Orchards

The apple is a wonderful symbol of variety and meaning; the orchard a rich example of our cultural landscape.

Together, the apple and the orchard provide a way of expressing both the robustness and the vulnerability of our local landscape and culture. With the loss of an orchard goes the loss of ecological diversity and the loss of knowledge of recipes, songs, customs, wassailing, cider-making. Lost too are the social gatherings for work and pleasure, the sharing of knowledge about the place and the sharing of skills of pruning, grafting and growing. The intricacy of a community and its distinctiveness is diminished if orchards and apple varieties are lost.