Nine days into October and the evenings are closing in fast; for the last two weeks growers have been hard at it picking Gala...
With many varieties picked and safely in store, we are getting a good idea of how quality and storage potential is shaping up....
Below: Jugala an early ripening clone of Gala
Talking to a grower friend today he said; he started picking Jugala (an early Gala clone) on the 19th September, while his main Gala clones started on the 30th September; currently on the second pick Gala and anticipating 2nd pick will finish the middle of next week. to be followed by 3rd pick for juice. Braeburn is maturing slowly - anticipates Breaburn picking will start around 18th October on his farm; Jazz similar maturity profile to Braeburn, but with higher red colour requirement on Jazz need to get enough colour before picking.
My friend said this year fits into an 'average year' pattern - e.g. over the last twelve years (he has detailed records for that period) this season aligns with his 12 year average. Looking at yields; Bramley picked at 80% of 2014 but registered 118% of the 12 year average. He anticipates other varieties will be similar.
Below: Galaxie Gala
In Supermarkets, Greengrocer shops and Farm shops a variety of delicious new season home grown apples are just waiting to be sampled by consumers.
Asking the '64,000 dollar question' - how are prices shaping up?
In Sainsburys this week The English Apple Man surveyed English Apples & Pears on display; Conference pears @ £2 kg - Conference pear Basics @ 80p x 6 small pears - Comice pears @ £1.95 kg - Bramley apples @ £1.50 x 4 - Loose Bramley @ £1.75 kg - Red Dessert (Worcesters) @ £1.50 x 5 )minimum) apples - Red Windsor @ £1 x 5 (minimum) apples - Zari @ £1 x 5 (large) apples - Zari Best of British @ £1.50 x 4 apples - Gala @ £1 x 8 apples - 'reduced from £1.50 - Cox @ £1.75 kg & £1 x 5 apples. Imported Pink Lady £2 x 4 apples - New Zealand Jazz £1.95 x 6 apples & £1.75 x 4 apples.
Although retail prices will vary in different Supermarket chains, Sainsburys is a good barometer for what English Growers fruit is retailing for and an indicator for what growers receive back to grow the fruit.
Looking back to early November 2010 one can see retail prices then are very comparable to today: click on English Apple Man Journal or 7th November 2010
My friend keeps accurate price data and looking back to 2004 the net home price for Gala was circa 50 pence a kilo - fast forward to 2014 and the net home price was circa 30 pence a kilo. It is true in 2012 (the last year of what growers would consider adequate prices, a kilo of Gala returned circa 56 pence. A significant influence on the price structure is the exchange rate £ v Euro which in 2012 was near parity.
Picking Gala
With harvesting of our main varieties well advanced and Supermarkets stocking increasing volumes of English apple & pears, it is a poignant time to laud the benefits of apples in our diet. The English Apple Man is publishing an article by Helen Grace a freelance writer with a penchant for identifying the healthy attributes of fruit.
Does An Apple A Day Really Keep The Doctor Away?
It was almost 150 years ago in 1866 that the adage that 'an apple a day keeps the doctor away' first officially appeared in news print: it is likely that the phrase had been used conversationally before even then. It is only now though that medical professionals have proven what we've known all along: the adage really is true. Or at least, partly true.
There are many benefits of eating apples regularly, particularly as we begin to age, because apples have been shown to be particularly good at fending off such diseases as cancer and cardiovascular problems. This is because apples have been found by research from Cornell University to contain high levels of quercetin, an antioxidant that enables the body to much more efficiently resist damage, particularly any potential damage to the brain. Antioxidants are essential for helping to counterbalance the damaging effects that can be caused by free radicals: these are cells which can cause damage to, and sometimes even destroy, any molecules that they come into contact with.
Several Successful Studies
There have been numerous studies conducted into the health benefits of apple consumption. The benefits apples have in preventing cancer have been particularly closely examined, with a study conducted by the Nurses Health Team and involving over 77,000 women finding that those women who consumed at least one serving of either apples or pears each day had a considerably reduced chance of developing lung cancer. A similar women's health study which involved over 40,000 women eating at least one apple per day: the results found that those women that followed this 'apple a day rule' had decreased their risk of suffering from cardiovascular disease by between 13 - 22%.
Eating apples isn't just beneficial for women either: the University of Hawaii conducted a smaller, but still significant investigation on the link between apple consumption and lung disease among'st men and women, and found that the antioxidants in apples were just as effective at reducing the cancer risk in men as well as in women. In fact, the benefits of apple eating can be applied to a wide range of individuals from almost every social demographic; even individuals residing in rehabilitation facilities were found to have better changes of success and less likelihood of relapse if their withdrawal was combined with a healthy diet rich in affordable fruits and vegetables, such as apples. We all know that eating five portions of fruit and vegetables each day is beneficial to your health, and that regular consumption of fruits and vegetables can help to minimise your cancer risk and simultaneously boost your cardiovascular health. But it seems that not all fruit and vegetables are created equal; by making one of these portions of fruit and vegetables an apple, you will find that you will benefit from an abundance of health perks.
If you're wanting to live as healthy a lifestyle as possible and are concerned about the health benefits of the foods that you eat then there is no better food to begin consuming than apples. Eating an apple a day really can help you to live longer by improving your cardiovascular health, minimize your cancer risk, and also mean that, over the course of a year, you will need to use far fewer prescription medications than your non apple eating counterparts. What's more, apples have the added benefit of tasting truly delicious: there really are no drawbacks to choosing to enjoy a daily apple!
Below: Mary Watson-Edmed
From time to time the fruit industry loses a a dear friend; last Friday, Mary Watson-Edmed who recently lost her battle with cancer, was remembered in a Memorial Service by her family and many friends at The Parish Church of St. Margaret, Horsmonden, in West Kent.
To lose a dear friend is always painful, but on a day blessed with early Autumn sunshine, Mary was remembered lovingly by family and friends in a service conducted with great empathy by the Reverend Sue Fauchon-Jones. Mary's daughter-in-Law Wendy Watson delivered a moving tribute to Mary and recounted how Mary and Clive first met, fell in love and became a partnership in love and business. Mary was an absolute 'right hand' to Clive and integral to their success in fruit growing.
Mary lived life to the full; Mary worked hard, played hard and was loved by all who had the great privilege to know her....
The service was a beautiful celebration of Mary's life and one element particularly moving........
"We only wanted you"
'They say memories are golden
well maybe that is true
We never wanted memories,
we only wanted you
A million times we needed you
a million times we've cried
If love alone could have saved you
you never would have died
In life we loved you dearly
in death we love you still
In our hearts you hold a place
no one can ever fill
If tears could build a stairway
and heartache make a lane,
we'd walk the path to heaven
to bring you back again
Our family chain is broken,
and nothing seems the same
But as God calls us one by one
the chain will link again'
Author Unknown..........
Rest in Peace Mary.....
The English Apple Man