Apple - Fruit of the Gods

An apple that has rotten while waiting for me to eat it

September is the time of year for apples and I am making apple crumple from cooking apples that I brought at a farmers market yesterday. These apples look untidy, with holes and some bruising like the apples I had as a child, not the slick, perfect apples of the supermarket.

At the house where I grew up there was a small orchard at the bottom of the garden. It wasn’t a large, grand house, just a London suburban semi-detached, but it had a very long garden, the bottom of which was full of trees: pear, plum, and apple. It was a good place for playing hide and seek. The apples were square-shaped, scruffy and full of holes, but I remember that they tasted delicious, especially in apple crumble.

My brother and I were not allowed sweets or chocolate as children (my two younger sisters, born a good few years after my brother, had it easier.) My mum was very strict about this. We were allowed cheese and apples as treats instead. After school every day we were allowed one apple before dinner, which was always appreciated. 

It is strange that I now eat very few apples. Indeed, it is rare that I find one that pleases me. They just don’t seem to taste as good as when I was a child. In fact, although they may look great, most apples these days don’t seem to taste of much at all. 

I often have apples lying around my flat, as I use them as an aid for teaching my students about making drawings look three-dimensional. I glance at these apples every day and think, “I must eat that, it's good for me”, but I never do. Then, inevitably, they rot and I throw them away.

The apple is an ancient fruit originating from Asia, perhaps the first ever cultivated. According to Pliny, the Roman writer and naturalist, there were twenty-two varieties of apple worldwide during his lifetime. In Britain, it wasn't until the eighteenth century that hybrids were introduced from Europe. Different species were grafted to wild trees in order to produce greater fruit yield. There are now thought to be some two-thousand species of apple tree worldwide.

The legend of Johnny Appleseed, based on the real life of an eccentric eighteenth century pioneer and orchard grower, tells of someone who travelled across the United States planting apple seeds. He avoided shoes and wore a tin pot on his head, from which he ate, and carried a sack full of apple seeds. These he sowed as he travelled, for the benefit of the people of America.

The uncultivated apple, the crab apple, has short thorns on its branches. It grows across Europe and western Asia, and prefers lowlands and the edges of woodland. A deciduous tree, it grows up to ten metres with a dense crown on top. It flowers from April to May with clusters of pinkish white blossoms. With their scented nectar, these attract a large amount of bees during the day and insects during the night. The fruit appears from September to October. Crab apples are sour and dry to the taste. Incidentally, the seeds of orchard apple trees often revert to their ancestral type if sown in the wild.

The crab apple is a herbal remedy for cleansing the body, both inside and out. It has both anti-inflammatory and anti-septic properties, so is good for wounds. Internally, it is very good for the bowels and stomach. 

There are quite a few stories involving apples in Greek myth. For example, when the Greek goddess of discord was not invited to a party, she gatecrashed and threw a golden apple amidst the revellers. This prize bore an inscription, "To the fairest", and the goddesses Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite all duly claimed it. Paris, Prince of Troy, was chosen to judge which of them was the most deserving. Aphrodite wanted the golden apple so badly that she employed devious means. She secured Paris' vote by offering him the beauteous Helen... and so started the Trojan war.

Atalanta, the daughter of King Schoeneus, was tricked when Aphrodite gave three tempting apples to Hippomenes. Atalanta would only marry the man that could win against her in a race, but she was fast and no man could beat her. Hippomenes laid down Aphrodite's apples in Atlanta's path, so that she slowed down to retrieve them. Hippomenes proceeded to win the race, and so Atalanta had to marry him.

The garden of Hesperides, in Greek myth, contained a golden apple tree which was given by Gaia to her daughter, Hera, when she married Zeus. The apples from this tree brought the dead to life and healed the sick. It was guarded by a serpent and nine goddesses. 

This reminds me somewhat of the apple of the tree of knowledge in the garden of Eden. Apples can look so delicious on the tree, its not surprising that the snake was able to tempt Eve and Adam. An old tradition was to toss an apple to the person you love and, if the loved one caught it, this meant that they loved you in return.

The Norse goddess Idun held the apples of eternal youth. Loki, the trickster god, came to an agreement with a giant that he would steal Idun and her apples. He did so, and all the Norse gods suddenly started to grow old and wither. When they found out what Loki had done, however, they threatened to kill him if he didn’t return his hostage and her apples.

Apple bobbing is a game often played at Halloween. A large tub is filled with water and several apples are placed there-in. The apples float because they are less dense than water. The idea is that players catch the apples with just their mouths, hands are not allowed. The tradition dates back to the Roman invasion of Britain. During Celtic festivals, unmarried people would compete to bite a floating apple, the winner being considered the next in line for nuptials.

An old custom involves going to orchards in cider-producing regions, reciting incantations and singing to the trees for a good harvest in the coming year. A  symbolic "king and queen" would then lead a procession further into the orchard. The queen would eventully be lifted up into the trees, where she places toast soaked in cider as a gift to the tree spirits. I’m told that this custom is still practiced in the west country of Britain.

The apple and blossom have been used to symbolise love, beauty and immortality. One love spell requires carving both your lovers' and your own name into an apple and burying it. If a tree grows in that spot, then your love is particularly blessed. Assign apple pips with the names of potential lovers and burn them (the pips not the lovers), or throw apple peel over your left shoulder to see if it forms a person's initials when it hits the floor. To induce prophetic dreams, place an apple (presumably a small one) under your pillow and ask it to answer your questions. A Scottish tradition suggests that, during Samhain (the festival around the first of November), if you eat an apple whilst looking into a mirror, the image of your future spouse will appear over your shoulder.

In parts of Germany, until the nineteenth century it was customary to pour the bath water of a new born baby over the roots of an apple tree. This was thought to grant the child good heath, fertility and attractiveness.

A unripe apple can help cure diarrhoea, whilst ripe apples can act as a gentle laxative. Rubbing a piece of apple on an affected area can help rheumatism, due to its anti-inflammatory qualities. John Gerard, the Elizabethan physician, concocted an ointment for blemished or rough skin that contains boiled apples mixed with fat and rose water. The fat acts as a binder, the apple is antiseptic and the rose is soothing.

Cider vinegar can also be used as a facial cleanser. Diluted one part vinegar to seven parts water, it can make a good facial toner for blemished skin. After taking antibiotics, apple cider left out over night in a warm room can be used to replace lost healthy stomach bacteria. It can even be used to deter fleas!

I nearly burnt the apple crumple, I was too busy writing this! Now there is the not-so-unpleasant smell of apple crumble all over the flat. It tastes good, once I remove the burnt edges. It is surprising how something so delicious can be made from just flour, sugar and three scruffy apples.