This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/oct/18/country-diary-tamar-valley-scent-apples-pears
The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Country diary: the air is heavy with the scent of ripe apples | |
| (21 days later) | |
| Sheltered from rain, inside the display tent at Cotehele’s Apple Day, the perfume of juice and ripe fruit pervades the damp air. Examples of different varieties are pinned to a board and Mary and James (my sister and brother-in-law) have laid out a lavish array from their orchard of local varieties, gathered on rare dry days during recent weeks. | Sheltered from rain, inside the display tent at Cotehele’s Apple Day, the perfume of juice and ripe fruit pervades the damp air. Examples of different varieties are pinned to a board and Mary and James (my sister and brother-in-law) have laid out a lavish array from their orchard of local varieties, gathered on rare dry days during recent weeks. |
| A basket of pears, decorated with swags of rose hips and sloes, includes the large Aston Town (originally found in a pub garden at Launceston), Green Chisel (possibly the Hastings pear), green sweats, various harvest pears, grey and red Catterns, all awaiting the results of genetic tests to confirm their identities. | A basket of pears, decorated with swags of rose hips and sloes, includes the large Aston Town (originally found in a pub garden at Launceston), Green Chisel (possibly the Hastings pear), green sweats, various harvest pears, grey and red Catterns, all awaiting the results of genetic tests to confirm their identities. |
| Golden Wonder apples compete for size with the striped Colloggett (valued for cider), and children are tempted by the shiny Crimson Queens, rescued from the dilapidated Slew orchard further up the Tamar and exhibited by Veitch of Exeter way back in 1883. | Golden Wonder apples compete for size with the striped Colloggett (valued for cider), and children are tempted by the shiny Crimson Queens, rescued from the dilapidated Slew orchard further up the Tamar and exhibited by Veitch of Exeter way back in 1883. |
| Most of the apples brought for identification are modern, but from a derelict market garden at Forder (near Saltash) comes a Black Rock, the local name for Mère de Ménage, an old European apple and a reliable heavy fruiter. | Most of the apples brought for identification are modern, but from a derelict market garden at Forder (near Saltash) comes a Black Rock, the local name for Mère de Ménage, an old European apple and a reliable heavy fruiter. |
| Specimens illustrating diseases such as scab, bitter pit and brown rot contrast with the brilliance and lusciousness of the apples on show – which are mostly capable of withstanding the damp mildness of the south-west. Despite the dull wet summer, Lady’s Fingers, Cornish Aromatic and King Byerd have thrived in the nearby orchard overlooking the river, where unpicked fruit gleams red in the misty drizzle. | Specimens illustrating diseases such as scab, bitter pit and brown rot contrast with the brilliance and lusciousness of the apples on show – which are mostly capable of withstanding the damp mildness of the south-west. Despite the dull wet summer, Lady’s Fingers, Cornish Aromatic and King Byerd have thrived in the nearby orchard overlooking the river, where unpicked fruit gleams red in the misty drizzle. |
| Next day, during a brighter interlude, I pick up a third batch of apples (Sanspareil and Tamar Beauty) for juicing. Close by, South Devon cows and calves turn flanks towards the warmth; rows of straw from late-combined barley will soon be overgrown by grass and there remain acres of uncut cereals. | Next day, during a brighter interlude, I pick up a third batch of apples (Sanspareil and Tamar Beauty) for juicing. Close by, South Devon cows and calves turn flanks towards the warmth; rows of straw from late-combined barley will soon be overgrown by grass and there remain acres of uncut cereals. |
| Here, on this sunny, south-facing, slope, ivy flowers are a magnet for bees and butterflies (particularly red admirals), a chiffchaff sings overhead, trees appear burnished, and the undersides of fading leaves on regenerated oaks are colonised by myriads of spangle galls awaiting leaf-drop and the next stage in their transformation into tiny wasps. | Here, on this sunny, south-facing, slope, ivy flowers are a magnet for bees and butterflies (particularly red admirals), a chiffchaff sings overhead, trees appear burnished, and the undersides of fading leaves on regenerated oaks are colonised by myriads of spangle galls awaiting leaf-drop and the next stage in their transformation into tiny wasps. |
| Follow Country diary on Twitter: @gdncountrydiary | Follow Country diary on Twitter: @gdncountrydiary |
| Fruit | Fruit |
| Country diary | Country diary |
| Autumn food and drink | Autumn food and drink |
| Food | Food |
| Cider | Cider |
| Conservation | Conservation |
| Farming | Farming |
| features | features |
| Share on Facebook | Share on Facebook |
| Share on Twitter | Share on Twitter |
| Share via Email | Share via Email |
| Share on LinkedIn | Share on LinkedIn |
| Share on Pinterest | Share on Pinterest |
| Share on Google+ | Share on Google+ |
| Share on WhatsApp | Share on WhatsApp |
| Share on Messenger | Share on Messenger |
| Reuse this content | Reuse this content |