The Sussex Peasant: An apple isn’t just an apple
October is when Sussex apples really come into their own, and if your idea of an apple begins and ends with a Granny Smith or a Pink Lady, now is a very good time to branch out, writes Ed Johnstone.
At The Sussex Peasant, we buy our apples from Sussex growers including John at Ringden Farm and Bob at Oast Farm, and at this time of year the choice can be extraordinary.
There are apples that are sharp and crisp, others that are honeyed, nutty or almost pear-like; apples best eaten straight from the tree and others that improve after a little time in store.
One of my favourites is Ashmead’s Kernel, an old English variety dating back to around 1700. It isn’t necessarily the prettiest apple in the basket, but it has firm, crisp flesh and a wonderful sweet-sharp, aromatic flavour.
Then there’s Egremont Russet with its rough golden-brown skin and distinctive nutty taste, and Blenheim Orange, first discovered growing near Blenheim Palace in the eighteenth century. Cox’s Orange Pippin is better known, but there is a reason it has endured: properly ripe, it has far more flavour and complexity than many modern supermarket varieties. And that’s before you get into cooking apples.
The joy of buying from a grower producing several varieties is that the selection changes as autumn progresses. Different apples ripen at different times, so what is best this week may be replaced by something completely different a fortnight later.
They’re worth treating differently in the kitchen too. A sharp cooking apple is hard to beat in a crumble or pie, while some of the firmer eating varieties are excellent sliced into salads with Sussex cheese. Apples also work brilliantly with pork, and if you have too many sitting in the fruit bowl, chutney is one of the easiest ways of making the season last a little longer.
There is a farming story behind all this variety as well. This summer’s heat and drought have been difficult for fruit growers, but different varieties respond differently to challenging weather. Growing a mixture rather than relying on a single crop helps spread both the harvest and the risk.
But perhaps the best argument for keeping these old varieties growing is much simpler: they taste good.
This week marks the beginning of The Sussex Peasant’s Big Autumn Markets, starting at St George’s Church in Kemp Town on 9 October before travelling across Sussex. If you come across an apple you’ve never heard of, ask what it tastes like and give it a try. You may find it rather difficult to go back to buying apples by colour.
Find out more at www.thesussexpeasant.co.uk
Comments