North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Spidra Webster <spidra@speakeasy.net>]

The full Herefordshire Apple set is up at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/spidra/sets/72157608841861714/

The Marcher Apple Network (covering Southwest Wales and Herefordshire) has a website at http://www.marcherapple.net  They offer a CD-ROM of issues of the Herefordshire Pomona (1878) which has descriptions and gorgeous color illustrations of the apples and pears of Herefordshire.  It can be ordered via their website.

Gloucestershire has its own group, The Gloucestershire Orchard Group.  http://www.orchard-group.uklinux.net/glos/index.html  It covers more than just apples and pears.

Awareness of heritage apple varieties is growing in the UK.  There were several companies producing single variety apple juices.  "Microbrewery" hard ciders were easy to find.  Perry is also enjoying a renaissance.  I'm not certain if perry is something that ever made it to American shores...  Perry is basically hard cider made from apples.  I tried some while I was there but it wasn't really to my taste.  I'm more a fan of the clearer ciders like Ace.  I'm not a fan of bitter tastes, which I why I don't like beer.

Does anyone know whether perry has a history in the US?

On Nov 3, 2008, at 5:06 AM, Spidra Webster wrote:

I'm still in the UK at the moment, but have finally been reunited with my laptop so I'm catching up on 'net stuff.  My absolute favorite podcast in the world - The Wiggly Wigglers Podcast - did a piece on Herefordshire heritage apple cultivars for the Podcast Episode 155.  I highly recommend the podcast anyway, but this episode should be of special interest to apple geeks.

You can download the podcast (and subscribe to it) via iTunes or you can access the online MP3 archive at: http://wigglywigglers.co.uk/podcasts/

While I was staying with the producers of the podcast earlier in this trip, I attended the Herefordshire Food Festival.  The Marcher Apple Network had a display of at least 100 varieties grown in Herefordshire.  I took as many pictures as I could and those will be uploaded to the CRFG Flickr Pool as soon as I can do that.  I recommend NAFEX and CRFG members getting in touch with this organization, which is doing great work in West Midlands and Wales in tracking down heritage apple varieties.  I bought 2 CD-ROMS they produce and had them shipped to my home.  I look forward to seeing the vintage 19th century color plates of old apple varieties.

I'll follow up with contact info and addresses as soon as I'm back home from my trip and settled down and able to locate the fliers I picked up at the festival.

p.s. I missed the Brogdale Apple Festival, but I'm hoping to travel there before I have to return to the US on the 6th.

Megan Lynch

Berkeley, CA

CRFG, NAFEX: I'm in USDA Zone 9b

Garden with me on Folia: http://myfolia.com/gardener/spidra/invite

Golden Gate Chapter Blog: http://crfggoldengate.blogspot.com/

CRFG Flickr Pool: http://www.flickr.com/groups/crfg/

Chapter Events on Upcoming.org:  http://upcoming.yahoo.com/group/3429/