Publisher Description

"For all of us who cherish the apple, its utility, its flavors, and its powers of revelation and connection." —Adrian Higgins, garden columnist, The Washington Post The apple is one of the most iconic fruits, traditionally picked on cool fall days and used in pies, crisps, ciders, and more. And there is a vast world of varieties that goes well beyond the common grocery store offerings. With names like American Beauty, Carter's Blue, and Fallawater, and flavors ranging from sweet to tart, this treasure trove of unique apples is ripe for discovery. There is no better guide through this tasty world than Tom Burford, whose family has grown apples in the Blue Ridge Mountains since 1715. His celebratory book Apples of North America is brimming with beautiful portraits of heirloom and modern apples of merit, each accompanied by distinguishing characteristics and common uses. You will also find information on growing apples at home—with specifics on planting, pruning, grafting, and more—and instructions on how to preserve apples through pressing, fermenting, cooking, and drying.

Back Cover

Beyond the predictable grocery store displays is a world of apples few have ever explored. In Apples of North America , fifth-generation apple grower Tom Burford shares portraits of little-known but delicious varieties--from American Beauty to Yellow Bellflower, in flavors sweet to spicy to tart. You'll learn how best to grow apples at home--including planting and pruning--plus ways to preserve harvests through pressing, fermenting, cooking, and drying. Whether as a snack, an ingredient, or a garden addition, the apple is a national treasure. Let this remarkable guide show you new reasons to make it your favorite fruit.

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"A guide for the beginner and a master class for the expert--a great harvest of wisdom." --Roger B. Swain, author and former host of PBS's The Victory Garden Tom Burford, fifth-generation apple grower, shines the spotlight on a selection of impressive but often overlooked North American apples. The captivating photographs will transport you from American Beauty to York--and all the sugary, spicy, sprightly apples in between. You'll learn about varieties brought back from the edge of extinction, the apple Tom calls "the beauty queen of the russet apple world," and a fruit with skin so deeply red that it earned the name Arkansas Black. Written with heartfelt enthusiasm, the diverse stories behind these apples are matched only by their range of shapes and colors, textures and flavors. The book goes below the surface too. Whether you are planting a backyard orchard, experimenting with grafting, or considering a batch of apple butter, the information in the orchard primer will get you started. This start-to-finish celebration of the apple is as important as it is lovely.

Author Biography

Tom Burford was a horticulturist, orchardist, nurseryman and consultant specializing in restoration, re-creation, and design at historic sites (including Monticello) as well as, backyard and commercial orchards and private estates. He was the author of Apples: A Catalog of International Varieties (1991, 1998) and co-author of The Fruit Grafters Handbook (2001). He co-authored the Brooklyn Botanic Garden book The Best Apples to Buy and Grow (2005).

Review

"For all of us who cherish the apple, its utility, its flavors, and its powers of revelation and connection." --Adrian Higgins, garden columnist, The Washington Post "The definitive work on our national fruit." --Peter J. Hatch, gardener, historian, and author of The Fruits and Trees of Monticello "A great harvest of wisdom." --Roger B. Swain, author and former host of PBS's The Victory Garden "A valuable resource for readers wanting to learn more about the fascinating heritage of this most "American" of all fruits." --Library Journal "In Apples of North America, Burford specifies what has always been a mystery to me: which varieties are best for baking, cider, applesauce or apple butter. To enjoy the fruit year-round, there are instructions on pressing, fermenting and drying apples." --The Oregonian "An essential book on how wild apples make a sweet treat for all." --The Monadnock Ledger "This book is sure to convert you to appreciate their beauty and utility in a whole new way." --The Seattle Book Review

Review Quote

"The definitive work on our national fruit." --Peter J. Hatch, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of Monticello "A lovely, browsable work for apple enthusiasts." -- Library Journal "The long-awaited masterwork by America's greatest apple expert, Tom Burford, is an invaluable resource for lovers of flavorful and historic apples." -- Los Angeles Times "A fascinating account of heirloom types." -- Southern Living

Excerpt from Book

An Introduction and Brief History The world of the apple is changing rapidly because food production and the availability of the apple''s life-giving substances are in a state of chaos and unrecognized despair. Yes, this statement is dramatic, but it is real. I am in the misunderstood but enviable position of having experienced a production and richness of the food world that today we are struggling to recapture. I am optimistic, however, that we can again make eating and the ritual of eating a joy for all. This is epitomized by what is happening to the apple. After this somber assessment, I will tell you of my introduction to the table of delight and plenty. It began on a very hot late August day in 1935 when my mother and grandmother set off with a white oak woven basket designated for apple picking that had been woven by a Native American friend. They headed to the nearby orchard to harvest Smokehouse apples, a nineteenth-century Pennsylvania fruit, so named for growing next to a smokehouse, which ripen over a long period in late summer and early fall and are noted for making caramelized and high-flavored frying apples. On arrival my mother exclaimed they must hurry back to the house with no apples for supper. Ten minutes later I entered the world, barely escaping drawing my first earthly breath in the shade of an apple tree. That orchard, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, contained about one hundred varieties and reflected the history of the apple in America. The trees in the orchard included varieties intended for dessert, cooking, cider, drying, applesauce, apple butter, and even livestock food. The apples ripened from June until November and came from storage until the crop was ready the next year. In these isolated mountains with limited communications one became na

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