We've all heard about Kent apple growers grubbing-up their orchards. In fact between 1985 and today, land devoted to England's EATING-apple-growing has reduced from 13,000 hectares to just 5,000.
By contrast, the amount of land devoted to the growing of CIDER apples, during the same period, has increased from 4,000 hectares to 7,000.
So what does this say about apple growing in England? The simple, and most obvious, answer is that the healing qualities of the 'apple a day keeping the doctor away' has largely been exchanged for an increased consumption of alcohol.
I have nothing against people drinking alcoholic drinks (I myself do my bit to preserve our French vineyards), but the decline in home-grown fruit means huge imports of (usually) tasteless apples.
Would it be cynical of me to suggest that the government also makes a lot more money from the tax on alcohol, than it ever would on the sale of fruit?
I feel a 'conspiracy theory' approaching.
I find your reasoning flawless, Cro, and wonder if the same will happen in America's garden states when legalized marijuana becomes the number one cash crop.
ReplyDeletePresumably The State will become the 'dealer', and reap the healthy profits.
DeleteDozens of ads on TV for cider, none for apples as they are.
ReplyDeleteMore income for someone but not the apple growers
I like cider; dry and cold it's a wonderful summer drink.
DeleteLuckily, we have our own apple trees, but here in SOmerset, where the cider apple is King, it's still possible to buy eaters off the tree, from many ancient orchards on farms and behind peoples houses, and windfalls are offered free at the gate. I think you may have something with your theory tho!.
ReplyDeleteNot cynical at all Cro - probably some truth in the suggestion. I do agree about the tastelessness too. Some years ago I happened to be wandering round a Worcestershire market town (can't remember which one) on market day. There were boxes of windfalls on one stall - every kind of apple you could imagine. I picked two or three from the boxes and took them all home. The taste of all was wonderful - all were apples which you never see or hear of now. Although I understand that some varieties are beginning to make a reappearance. Of course it might well be also that the growers make more money out of cider apples or other crops - let's face it, a whole generation (or two) has grown up without experiencing the real taste of an apple.
ReplyDeleteI've written previously about the 44 tree orchard at my late parents' home. The man to whom I sold the house took all the trees out; many were very rare varieties, some not even mentioned in books. I was NOT happy.
DeleteI have about 12 different apple trees I actually have trouble trying to get rid of them - after I pick what I need people don't seem interested unless they are bought from a supermarket - and mine are free!
ReplyDeleteMy parents' home that I speak of above was in Shropshire; everything seemed to do so well there.
DeleteYes they just seem to thrive - its a shame my peaches don't do so well!
DeleteThat's some really interesting stats. Hmmm I dont think our apple consumption here is very high either and what is bought are the 4-5 varieties that the supermarkets deem worthy (profitable for them) to supply. I buy about 6 Pink Lady apples a week but will soon plant an espaliered grafted tree with 6-7 varieties on the same tree. Im friends with the Prod Man of the Heritage Orchards and he has 10 on his one tree. Amazing. So its not impossible to have trees in a small backyard.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to hearing how your multi-variety tree does. I'm slightly suspicious, as all mine only produce ONE.
Deletehttp://middleagedreflections.blogspot.com.au/2014/06/so-much-to-do-so-little-time.html
DeleteProof - ive seen it and eaten apples from it. Craig is the master grafter.
I think it's also to do with picking. Cider orchards are picked in a mechanised way whereas to pick eaters it has to be done by hand with an army of foreign workers and all the hassle that goes with it. Also cider is normally grown on contract so you have a buyer lined up already as many don't like dealing with supermarkets , not to mention how much harder it is to grow perfect apples for a supermarket compared to cider where all is taken.
ReplyDeleteWhen we lived in evesham there was pick your own apples or buy by the box but none around here even though we're surrounded by orchards.
Good points.
DeleteI have a friend who grows apples and makes cider, and this year the apples are very early. There is no taxation on cider below a certain, largish volume, and a few years ago, there was no tax at all. All the extreme alcoholics who used to drink 'Scrumpy' here (filthy stuff) are now dead, and cider is extremely popular amongst the young lot.
ReplyDeleteThat's the way it goes. There is no point in producing more eating apples than people demand, and there are plenty to go around right now.
And yet I keep reading that two thirds of England's eating apples are imported.
DeleteI'm with you on that thought. :(
ReplyDeleteThanks for reminding me that I'm living in the heart of apple land, here in Massachusetts where I can choose from any number of varieties.
ReplyDeleteTo day I noticed that the apples that I bought are from USA. strange.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite eating apple, the Red Rome, is no longer available in the stores I go to. But, crazy ones I have never heard of are available. So I planted a red Rome tree. It cost me $39.00 and it died. I'm afraid to plant another.
ReplyDeleteI'd go back to your supplier and demand a replacement!
DeleteMy brother-in-law used to have a fruit farm. He took the last orchards out this year and his firewood stock has gone up yet again. He used to supply English apples to the supermarkets but they started to screw the price down and down and get the apples from abroad and each apple had to be the same size and colour.. Then he started to supply Gaymers but they got taken over by Bulmers and shut the factory here and then Bulmers started to pay less and less and then an EU directive said they couldn't use wooden crates and had to use plastics so that all cost money and the price for blackcurrants he grew supplied to Ribena went down and down and prices for cider apples went down too so in the end he gave up. As I have said before the English housewife in Asda doesn't give a toss where the apples come from, she is only interested in price.
ReplyDeleteSad, isn't it.
DeleteI bought british eating and cooking apples from aldi today, 89p for four. However, most of the apples were South African.
ReplyDeleteI live not far from several apple farms in Boonville, Philo, Sebastopol and Luther Burbank's Santa Rosa. Thankfully, organic produce seems to understand a real necessity for preserving heirloom tomatoes and heritage apples and demand appears to be the driving force. Tough when your adversary is grapes...thousands of acres have been stripped of apple, plum, and pear orchards to make way for vineyards.
ReplyDelete