Sin, cider and apple crumble... the 10,000-year story of the world's most tempting fruit. The Apple: A Delicious History takes the reader on an extraordinary journey, from the apple's prehistoric beginnings in the Tian Shan mountains of Kazakhstan to the explosion of commercial apple-growing in twenty-first-century China. Zigzagging across the centuries and straddling the globe, Sally Coulthard explores how the apple travelled along the Silk Road from Central Asia to Europe, appearing as an erotically charged symbol in Greek myth and poetry and even featuring in the shopping list of a senior Roman officer stationed on Hadrian's Wall. She samples the cider that flowed from the emperor. Charlemagne's orchards in the early Middle Ages, and relishes the crispness of the yellow sweeting, the first new apple variety to be cultivated in seventeenth-century America. And she discovers why, despite the existence of more than 7500 varieties of apple – from the ubiquitous Granny Smith to the purple-skinned Black Diamond of Tibet – only a handful of cultivars are available in modern supermarkets. Amplified by mouth-wateringly appley recipes and the stories behind them, The Apple: A Delicious History embraces not only culinary, horticultural, social and commercial history but also age-old traditions in mythology, folklore and religion. It is the perfect gift book for gardeners and nature lovers – and for anyone who enjoys a drop of cider or a slice of apple pie.

Based on real events, this is the story of how the Golden Delicious apple came to be. Owners of a nursery in Missouri were looking for the perfect apple. It would be sweet and juicy. In the spring of 1914, they were astonished to taste just that apple.

“Pollan shines a light on our own nature as well as on our implication in the natural world.” —The New York Times “A wry, informed pastoral.” —The New Yorker The book that helped make Michael Pollan, the New York Times bestselling author of How to Change Your Mind, Cooked and The Omnivore’s Dilemma, one of the most trusted food experts in America Every schoolchild learns about the mutually beneficial dance of honeybees and flowers: The bee collects nectar and pollen to make honey and, in the process, spreads the flowers’ genes far and wide. In The Botany of Desire, Michael Pollan ingeniously demonstrates how people and domesticated plants have formed a similarly reciprocal relationship. He masterfully links four fundamental human desires—sweetness, beauty, intoxication, and control—with the plants that satisfy them: the apple, the tulip, marijuana, and the potato. In telling the stories of four familiar species, Pollan illustrates how the plants have evolved to satisfy humankind’s most basic yearnings. And just as we’ve benefited from these plants, we have also done well by them. So who is really domesticating whom?

Ninety North American apples, described in words and identified in the author's beautiful and precise watercolors. In this charming and informative book, Roger Yepsen explores the world of apples throughout history and in the present. Each featured apple is remarkably distinctive in taste, texture, aroma, and appearance. They range from the unusual, like the Knobbed Russet and Hubbardston Nonesuch, to apples everyone has tasted such as Red Delicious and Granny Smith. Also included are recipes for making everything from apple leather to apple brandy, as well as pies, sauces, ciders, and wines; sources for ordering apples, trees, cider, wine, or supplies; and tips on creating and growing new varieties.

"When you open 'The Apple Lover's Cookbook', you will be surprised to find a guide to 59 popular varieties of apples. Each apple has its own complete biography with entries for origin, best use, availability, season, appearance, taste, and texture, and is accompanied by a color picture. Amy Traverso organizes these 59 apples into four categories -- firm-tart, tender-tart, firm-sweet, and tender-sweet -- and includes a one-page cheat sheet that you can refer to when making any of her recipes. One hundred scrumptious, easy-to-make recipes follow, offering the full range from appetizers, salads, soups, and entrees all the way to desserts. As bonuses, 'The Apple Lover's Cookbook' contains step-by-step color photographs of how to core and peel an apple, detailed notes on how to tell if an apple is fresh, and information about the best times and places to buy apples across the United States. In the introductions to each chapter, Amy takes you around the country to meet farmers, cider makers, and apple enthusiasts. At the end of the book you'll find her extensive list of the best apple products, apple sources, and apple festivals, making it easy to seek out and visit local orchards , whether you live in Vermont or California."--

“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.

Presents a recipe-complemented celebration of America's apple renaissance that explores 120 of the fruit's considerable varieties, including the Black Oxford, the Knobbed Russet, and the D'Arcy Spice.