The Apple Club Newsletter

Autumn 2006

Though officially wintertime, I always think that nature and the calendar do not exactly match up. For me, spring starts in March, and summer in June, autumn in September and winter in December. And so, that is my excuse for bringing you the autumn newsletter in what is, according to the calendar, officially wintertime. In any case I hope that you enjoy it.

The Brogdale Fruit Collection

People often ask me things about apples, because they think I should know a lot about them. They also ask me about different apple varieties, and also other types of fruits. However, I often have to disappoint them, as while I think I know quite a lot about growing apples, my knowledge of the myriad of varieties in the World is not great.
The UK National Fruit Collection is held near Faversham in Kent. There are over 2000 different varieties of apple, as well as smaller collections of pears, plums, cherries, nuts & vines, grown on 150 acres of bountiful orchards. The apple collection is recognised as the most comprehensive authenticated collection of varieties in the world. The history of the collection dates back to the early 1800s, when it was set up by the Horticultural Society (now the Royal Horticultural Society) under the guidance of Thomas Andrew Knight. The origin of the collections stemmed from a need to establish correct names and accurate cultivar descriptions of temperate fruits grown in the UK. The first catalogue was published in 1826 and a subsequent more detailed edition in 1831 listed some 1400 apple and 677 pear cultivars, although many of these were the same varieties accidentally given different names. More comprehensive National Fruit Trials and the original collections were established in 1921 at Wisley, Surrey. Later they were relocated from Wisley to Brogdale between 1952 and 1954, when the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) assumed complete funding. The present day Collections were largely built up from this time onwards under the direction of J.M.S. Potter until 1972, and by successive Directors of Brogdale Experimental Horticulture Station since then.
One of the interesting services now offered by staff at Brogdale is an apple identification service. Identification of an unknown cultivar requires three samples of typical mature fruit. You should also include a sample shoot & leaves, and as much detail about the fruit & tree as possible- its season of use, whether it is dessert or culinary, the age and habit of the tree, and location where it is grown.
Guided tours on foot around the fruit collections also take place regularly throughout the year, and last about an hour. There are knowledgeable guides to take you to the most interesting and attractive parts of the orchards to view the fruit varieties at various stages from blossom through to harvest time and you may be able to taste the fruit if you are there at the right time of year.
So, if you fancy a different break next time you are in the UK, or wish to find out something interesting about apples, visit Brogdale near Faversham sometime. Have a look at www.brogdale.org and find out what they have to offer.

A pictorial history of Cahir

An old schoolfriend of mine recently contacted me about a book he is publishing. The person in question, Paul Buckley, has studied history for many years, and is an enthusiastic historian on the subject of his home town, Cahir.
The book, called "Cahir, a Photographic Introduction" contains 124 pages with some 134 images pertaining to the town's past. It is presented in an attractive landscape format (230mm x 180mm) and will be available in both hard and soft back editions. I have seen some of the old photographs, and must say that they really bring me back in time.
Paul has published this book himself, with the sponsorship of some old friends and local businesses, and I am proud to be associated with such a fine work, and wish him the best of luck with it. The book will be launched before Christmas, so if you have an interest in Cahir, why not drop a hint to someone, that this would be a great present for Santa to bring. More information is available at www.cahirpress.com

Apples in the news:

Our apples were recently featured on RTE's Afternoon Show with Derek Mooney. Dermot O'Neill, who does the gardening section, was featuring old Irish apples from the seedsavers association, and decided to give Derek samples to eat. Derek found some of them a bit too soft, but that was probably because they were early apples which had been held too long, and were not at their best at the time of the show. Dermot had asked us to send up some Elstar apples, and when Derek tried these, he thought they were the best he had eaten, so we were delighted with that. We even had one enthusiastic apple lover who drove all the way from Dublin to get a box after what she had heard.
And as if that is not enough, Ear to the Ground will be featuring Celtic Orchards apples in the near future. You may remember that this is a joint effort among many Irish growers to bring you good quality Irish apples that are genuinely Irish (unlike some of the "Irish" apples that you get in the shops, which are of very dubious origin). Luckily, you will not have to put up with my face on television this time. The Ear to the Ground team filmed the feature at David Keane's orchard in Cappoquin, where the Celtic Orchard apples that are supplied to Super Valu stores around the country are grown. David is a very dedicated grower, who grows apples to the very highest standard, and it is great to see the Celtic Orchards brand get some more exposure for Irish apples. All reports that I have heard back say that the Celtic Orchard apples that are available in Super Valu are excellent, and if you are too far from our farm to travel here regularly, those apples are well worth a try.
By the way, Celtic Orchard apples from other growers are also available in Superquinn.

Beech tables

On Christmas Eve, 1997, a severe storm hit Ireland. Many people were left without electricity on Christmas Day, and many turkeys weren't cooked till a day or two later. On our farm, the storm blew down one of a line of six magnificent 180 year old beech trees. Although standing 75 feet tall (22 metres), the roots had been weakened by a root rot which is common among beech trees of a great age. Indeed, since then, two more of the six have been lost to root rot and wind, though storms of such severity were not required for these.
In any case, the wood of this great tree that fell needed a fitting purpose, and so we sent the tree to the sawmill about two miles away, and collected some of the wood back afterwards. Some of the timber we used for equipment shelves in the workshop, and some used on the campsite. The poorer quality timber was used for firewood, and we had a bit left over. A short time ago, a near neighbour was good enough to use some of the leftover pieces to make two display stands for our produce, and if you visit our farm-shop, you will see one of these now displaying the jam, and another showing off some of our gift-bags of juice.
I can't help thinking what a short distance this timber has travelled in 200 years. From our farm to the sawmill, to our neighbour, and back to the farm. Less than ten miles in total. Wouldn't it be nice if life were so simple for everyone.

The Elstar Apple

Elstar is a descendant of the well-known variety Cox's Orange Pippin, and was developed in the Netherlands in the 1950s. It is a popular easy-eating dessert apple, widely grown on the Continent and in Ireland since as early as 1972.
Elstar has a distinctive appearance - difficult to describe but quite apparent once you have seen it. The skin is marbled, often with a soft sheen to it. It also lacks the perfect smoothness of many modern varieties.
The underlying colour is golden yellow but overlaid with deep red. The flavour is quite intense, with a little acid, but also retaining an appealing sweetness - usually described as 'honeyed' in the apple text books.
Elstar is definitely a crunchy apple, but not as crisp or hard as some apples, which can be difficult to bite.
Golden Delicious is one of the parents of Elstar, and in most Golden Delicious offspring it is the other parent which provides the essential counter-balance to offset the uniform sweetness of the Golden. In the case of Elstar this is Ingrid Marie, a variety which originates from Denmark. Although not a widely-known apple, it lends a bit of oomph to the mix - inherited from its own parent, Cox's Orange Pippin. The result is Elstar, which is recognised as one of the best varieties released during the 1970's, and indeed, not many have surpassed it since.

Older varieties section: Charles Ross

Charles Ross is a well-known apple which was grown quite widely in Ireland over the past century. The apple was named after the head gardener at Welford Park, Newbury, Berkshire. He was active in fruit cultivation and development at the end of the 19th Century. The apple is a cross between Peargood Nonsuch, itself a large and striking apple, and Cox's Orange Pippin, and it was first seen in 1890 under the name of "Thomas Andrew Knight" the great fruit developer of nearly a century before. The name was later changed when a friend persuaded Ross to name it after himself, so once the trees became available to the public, they were named Charles Ross.
The apple is esteemed as both an eater and cooker and is admired for its fine colouring, shape and size. If harvested early it keeps reasonably well for 8 weeks, but if allowed to ripen on the tree, it quickly becomes soft. We have two trees of Charles Ross in our old apple collection, and in future years should have a few apples for sale for those who might want to remember a taste from your youth.

Music, By Willem Traas

In our summer newsletter I wrote about soccer. This time I will write about music.
I think singing is our first music. Babies make noises which we might call singing. That is what some parents say anyway. Most people keep singing during their lives. From weddings to funerals. And we are told that we will sing in heaven.
When I was a child and went to school in Holland, we sang every morning in the classrooms, even though as boys we considered it "sissy" to sing. But tonight the National Garda Choir will sing in Ardfinnan, and the Guards are no cissies for sure.
Still I liked it, and got 8 out of 10 on my school report. I still have that report now, sixty years later. I still sing now when I go to Church on Sunday in St. Paul's in Cahir. David Butler is the organist, and although there are only a few people there, we sign hymns like "The Lord is my Shepherd". Maggie Davis sings there also. She is a music teacher and very good singer. I probably annoy everybody by trying to sing in harmony. This year we will have a carol service on the 17th of December at 7.30pm and I hope we sing "Silent Night". That is my favourite carol. Why don't you join us on that night?
Now it is not only people who sing. Animals sing too. Think of all the birds. Nightingales are supposed to sing best of all. I even thought that I once heard a Nightingale on our farm. But Dan Hogan said to me: "You must have been dreaming Willem, there are no Nightingales in Ireland".
 Dogs like music too. Our Labrador, Judy, is never happier than when I sing. A voice is magic. Think of a childs voice; how it carries. Every voice is different, just like our ears are different.
Enough about people singing now. Instruments sing when people play them. A violin, a flute, a trumpet, a drum or an organ, a piano, and so many more. In Holland we had a house organ and I could play our National Anthem on it. There was no time or money for lessons.
But in our village we had a "fanfare corps", and a music stand in the centre of the village. They would play on Queensday and on other occasions, just like the Clonmel Band does. And the band would dance after their performance, and even drink alcohol. I could not join; it was not approved of in many Protestant families.
I remember when the band marched through our village and played with all their instruments blazing. I almost cried with the sensation, and I got goose bumps all over my back.
Now I could go on writing about music. It is one of those wonderful things in life. But don't play a mouth organ, because as you know, the definition of a gentleman is: somebody who can play a mouth organ, but does not do it.


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