaker ones should now be removed.
Finally, if you wish to plant new raspberries this winter, now is the time to make preparations. You need to mound up some drills with as much soil as you can. A 40cm high drill is ideal, because raspberries do much better in the dry soil of a high drill. Individual rows can be spaced about 3 – 4 metres (12`-16`) apart, and when it comes to getting plants later on, certified stock is better than canes from your existing plants, as diseases are easily passed on in the soil.

Strawberries
Strawberries will now be producing lots of runners. If you have a young plot, these can be interweaved among the existing plants in the crop row. Otherwise they will have to be cut off. If you plan a new plot, then leave the runners attached to the plants until they have rooted, and transplant to their new plot in November.
Existing plots can now be weeded. If there has been a vine weevil problem in the past, then now is the time to drench with parasitic nematodes (such as Nemasys H). These are tiny beneficial worms which attack and kill the vine weevil eggs and larvae. You should be able to purchase these at your local garden centre.

Apples and Plums
You should now be finished with your Victoria plums, and getting ready to enjoy an apple harvest. However, apples are scarce this year, so do not be disappointed if your crop is not great. Springtime frosts are the main culprit, and the cool wet early-summer did not help.
If your trees are loosing their leaves from disease, rake these up and put them into the compost heap. This should help break the disease cycle for next year. Keep the area around the foot of the tree free from weed competition also.

Recipe for Apple Muffins:

You will need:
225g (8oz.) plain flour
A pinch of salt
2 teaspoons of baking powder
50g (2oz.) caster sugar
1/2 tspn. nutmeg, 1/2 tspn. cinnamon, 1/2 tspn. mixed spice
2 eggs; lightly beaten
50g (2oz.) melted butter
150ml (5 fl.ozs.) buttermilk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 or 3 medium dessert apples; peeled, cored and grated

Method:
Mix the dry ingredients, add apple and liquids, mix again, but do not beat too much. Turn into muffin tins or paper cases standing in a muffin tin.
Bake in a pre-heated oven at 230 C (450 F or gas mark 8) for 20 to 25 minutes.

Our Camping by Willem Traas

In 1973 two people came with a tent,
and camped here under an old apple tree,
We did not charge them a single cent,
Space and air and water were free.

Their names were Jan and Geraldine,
they came from Holland (under the sea),
travelling on a tandem with a small engine,
I wonder what have they done since ’73.

They were followed by Eamonn, Joyce and family,
Now our good friends in Clonmel,
Willem and Marlees and David and Dorothy,
Marian and Jack and Eddie as well.

Since ’73 we have books full of names,
from Ireland, England, France, Russia, almost everywhere,
In summer we speak languages like playing games,
Only Eskimos and Tibetans are not (yet) here.

But we are expecting them all and even more,
In 2003 and 2004,
Our new tennis court is ready for great furore,
With Bertie, TD’s and dignitaries coming through our door.

To serve our guests we’ll have hosts enchanting,
Like myself, Eoin, Noreen, David, Ella and Con,
At night there’ll be music and drinks and dancing,
So as you can see there’s a lot going on.

And our animals too can join in the fun,
Charley, Katy, Bobby, Janey and our new donkey Rose,
There will be barking and braying under the stars,
And we really do hope that you also can come.

Name the donkey:   

As many of you will probably know, we had a new arrival at the farm during the summer. Our donkey had a beautiful brown-haired foal, and we decided to have a competition to name her. In the end, there was one particular name which was suggested by many people, and so to select the prize-winner we had to choose a person’s name from out of a hat. And what did you decide to call our foal? Rosie you chose and so shall she be called. Judging by her love of eating roses, it’s a most appropriate name.


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