Saturday 29 October 2011

Number 36: Apple identification

It is a family tradition to go to our local Apple Day event at the Gressenhall Workhouse Museum in Norfolk. Not sure which of us heard about it first, but we have not missed a year since it really got going and have seen it go from strength to strength.

One of the big 'sells of Apple Day' was always the apple identification team who would take a look at the apples that grew on a random tree by the side of the road / end of the garden / next-door. There is always a queue for this, although we have never before needed their services.

This year, however, Mum produced an apple from her handbag as we walked in, that she had picked up in the garden of a 16th century cottage in Hampshire, while they were on holiday. Double good news - we can get in the queue of folk with mystery apples PLUS I don't have to join in with the wassailing to get a 'first'. Result!

The identifiers clearly take a pride in their work and the queue moved slowly forward. It isn't an exact science at all and I have a feeling that unless you have an obvious Bramley, there is always a bit of head scratching. It turned out that ours didn't help by having no foliage and having gone a bit rotten in the middle. However, we had a Lord Lambourne. I think. I should have written it down..!

1 comment:

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