Apples

It was national apple day a week or so back. A day to celebrate the Britain’s favourite fruit. The average Brit eats a whopping 14kg of apples a year. The average American by comparison, consumes just 8kg. And in the scrumpy-loving South West of England, the average apple-munching is more like 17kg a year. They likes their apples in those parts.

However, over the last 30-years we have lost two thirds of our orchards. Over half of them disappeared between 1990 and 2000. Today, two-thirds of the apples we eat are imported from USA, New Zealand, South Africa and other far-flung places. And many of the apples we eat during the British season are imported from Europe. Normally boring apples like Golden Delicious.

We can grow apples in the UK from May through to October – different varieties mature at different times through out the summer months beginning with varieties like Vista, Discovery and Jonagold and finishing with Worcester Pearmain and Gala. And they’re pretty easy to store, particularly the later varieties, so we can continue eating British apples right through to the early spring.

Eating local produce drastically reduces its carbon footprints because it hasn’t had to travel a long way to get to you. It also supports our local apple farmers. Creating an orchard is a long-term commitment and unless our apple farmers have some security that people will buy their apples they won’t bother.

And then there’s the issue of bio diversity. There are still over 2000 varieties of apple grown in the UK. In the average supermarket you will find only eight. Asda stocks ten varieties, the market leader Tesco, just seven. 70% of the apples we buy are sold in supermarkets. And supermarkets prefer to just stock a few varieties easily recognisable to consumers.

This is a problem because it reduces the apple gene pool and makes the apple in general more susceptible to disease. It’s estimated that we have lost three quarters of genetic diversity in the last century and the apple is a striking example. If we carry on valuing profit margins and shelf life beyond everything else then we risk losing the apple in future generations.

Apples also absorb a large amount of pesticide. Non-organic apples are sprayed in more than 30 different sorts of chemicals. When tested, out of all fruit and vegetables the apple contains the highest chemical residues. 80% have detectable pesticide residue. In large quantities this could pose a health risk. So if you only buy a couple of organic things, the apple is a good one to pick.

So what should you consider next time you fancy a appley snack?

Well, between July and March, buy British. As local as you can. It will have travelled less distance, taste fresher and will help support our orchards.

From March to July, buy New Zealand apples. Apples produced in New Zealand generally have much lower CO2 emissions – as much as half those produced in the UK – because of the higher yield due to the Kiwi’s better climate. This difference will counter balance a good chunk of the CO2 produced by transporting it half way around the world. It’s better than keeping British apples in freezers, because running a freezer for a long time also produces a lot of CO2.

Ideally, buy an unusual variety from a farmers market or greengrocer rather than a supermarket. Alternatively get you apples from a local fruit and veg box-scheme. We get ours from Abel & Cole, who have sent us several different varieties over the last few months, all of them very nice. There are quite a few box-schemes now that deliver all over the country such as Riverford.

If you can, buy organic. Because it isn’t sprayed in pesticides, which are made from oil, it will have a considerably lower carbon footprint. It will be less of a health risk for the people growing them and ultimately better for you too. Not to mention having less of a negative impact on the local environment. However, organic apples are quite hard to grow, so if it’s a choice between a local standard apple and an organic one from far away then the local one is probably better.

So go and buy a British Russet or a Cox’s Pippin. Or Fiesta or a Discovery. Or something else more interesting than a Golden Delicious or a Granny Smith. How do you like them apples eh?