Number Of UK Apple Heirloom Varieties Not Even Known, So Countdown Project To Include Orchards

[hatrack]

They have apples that taste of pineapple, apples that look like pears, apples that - in the right light and perhaps after a glass of cider - look like a pig's snout. Many are delicious straight from the tree while others need time to mature. Some are good only for pickling and might take out a tooth if you took a bite. A mind-boggling variety of apples is to be found sitting in wicker baskets in the top shed on the National Trust's Cotehele estate in Cornwall at this time of year.

Orchards are always good places to be in the autumn, but there is a greater sense of optimism at Cotehele and other important English orchards this year after they received an important funding boost. Along with grander landscapes such as high moors, wetlands and estuaries, the traditional orchard was given a share of £5m from Natural England's Countdown 2010 biodiversity action fund. The Countdown campaign is part of a global movement aimed at halting the loss of important environments.

EDIT

Planted last winter, the mother orchard consists of 270 trees with 120 varieties typical to Cornwall and Devon growing on an eight-acre plot. The idea is to grow these trees to adulthood to make sure they are not lost, and then create more trees from them and reintroduce the rare ones to orchards and gardens. Some of the varieties here were down to their last few trees; others were thought to be extinct but were found hiding away in the corner of kitchen gardens.

Chris Groves, the Trust's orchard officer, said the number of orchards across the country had declined by more than 50% in the last 50 years because of changing farming practices - including, in this part of the world at least, the halting of the tradition of part paying labourers in cider - and because of cheap imports. The result is that countless orchards have been lost - and the nearest supermarket to Cotehele is selling two types of apples: one red, one green, both from France.

EDIT

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2008/nov/04/apples-orchards-national-trust-cotehele

[NRaleighLiberal]

1. Heirloom apples are amazing - there is a good US source, link below.

http://www.treemendus-fruit.com/

Large selection in Michigan, they ship...you can get sampler packs. We are enjoying some now!

[hatrack]

2. Just planted eight heirlooms yesterday - one more today and then done for 2008

Another good heirloom apple source -

http://www.bighorsecreekfarm.com

Trees arrived in good shape, and I'm just hoping I don't screw things up on my end . . . Fingers crossed . . .

[NRaleighLiberal]

3. Heirloom tomatoes are my big time hobby.