Darren T | Orchard Notes

On the Quiet Joy of Fruit-Bookish Ephemera

Sometimes you find the most fascinating bits and bobs tucked away in second-hand fruit books. Here’s my latest discovery.

This C19th medical man was clearly a big fan of the humble apple and its wealth of health-giving properties.

This historical document provides a fascinating insight into orcharding practises, and apple and pear varieties, of the C17th.

Cider Without Apples? An obvious fraud. You definitely shouldn’t try this C19th recipe. Seriously. Don’t do it.

Here’s a simple recipe for a light, creamy, stewed apple dessert dish, courtesy of a C17th pioneer of French cuisine.

Fine, you can have the pudding! Just stop singing at me. And you have to promise not to come back again tomorrow, okay?

A few snowy and icy days provided an opportunity for some lovely, wintry photos of a rather superb crab apple.

Max’s latest episode takes a look at the tradition of wassailing and shows us how to make one of the classic wassail beverages.

An oven-baked pudding of stewed apple and breadcrumbs? Sounds good to me. This C19th recipe has the details.

Here’s my interpretation of William Hanbury’s C18th suggestion for a spicy, fruit-filled, baked squash. Yum!