Its National Fruit Show week and The English Apple Man was involved
On Tuesday The English Apple Man joined his fellow judges at The National Fruit Show to determine the narrow margins between the 'winners and losers' from 140 entries in 21 apple and pear classes.........
Below: Newmafruit Cameo entry which scored 99 out of 100
Working with my good friend Roger Worraker and fellow judges Tim Biddlecombe and Nigel Jenner, the four of us judge the internal condition of each sample; working in pairs we are allowed to take one apple from each sample, test the fruit firmness with a penetrometer and cut each sample looking for any internal disorders. The firmness (we call it fruit pressure) is measured in kg's and each variety is judged against the commercial requirements of retail customers and of course any minimum EU standards.
Any fruit not meeting the standards will lose marks on a 'graduating' basis; e.g. a minimal deficiency may lose half a mark, but more serious deficiencies may result in a loss of one, or maybe two marks. In the Internal Condition category we score out of maximum of 15 marks. Generally down-marking in this category is most often due to a lack of fruit firmness, although occasionally we find an internal disorder - for example; bitter pit or mouldy core.
This year's show attracted 140 entries from 40 entrants in the show classes; the 'Best in Show' award went to Newmafruit Farms for their Cameo entry which scored a remarkable 99 points out of 100!
The 2015 Show was formally opened by Neil Parish MP
Neil Parish was first elected as Member of Parliament for Tiverton and Honiton on 6th May 2010. He was successfully re-elected on 7th May 2015 with 29,030 votes and 54 per cent of the overall vote. Neil also increased his majority to 20,156.
He has been a member of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee, and Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to the Minister of State for Transport, the Rt Hon John Hayes MP. As a PPS it was Neil's job to act as a liaison between backbench MPs and the minister and attend ministerial meetings in the Department for Transport.
In Parliament Neil has been a strong voice for the countryside and British farming and has been Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Beef & Lamb, the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Eggs, Pig and Poultry as well as the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Dairy.
Prior to entering Westminster Neil was the Member of the European Parliament for the South West for ten years and in December 2001 was appointed Conservative spokesman on agriculture and the deputy chief whip of the delegation. In the European Parliament, Neil was the Chairman of the agriculture and rural development committee.
During his time as Chairman he was reportedly described as a Rottweiler by David Miliband, the then Secretary of State for Defra, for his dogged persistence.
Below: Neil Parish with NFS President Michael Jack and NFS Chair Sarah Calcutt - and - Newmafuit 'Best in Show' Cameo
Below: Avalon and Agrovista Trade Stands at National Fruit Show
Below: Hadlow College and ICA Trade Stands at National Fruit Show
Below: VIGO Trade Stand - and - South East Farmer Trade Stand
New 'Toys for Boys'
New machinery is always attractive to growers (and particularly their sons) visiting the show; lots of shiny new tractors and associated equipment is on display. Talking to Nick Seymour on Thursday afternoon, he told me he had a great deal of interest in 'the driverless tractor' - it seems growers are looking at potential 24 hour operations - in day time the tractor could be pulling an orchard sprayer, with an operator on hand to refill the sprayer during the course of the day, while at night the prospect of mowing the orchards without the need for an operator in attendance appeals to the visionary - The EAM would not be able to sleep at night; anticipating the prospect of a young orchard accidentally 'grubbed' overnight........but seriously it is clearly part and parcel of future production as our apples and pears are unlikely to produce higher prices back to the grower, so reducing costs will be paramount in the future......in the picture below, Nick's daughter Claire poses with a new Fendt tractor.......£44,000 new........by comparison in my growing days I bought a Fendt from Nick for £12,000 in the mid 1980's.......
Below: Claire Seymour (NP Seymour) and Chris at Bourne Engineering with some of the equipment he is supplying to the apple industry
'The answer lies in the Soil.........
The quality of soil in which our crops grow has never been more important as global food production 'demands more and more' of this precious medium. The recognition of looking after our soils is not a new phenomenon - "To be a successful farmer one must first know the nature of the soil" - so said Xenophon, Oeconomicus, 400 BC..........
Below: Dr Emma Tilston demonstrating the importance of soil quality - and - a reminder that the importance of soil quality is not new!
Peter Traill at John Bourne's
Remaining on the subject of improving soil, I stopped at the John Bourne Stand to talk with Peter about the services supplied by the company, which now extend well beyond the application of lime on orchards for which I remember Bourne's supplying that service in my growing days circa 25 - 30 years ago.
Peter told me the application of compost made from green waste is now an integral part of the business. The cost of transport is still a major challenge; 'moving compost' from the green waste depot to the farm is expensive, but growers recognise the benefit to the soil structure and increasingly the use of compost is an accepted component in the establishment of a new orchard.
Agricultural Lime - As the largest agricultural lime merchant in Kent, Sussex and Surrey Bourne's remain committed to farmers and farming, supplying farmers from three quarries on the North Downs with Ground and Screened Chalk as well as Magnesium Limestone for fruit growers and a range of bulk organic manures and composts.
Peter said; "our spreading service, consisting of 10 tonne trailed low ground pressure spreaders down to small tractors and cut down spreaders for top and soft fruit, is geared up to spread a large quantity over a short period".
Below: Reminders of soil quality importance - and - Biddenden Wine with Red Love Apple Juice
The Red Love juice arrived 'just in time' for the show; pressed by Biddenden Vineyards from Red Love apples grown at East Malling Research it has a very attractive appearance and pleasant taste.
Nuts and soft fruit also have classes at The National Fruit Show; Kent Cobnuts and Walnuts are annual entries and this year John Cannon won the Cobnut Class with his sample from the family farm at Plaxtol.
Below: Nuts and Soft Fruit Display - and John Cannon's winning Cobnuts
Below: A new Gala clone
FAST launched during the National Fruit Show a new selection of Gala called One, the main advantage is it harvests 10 to 12 days earlier than the normal selection of Schniga/Royal Beaut. FAST said we have very few trees available for this season but will have some more for 16/17. The trees were trialled and accessed by PCF for two years for stability and regression.
The picture of Gala One shows its earlier maturity by the level of starch recorded on 31st August; Gala One is well advanced in starch reduction compared to the 'near 100% starch' on the other Gala clone (Royal Beaut).
The drive to find early apples and spread the harvest also caught The English Apple Man's eye on The Verbeek Trade Stand where 'Robijn' an early clone of Jonagold was on display. Robijn matures seven weeks earlier than most Jonagold offering new marketing opportunities, the Robijn on show were picked in mid August. Asking the obvious question; 'how can Jonagold have such a wide maturity possibility? Will Sibley and Han Verbeek explained that Jonagold has produced more than 100 'sports' (clones) since its commercial launch some 70 + years ago. Will Sibley told me Jonagold has an ability to produce new sports with a much wider harvest pick date potential than sports of other varieties.
Below: Will Sibley and Han Verbeek
The mechanics of how a new sport occurs is worth closer attention; historically a branch with more colour than the host tree will occur naturally and IF spotted by a grower or nurseryman can lead to the commercial development of a new sport (clone) of the host variety. Gala has many sports; e.g. from the original Gala, Royal Gala (Tenroy) was the first to appear, but over the years Mondial, Galaxie, Schniga, and a host of others have become commercially important clones. The obvious advantage of a more naturally coloured Gala for example is having enough red colour when the maturity of the apple indicates the harvest date has arrived. Red colour is triggered by the day/night temperature contrast as harvest time approaches, in warmer growing regions the day/night temperature contrast of cold night and warm days does is insufficient, so starting with a higher natural red colour is a clear benefit.
Asking the question - are breeders actively searching for a new sport? Will Sibley said YES, spotting a small branch with a clonal difference is part and parcel of new development. How does this happen? WELL, we (Breeders) believe the influence of solar radiation on a single bud triggers a change in that bud which when it grows into a new shoot and on into a new fruiting branch, produces a more coloured 'natural clone' - Will said some varieties like Jonagold have a greater propensity to produce clones with a greater spread of harvest dates; for example - ROBIJN..........
Small scale controlled atmosphere storage
Apple storage is becoming increasingly sophisticated with DCA (Dynamic Controlled Atmosphere) now the rapidly developing regime for large scale storage; at The National Fruit Show I met Caroline Pomardede on the Janny MT Stand - Caroline explained the Janny system which is designed for small scale storage operations - farm shops for example. The system can be used for fruit and vegetables and uses a system of controlled atmosphere in a standard size storage bin (300kg) - the bin has an air tight seal and six inlet/outlet ports, each of which can accommodate a filter which allows Oxygen to enter the bin, while allowing C02 to escape.
each variety has its own storage characteristics; Gala is easy - with only one port open, other varieties may need more ports open; in some cases a small bag of lime placed inside the bin to adsorb excess C02.
Below: Caroline Pomarede - and - one of the inlet/outlet ports on the lid of a Janny MT storage bin
Below: the Janny MT filter - and - the bin internal bin seal
Below: The Janny sampler measures the store air (O2 and C02) within the bin - and - the reading enables adjustment if necessary
For more information - Click on Janny MT
Below: The Rubens Apple has taken top spot in the National Fruit Show 2015 "Tastiest Apple' competition. A panel of apple lovers chomped their way through nearly 100 entries to find that perfect taste.
The entry from J & B Darbyshire, Chapel Grange Farm, Five Oak Green impressed the judges, the winning apple also won best in Class 6. Brian Tompsett who stewards the competition said "it is very rare for an apple to gain the highest points in the competition judging and also win on flavour".
Cameo took second place with an apple grown by Newmafruit Farms which also took the coveted NFU Best in Show with a huge score of 99/100. Third place was won by another Rubens grown by R & D Applegrowers.
Bonanza Prize - Sponsored by VIGO Ltd
Winners Elverton Farms from Faversham are part of Fruition PO and have two fruit farms under the Elverton banner. Mockbeggar Farm growing Gala, Conference Pears and Bramley over 18ha and China Farm, 25ha growing Jonagold , Gala and Bramley. Thomas Johnson was delighted to win the Vigo Ltd Bonanza and will also be picking up the new Arthur Goatham Memorial Trophy for his winning entry of Bramley, exhibitor under 40 at the Prize Giving at the Show today, Thursday 22nd October 2015 at 12 noon.
The Bonanza Draw was made at The Show Dinner and presented to Thomas Johnson by Chair Sarah Calcutt; Sarah then introduced Major David Bradley who spoke of his challenges as a British Army Major in Iraq and his near death experience after his vehicle was hit in Basra. David having served his country so bravely, is now growing apples on his family farm in East Kent.....
Below: Thomas Johnson from Elverton Farms received the 2015 Bonanza Prize from Sarah Calcutt at The Show Dinner - and - Guest Speaker - Major David Bradley
Click on Major David Bradley to learn more about his bravery as a British Army Officer........
Thursday 22nd October - Day 2 National Fruit Show
Always a quieter day in terms of 'footfall' but stand holders generally reported it as a worthwhile day with enough visitors to engage with; often less visitors can result in more time for individual 'productive conservations' - of course that may not be true for all stand holders. One stand holder told me he was very busy on Day 1 and rather enjoyed a quieter Day 2 - time to recover.......
Prizegiving
The change to Prizegiving on the second day has proved popular and the tradition now is for a Prizewinners Reception with Champagne prior to the Ceremonial presentation of prizes.
Below: Annette Bardsley with Sarah Calcutt and Michael Jack
All prizewinners deserve admiration, to deliver a show sample capable of winning a class requires great dedication; to win consistently 'year in year out' is an outstanding achievement and the Bardsley Family have been winning multiple awards for many years, indeed for many decades!
In recent years Newmafruit Farms have been leading contenders - this year the Newmafruit Cameo entry not only won its class, but won 'Best all round exhibit' in the show.
Bardsley & Sons, The Podger Norton Trophy, Best exhibit of culinary apples
Bardsley & Sons, The Fruiterers Company Medal*, The most meritorious exhibit of culinary apples
Bardsley & Sons, The Fyffes Salver, Best exhibit of Bramley
Bardsley & Sons, The UKF Fertilisers Cup, Best exhibit of Cox's Orange Pippin or any Sport
Newmafruit Farms, NFU prize, Best all round exhibit in Show
Newmafruit Farms, The Roderic Sarson Memorial Trophy, Best all round exhibit of apples
Newmafruit Farms, The Stokes Bomford Rose Bowl, Best exhibit of dessert apples
Newmafruit Farms, The Fruiterers Company Medal* The most meritorious exhibit of dessert apples
Below: Tony Frankham MD Newmafruit Farms
In addition to Newmafruit success in the Show Classes, they also won the 'Taste of Kent Award' - Garden of Kent Champion - Top Fruit Award - Tastiest Apple with their Cameo apples.
Organics win against Conventional apples!
Mole End Farms Ltd is an organic top fruit business owned by Paul Ward; Paul has gained a considerable reputation as an organic grower, but it was a surprise (to me) when Mole End won 1st prize in the dessert variety Class for entrants under 40 with organic Rubinstep against conventionally grown fruit.
Below: Nicolette receives the trophy from Michael Jack and Sarah Calcutt - and - Paul Ward & Nicholette pose with their winning entry
Worshipful Company of Fruiterers
Each year the Worshipful Company of Fruiterers present awards to outstanding members of the fruit industry; the recipients of Craftsmans, Fruit Culture and Student of the year Awards received their awards from Master of the Worshipful Company of Fruiterers - Rupert Best.
Mike Terry has been integral to the success of many top fruit, stone fruit and vineyards across the country with his bespoke provision of new orchard establishment. Scott Raffle - AHDB - "Scott organises the dissemination of results on all fruit research projects to the UK fruit industry. This involves the editing of our research reports, the writing, editing and publication of web information on fruit, AHDB Horticulture Factsheets on fruit, grower guides on fruit and other paper and electronic publications. He organises fruit related events for growers and agronomists and acts as the primary contact on all fruit related research information. Ryan Williams studied Horticulture at Hadlow College and was one of a new group of apprentices who are learning their skills with companies in the fruit sector. Ryan is working with Avalon Produce Ltd in a technical support role. I have personal experience of Ryan and he is without doubt a fine example of the young people our industry need to continue progressing in the highly competitive world of commercial top fruit.
Below: Mike Terry and his wife Penny, who is his partner in the business of planting new orchards, received the Craftsman's award from WCF Master Rupert Best
Below: Scott Raffle wins the Fruit Culture Award recognising someone who has made a substantial contribution to the fruit industry through communicating skills or communication (the transfer of technology).
Below: Ryan Williams wins the WCF award for 'student of the year' presented by Rupert Best
Below: Winner of the Single Variety Apple Juice was Vanessa de Quincey with the variety Discovery; I have known Vanessa for many years and her farm sits in the most beautiful countryside at Salehurst in East Sussex, the farm is still very traditional, 'no fruit walls' but a joy to walk around.
For a full listing of Winners at the 2015 National Fruit Show - Click on 2015 National Fruit Show Winners
Joan Morgan's Book of Pears
Profile
Joan Morgan's knowledge of apple varieties, their tastes and histories has brought national and international recognition for her work; she is fondly known as the 'Queen of Apples'. Joan has also been studying pears and The Book of Pears is now published.
Joan is part of that long line of British fruit enthusiasts and pomologists who have studied and recorded fruit varieties and above all celebrated their flavours. She is inspired by the Victorian authority Dr. Robert Hogg and Edward Bunyard, who wrote in the 1920s and 1930s, and although considering herself an apprentice by comparison she is of that tradition. She promotes fruit through her writings and also through broadcasts and talks.
Her studies on apples culminated in The Book of Apples (1993) and its updated and revised edition The New Book of Apples (2002), written in collaboration with her great friend Alison Richards and illustrated by Elisabeth Dowle, one of our foremost botanical artists. Her studies on pears have resulted in the companion volume The Book of Pears (2015), with paintings by Elisabeth. It is published by Ebury Press, in association with the Royal Horticultural Society, in the UK and by Chelsea Green in the USA.
I have had the honour of knowing Joan for 'probably 20 years' - my knowledge of her expertise in apple & pear recognition and her unrivalled ability to gather and accurately record the history of thousands of varieties goes back much further in time.
The Book of Pears is the definitive history of more than 500 varieties of Pears; enhanced by Elizabeth Dowle's beautiful paintings of many varieties, it is a book anyone mildly interested in pears should put firmly on their Christmas present list!
The Book of Pears covers the origin of Pears which began with wild species growing on mountain slopes, before the earliest farmers selected the best and brought them into cultivation. Joan tells us that the generally accepted view is our European or Western Pear arose from the wild species Pyrus communis, native across Continental Europe to north-west Iran.........in her book Joan recounts her travels to Iran..........the fact that the oldest documented pear tree is 350 years old.......'planting pears for your heirs' is an old saying interpreted as defining - 'slow into production' but Joan tells us the truth may be the value of its timber; pear wood is hard, stable and reasonably strong........ideal for making pistol stocks in days gone by......
While the history of the pear is extensive and fascinating, my appreciation of the section; 'Directory of Pear Varieties' which covers the pear varieties growing in the DEFRA 'National Fruit Collection at Brogdale, is an invaluable reference for anyone researching the 'provenance' of pear varieties.
The English Apple Man highly recommends Joan Morgan's Book of Pears which is priced at £45 but can be bought at Amazon for £29.
Click onto Joan Morgan's Book of Pears.Fruit Forum for more details of The Book of Pears.
It is now 4.30pm on Saturday (24th) afternoon and I apologise for the late 'on line' publishing of this weeks English Apple Man Journal.
Next week another book will be reviewed and news of the distribution of this year's show fruit to some very prestigious places, the most prestigious of which was Buckingham Palace.........
Take care
The English Apple Man