Golden Apples

The golden apple
An idea as old as golden fleece.

THE GOLDEN BIRDA certain king had a beautiful garden, and in the garden stood a tree which bore golden apples. These apples were always counted, and about the time when they began to grow ripe it was found that every night one of them was gone. The king became very angry at this, and ordered the gardener to keep watch all night under the tree. The gardener set his eldest son to watch; but about twelve o'clock he fell asleep, andin the morning another of the apples was missing. Then the second son was ordered to watch; and at midnight he too fell asleep, and in the morning another apple was gone.

Then the third son offered to keepwatch; but the gardener at first would not let him, for fear some harm should come to him: however, at last he consented, and the young man laid himself under the tree to watch. As the clock struck twelve he heard a rustling noise in the air, and a bird came flying that was of pure gold; and as it was snapping at one of the apples with its beak,the gardener's son jumped up and shot an arrow at it. But the arrow did the bird no harm; only it dropped a golden feather from its tail,and then flew away. The golden feather was brought to the king in the morning, and all the council was called together. Everyone agreed thatit was worth more than all the wealth of the kingdom: but the king said, 'One feather is of no use to me, I must have the whole bird.' ...

It's another work of the Grimm Brothers. Please download and read. More wonderment from Project Gutenberg.
http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/2591

golden apple jpgs are from the talented Jeff McFall http://www.jeffmcfall.com/
and Luis Sanchez http://luissanchezgallery.com/

Proverbs 25:11

Most christian sects inturpret this line as yet more approval of crusading evangelical behavior. I see it more as a precursor to the golden rule. Fitly spoken... dont be a rude-ass basicly.

Proverbs 25:11"a word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver" This is another image of the apple as beauty, perhaps the earliest of golden apple references. If you tend to agree with my inturrpretation then you would see a similarity in Prov. 16:24, "Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones"

there are a couple different translations of the line... pictures instead of settings etc. but the hebrew is so terribly clear...

dabar -word/a word/speak/spoke
'owphan -fitly/aptly/correctly
dabar -word/a word/speak/spoke
'ophen -Kethiv inferred (like)
tappuwach -apples
zahab -of gold/from gold
maskiyth -in pictures /images
keceph -of silver


the notation 'ophen is inferred by the scribe because he is copying a bad copy. The preposition in the line is lost and inferred by a hebrew scribe named Kethiv. In the end the only certain word in the whole passage is apples...

A Poisonous Apple

When she heard the glass speak thus she trembled and shook with rage.
"Snow White shall die," she cried, "even if it costs me my life."
Thereupon she went into a quite secret, lonely room, where no one ever came, and there she made a very poisonous apple. Outside it looked pretty, white with a red cheek, so that everyone who saw it longed for it, but whoever ate a piece of it must surely die.

Apple symbolism in literature is neigh-endless. In the Classic Grimm Brothers Tale "snow white" here it behaves as in a lyric-poem as the anthesis of snow white. Noice it is "white with a red cheek" much like Ms. white herself.

Snow White put her head out of the window and said, "I cannot let anyone in, the seven dwarfs have forbidden me."
"It is all the same to me," answered the woman, "I shall soon get rid of my apples. There, I will give you one."
"No," said Snow White, "I dare not take anything."
"Are you afraid of poison?" said the old woman, "look, I will cut the apple in two pieces, you eat the red cheek, and I will eat the white."
The apple was so cunningly made that only the red cheek was poisoned. Snow White longed for the fine apple, and when she saw that the woman ate part of it she could resist no longer, and stretched out her hand and took the poisonous half. But hardly had she a bit of it in her mouth than she fell down dead.

The evil apple itself is polarized like mankind, one good side and one bad. It's the division which appears in a hundred hollowood movies afterward. Anti-heroes, sympathy-evoking villans... all shades of gray.

original story here: http://www.fln.vcu.edu/grimm/schneeeng.html

the complete grimm fairy tales is available for free public domain download at project gutenberg. I can not possibly say enough good things about those good people there.
http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/2591
http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/5314

The Black Apple

Once only a thing of myth like melvilles black spot, just a literary harbinger of death. The term probably originates in the diseases of the apple, common among them was "black rot" Botryoshaeria obtusa a common fruit infection.

This is the Arkansas black apple a pest resistant, large apple that while very dark is not actually black. A little info here: http://parallel.park.org/Radio/Fair/Apples/

The Black Apple Tree grows no apples and is not indegenous to the temperate zones where true apples even grow. It grows in sub-tropical, littoral and dry rainforests. The order of Planchonella australis sapotacae is a tree that will grow to 28 metres in height, with a fluted trunk. This tree produces a small apple-sized fruit, which is eaten by rainforest mammals. The leathery leaves are dark green and glossy on both surfaces. The leaf blade is widest near the blunt point of leaf, and gradually tapers towards the base. A milky latex is obvious when a leaf is broken from a branch. Black Apple flowers around summer, at this time small white flowers bloom. It is edible, but not good.

There is an old receipie for Black apple tea, but this is non-toxic and merely dried:
1 sweet, crisp apple, such as Fuji or Gala
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons confectioners' sugar1/2 cup loose black tea
15 whole cloves

1. Dry the apple slices: Preheat oven to 200° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Fill a medium bowl with ice, water, and lemon juice and set aside. Slice the apple into 1/16-inch-thick slices and let soak in the water bath for 5 minutes. Place apple slices on prepared baking sheet, sprinkle with sugar, and bake until crisp and dry -- about 90 minutes.

2. Mix the tea: Combine the tea, cloves, and apples in a small bowl, transfer to an airtight container, and store for up to 6 months.

Fruit of the week blog.

go here: http://www.theperfectworld.us/thread.php?id=2066

A pleasant discourse among friends about their other friend, the apple.


Lila Jones -- Monday, September 26, 2005 -- 09:52:29 AM -- 23 of 93
Now with feathers.
I vote fruit of the week should be apples. Let the great varietal debate begin!

Sabine -- Monday, September 26, 2005 -- 10:00:26 AM -- 24 of 93
Nutrax for Nerves
I just smashed a few apples with the lawn mower. They were boskoops.


Lila Jones -- Monday, September 26, 2005 -- 10:12:14 AM -- 25 of 93
Now with feathers.
Whahhh? I've never heard of that kind.
Does that mean you have your own apple tree, or were they neighboring apples?
There is an apple tree on my route to the subway, and it is getting very tempting to sneak in to the garden and grab some. /Eve

Sabine -- Monday, September 26, 2005 -- 10:22:35 AM -- 26 of 93
Nutrax for Nerves
Lila, I have this suspicion that apple varieties have very different names in different countries. If they happen to be the same varieties, that is. Who wants to eat the globalized varieties, anyway? Boskoop is the prime cooking apple here - very tart, very firm and crisp. I will really need to post a recipe for apple strudel now.
My favourite widely available apple has in recent years been Topaz. My greengrocer says it's an old variety that has come into its own in organic orchards, as it's very resistant to most fungi. Here's a picture:
I eat about 2 pounds of those a week. They are truly excellent apples. However, I still pine for the Kaiser Wilhelm apples my grandparents used to have. The trees don't lend themselves to modern fruit harvesting, as they are invariably very large, so we don't get to buy them here except on farmers' markets, but oh! the delicious tartness!
edit: Lila, those were apples from the neighbour's vast tree.

Lila Jones -- Monday, September 26, 2005 -- 11:23:45 AM -- 27 of 93
Now with feathers.
I like the highlight. I actually do eat an apple a day, and sometimes have to restrain myself from eating two. The Topaz look nice, and sort of similar to Jonathans.
Braeburns are my standby eating apple, but the Galas have been good lately, and Granny Smiths are a nice fallback since they're reliably crisp. We're going to be driving through Vermont this fall, and I really want to stop at an orchard to pick up some fresh apples and cider.

dissonance -- Monday, September 26, 2005 -- 11:29:14 AM -- 28 of 93
"Dave, haven't you ever heard the expression when life gives you lemons, make lemonade, and then throw it in the face of the person who gave you the lemons until they give you the oranges you originally asked for?"
I made an apple crisp yesterday with MacIntoshs that was quite yummy. I may make another one today.
If the weather is nice this weekend, we'll probably go out to one of the local apple farms and go apple picking. Then make applesauce.

rtb -- Monday, September 26, 2005 -- 12:31:32 PM -- 29 of 93
live from new york!
The Botany of Desire has a very interesting section on apples, Johnny Appleseed, and how different varietals made it or didn't. Apparently there's an orchard in upstate New York with thousands of nearly extinct heirloom trees, all different kinds, many practically inedible.

duck -- Monday, September 26, 2005 -- 06:35:17 PM -- 30 of 93
ambition without intellect is really all you need, Kate Carmichael
Years ago, I found an old abandoned apple tree, quite a small one, in the corner of two fields next to a road in Fall City, WA. I was a poor grad student, and I used to go collect them to make apple sauce. They were almost woody in texture, inedible without cooking, but great cooked. They were almost brown, almost like large medlars as I remember.

J-Ro -- Monday, September 26, 2005 -- 06:40:59 PM -- 31 of 93
It will all be OK in the end. If it isn't OK, it isn't the end.
Russets.

Wilma Flintstone -- Monday, September 26, 2005 -- 08:02:25 PM -- 32 of 93
I'm on my second batch of apple butter with apples from my mom's tree. I make it in the crock pot.

TAFKA -- Monday, September 26, 2005 -- 08:26:54 PM -- 33 of 93
If life gives you lemons, make lemonade--and then try to find someone whose life has given them vodka.--Ron White
Who wants to eat the globalized varieties, anyway?
Southerners who, before the advent of globalization, were stuck with way too many so-called Red Delicious apples.

Marya -- Monday, September 26, 2005 -- 09:03:36 PM -- 34 of 93
You are the Proust of TPW, and we all prefer J.K. Rowling. -j. ross
I made an apple pie yesterday. With Granny Smiths, because the Gravensteins I bought AT AN ORCHARD were sow wretched and spotty and mealy they weren't worth eating. Sheesh.

Scarface Claw -- Monday, September 26, 2005 -- 11:18:36 PM -- 35 of 93
Loads of class and all of it third.
I thought there were local varieties too but my faves are all thes ones Lila mentioned. Pink Lady is my apple of choice but aren't Grannies supposed to be best for cooking?
I'm planning make apple turnovers this week so the conversation is timely.

GregD -- Monday, September 26, 2005 -- 11:55:29 PM -- 36 of 93
The world must be made safe for democracy. Its peace must be planted upon the tested foundations of political liberty. We have no selfish ends to serve. We desire no conquest, no dominion. I find pink lady far too sweet. Like candy.

Scarface Claw -- Monday, September 26, 2005 -- 11:56:43 PM -- 37 of 93
Loads of class and all of it third.
Good for a healthy fix if you want something sweet though. And very nice with natural yogurt.

Sabine -- Tuesday, September 27, 2005 -- 12:26:14 AM -- 38 of 93
Nutrax for Nerves Of course we now need all sorts of apple pie recipes.

Eileen_Kramer -- Tuesday, September 27, 2005 -- 01:09:03 AM -- 39 of 93
My favorite dessert apple is the Empire and my favorite all purpose apple (cooking and eating) is the Cortland. I think coming from New York State has a lot to do with my preferences. Eastern apples have a certain flavor that Western varieties don't. I've tried Pink Ladies and they are excellent, but Empires still beat them, I think.

Jillian PlicPlic -- Tuesday, September 27, 2005 -- 01:38:47 AM -- 40 of 93
So round/So profound/So great/To contemplate
I love Pink Ladies. The worst apples in the world, though, are the damn ones growing in my backyard, speckled with apple scab and falling all over my yard so that I will have to pick them all up...

Atheist Apple Crisp

A joke, or mostly a joke but their resipie for atheist apple crisp is oddly traditional and pleasant.
The handsomely-produced and lavishly-illustrated 162-page cookbook, a fundraiser for the Freedom From Religion Foundation, is available directly from FFRF, Inc., PO Box 750, Madison WI 53701 USA, for US $15 plus $2.50 postage and handling (Wis. residents add 83-cents tax).

I post my own here.
Slice 6 large apples. Selection of apples is crucial. These must be firm baking apples granny smith, mutsu, pink lady, etc. Which apples you select will change everything.

Arrange sliced apples in greased 11x7x2 baking pan. Pour 1 cup of apple juice over apples. Sprinkle with cinnamon and raisins if desired. I do not desire rasins personally.

Cut together 3/4 cup flour and 8 tablespoones butter [margarine is for sissys] until crumbly. Spread this mixture over apples. 1/4 tsp. ground allspice, 3/4 cup oatmeal, 1/2 cup brown sugar... I have also tried to substitute REAL maple syrup to some success though the texture goes awry.

Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes, or until apples are tender and crust is crisp and lightly browned.