Apple Day singing, Chepstow Dril Hall 2014

Apple Day is an annual celebration of

apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple fruit tree, trees are agriculture, cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, wh ...

s and

orchard An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit- or nut-producing trees which are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of larg ...

s, held in October. It is celebrated mainly in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. It traditionally falls on 21 October, the date of the first such event in 1990, but events are held throughout the month. It is commonly a weekend event, usually taking place on the Saturday and Sunday closest to 30 October. Apple Day events can be large or small, from apple games in a garden to large village fairs with cookery demonstrations, games, apple identification,

juice Juice is a drink made from the extraction or Cold-pressed juice, pressing of the natural liquid contained in fruit and vegetables. It can also refer to liquids that are flavored with concentrate or other biological food sources, such as meat ...

and

cider Cider ( ) is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented juice of apples. Cider is widely available in the United Kingdom (particularly in the West Country) and the Republic of Ireland. The UK has the world's highest per capita consumption, ...

, gardening advice, and the sale of many hundreds of apple varieties.

History

Apple Day was initiated by Common Ground on 21 October 1990 at an event in

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...

, London, and has been celebrated in each subsequent year. By 2000 the day was celebrated in more than 600 events around the United Kingdom. Common Ground describe the day as a way of celebrating and demonstrating that variety and richness matter to a locality and that it is possible to effect change in your place. Common Ground has used the apple as a symbol of the physical, cultural and genetic diversity we should not let slip away. In linking particular apples with their place of origin, they hope that orchards will be recognized and conserved for their contribution to local distinctiveness, including the rich diversity of wild life they support.

Media

"Apple Day" is the title of a song by UK songwriter Phil Baggaley, formerly of songwriting duo Phil and John, and founder of Gold Records. The song was sung by the Christian gospel group Harbour Lights (no longer extant) on their 2006 album "Leaving Safe Anchorage". The song refers to Apple Day - and likens the converting of old bruised apples into cider to spiritual renewal and invites the listener to participate with the words "Meet me down at Apple Day, come and bring the fruit that's fallen, we'll turn it into something new .." Apple Day is celebrated by the villagers in the radio soap-opera ''

The Archers ''The Archers'' is a BBC radio drama on BBC Radio 4, the corporation's main spoken-word channel. Broadcast since 1951, it was famously billed as "an everyday story of country folk" and is now promoted as "a contemporary drama in a rural settin ...

''.

References

External links

* {{Commonscat-inline
Apple Day, Orchards and Tree Dressing at Common Ground

Cider-related Apple Day events on the ukcider wiki

World Apple Day

Apple Day event list for UK
Public holidays in the United Kingdom October observances Day

History

Media

See also

References

External links