Island Life Magazine Ltd October/November 2006 | Page 48

Countryside

Contributor Tony Ridd

An apple
a day...

At some time in our lives most of
was commonly mixed with the wild
us will have picked an apple fresh
pear to make cider as long ago as the
from a tree and eaten it. But how
Middle Ages.
did that particular variety come to
It is believed that our domestic
be? Tony Ridd met up with Alison
apples originate from the ancient
and David Harding to find out a
fruit forests of Kazakhstan and
little more about apples, how they
along its borders with China. Over
came to our shores, how many
time seeds have been transported in
varieties there are and how best to
many ways by people, animals and
buy and plant them.
birds. Whole trees where lifted and
The original apple of