A is for Apple

Initiated by Common Ground in 1990, Apple Day has since been celebrated annually  on 21 October .  It is an annual celebration of apple, orchards and local distinctiveness. 

Costermongers no longer sell apples (costards) in the streets.  Most people can't name more than a few of the 3,000 varieties that have been grown here). Many orchards have become neglected or have been felled.

Celebrate Apple Day!  Here are a few apple facts to give you some ideas:

A is for APPLES - as many as you can buy, beg, borrow or scrump they are central and essential to an Apple Day celebration. 

B is for BEES - essential for pollinating blossom, no bees = no apples.

C is for COMMUNITY ORCHARDS - find your nearest or start your own.

D is for DISPLAYS - Find as many different kinds as possible, ask people to bring in named apples from their garden trees to add to the display.

E is for ESPALIERS – where space is tight, apple trees can be trained against walls.

F is for FOLKLORE - from curing warts to predicting future spouses, there are many customs associated with apples.

G is for GIFTING - purchase an Apple Tree voucher from Wikaniko and a tree will be planted on your behalf in Addis Abbaba, Ethiopia. 

H is for HEALTH - Don’t forget the health benefits of being and working outdoors.

I is for IDENTIFICATION - every year queues of people bring apples in the hope of naming their anonymous garden trees. 

J is for JUICE, there is nothing like watching your apples being turned into freshly pressed juice. 

K is for KITCHENS - ask local chefs and cooks to give demonstrations, organize competitions for the best apple pie, cake or chutney.

L is for LONGEST PEEL - a game easily organized for Apple Day and hotly contested.

M is for MUMMERS PLAYS - groups in Somerset, Stratford on Avon and London perform plays using the names of apples for characters. 

N is for NORTH – not a no-go area for fruit growing, Coul Blush hails from near Inverness. 

O is for ORGANIC  - the best apples haven't been sprayed with chemicals.

P is PICKING –organize a communal picking in your Community Orchard or across the neighbourhood.

Q is for QUIZ - in a pub with cider tasting.

R is for RACES - apple and spoon race anyone?

S is for SCRUMPING - gathering up windfallen apples (with permission of course!)

T is for TREES - help plant 10,000 trees in Africa.  Find out more here.

U is for UNTIDINESS – don’t be tempted to clear all the undergrowth from your orchard - ivy, brambles, nettles, etc. can be excellent habitats for wild life.

V is for VARIETIES - around 2,300 culinary and desert apples plus hundreds of cider varieties have been grown in Britain

W is for WASSAILING - traditionally celebrated on Old Twelfth Night, so start practising now.

X is for XENOPHOBIA – nothing is more 'British' than an apple, right?  Wrong!  Apples hail from the Tien Shan mountain range in Central Asia.

Y is for YEAST - it is what makes apples turn to cider – lots of science to be learnt on Apple Day.

Zzzzzzzz zzzzz zzzzz – now take a rest.