Harvest – What should you consider?
Depending on the variety and weather conditions, the apple harvest begins in July and lasts until October, and sometimes even November. Pick the apples individually by hand. When ripe, they can be easily removed from the branch using the stem. If you plan to process your apples directly into juice, you can simply shake the fruit from the tree. Apples are generally suitable as snacks, but can also be processed into cakes, compotes, applesauce, jelly, juice, wine, baked apples, or dried fruit. If you plan to store your harvest, make sure the temperature does not fall below 4°C.
Botany – What kind of plant is this?
The apple is a pome fruit from the rose family. Its delicious and healthy fruit is not only a delight to behold, but it is also a true visual highlight, especially during its flowering period. Botanically speaking, it is a deciduous tree that, when freestanding, reaches a height of approximately eight to fifteen meters and develops a spreading crown. The leaves of the apple tree are oval with toothed edges. The five-petaled flowers are borne in clusters on short shoots and shine in a delicate pink with a white background. If fertilization occurs, the carpels are surrounded by the receptacle, leaving only a portion of the style with the stigmas visible. Each carpel contains two ovules, which later develop into seeds.
Cultural history – How did the apple come to us?
As a popular garden inhabitant, the apple has a long cultural history. It dates back 2,000 years; after all, the ancient Romans documented apple cultivation. Countless stories, myths, and legends surround this beloved fruit. It is often said that Eve bit into the fruit of knowledge in the Garden of Eden, which is often depicted as an apple. According to the "Judgment of Paris," an apple is also said to have triggered the Trojan War. Furthermore, it played a role in the invention of Switzerland with William Tell, and ultimately proved the existence of gravity by falling on Isaac Newton's head.
This quickly raises the question of where this wonder fruit actually comes from. Researchers suspect that apples were already growing in what is now Kazakhstan around 10,000 years ago. Even though they had little in common with our juicy fruits of today, people began to trade them. Thus, the first apples reached the Black Sea via the same trade routes as silk and spices. There, first the Greeks and later the Romans began to cultivate them deliberately and make them more palatable.
