The Ghost Orchard

by Helen Humphreys

  The morning was beautifully still, the only sound the lilt of birdsong and the rhythmic tap of the horse’s hooves on the hard earth of the lane. Sir Godfrey was in the last stages of the long journey from Normandy, where he had left his dead ruler, King Richard, and was now on his way to present himself to Richard’s brother, the newly minted King John.

  King Richard had been a knight also, and he and Godfrey had fought in the Crusades together, so it was with a heavy heart that Godfrey was returning to Britain. He was not eager to meet or serve King John, so he was not hurrying along the road. In fact, he was letting his horse do whatever it wanted—walk slowly, stop when it saw a tasty clump of grass, rub its flanks against a tree trunk to satisfy an itch. Sir Godfrey and the horse had been through many battles together. They were often of one mind.

  As he and the horse rounded a bend, Godfrey saw another knight and another horse ahead of him in the lane. This knight also had his helmet off, and he was not riding his horse but walking beside it.

  “Hail!” called Godfrey as he rode up alongside the other man.

  The knight turned in the road, and Godfrey saw that it was his friend Nicholas. This was astonishing to him for many reasons, but mostly because he had believed his friend to be dead.

  “Nicholas!” he cried. “I thought you were killed at Courcelles! Sir Ralf saw your head upon a spike on the castle wall.”

  “That,” said Nicholas, “was Adelard. But you’re the second knight to have mistaken us. I don’t think I look at all like Adelard. His eyes are much closer together, and his hair is the colour of mouldy straw.”

  “I mourned you,” said Godfrey, dismounting stiffly to walk beside his friend. His back was still bothering him. It must have been from that twist in full armour to avoid the Frenchman’s lance. Curse him! “I shed tears and drank myself senseless, vowed to name my next child after you.”

  “Did you really?” Nicholas draped an arm around his friend’s shoulders. “I am moved by your sentiment.”

  “Well, perhaps it’s not all true,” admitted Godfrey. “I did drink myself senseless, however. And I did truly lament your death. Why are you walking, not riding?”

  “My horse is lame. He has a burdock lodged under his hoof. And he needs watering. I was looking for a spot to stop and tend to him.”

  “You’re not racing back to Windsor either, then,” said Godfrey. “The young knights are probably already there, jousting for favour with the new king.”

  “I’m weary of the young knights,” said Nicholas. “They confuse recklessness with courage. Every word from their mouths is a boast or a challenge. In their tales, they are so heroic, always so bloody heroic. And they insist on the very latest equipment, as though that is better than experience.”

  “I’ve heard that Bartholomew even travels with his own blacksmith,” said Godfrey.

  “The arrogance!” exclaimed Nicholas. “But I’m down a gauntlet and my left couter has rusted out and it’s hard to move my elbow and my horse lost his breastplate at Gisors. So I might envy him the blacksmith a little.”

  “Probably easier on the horse not to be carrying all that weight if he’s lame.”

  Godfrey saw a pleasing twist of water over a spill of rocks. “There’s a beck up ahead. Let’s stop there.”

  The knights let their horses drink their fill. Then Godfrey held the head of Nicholas’s horse while his friend removed the thistle spur from under its hoof. It was hot by the stream, which rested in the shelter of low-lying hills, and there was no stir of breeze in the valley. The possibility of encountering an enemy here seemed remote.

  “I’m going to take off my armour,” said Godfrey. “My back hurts, and I would dearly like to wash. It’s been weeks since I have seen my own flesh.”

  “I suppose if we keep our swords to the ready.” Nicholas was slightly less convinced.

  They slowly removed their tunics and chain mail, then pulled the tight-fitting doublets over their heads until they were in their linen underclothes. They removed these last garments at the edge of the stream and splashed through the water like boys. The clear sky and the heat of the sun made it seem like midsummer, but the coldness of the stream told the truth of the season, that it was the middle of autumn.

  Washing was brief.

  Godfrey and Nicholas dressed again in their underclothes and sat with their backs against a tree, warming up in the sun and delaying the moment when they had to once again don their weighty chain mail.

  “Does your sword get heavier every year?” asked Godfrey, putting his hands behind his head and closing his eyes in the strong sunshine.

  “Worse than the weakness is the tiredness,” said Nicholas. “I could happily sleep from midday right through to the next morning. And that is not even on a day with a battle in it.”

  “Perhaps the new king won’t want us,” said Godfrey. He opened his eyes and saw, above his head, hundreds of small yellow suns—a whole tree full of yellow apples. He reached for his sword and used it to knock several from the branches, so that they fell near enough for him to grab.

  “We could take our leave,” said Nicholas. “We both have land, families who love us. Estates to govern.”

  “You should taste this,” said Godfrey, offering one of the apples to his friend.

  “But sometimes the new kings want the old knights to remain. And we could always be called back into service, even if we did leave.” Nicholas took the apple but didn’t bite into it.

  The horses heard the crunch of an apple being eaten and ambled towards the men and the tree. Godfrey knocked some more of the yellow fruit down for them. Some of the apples had a faint blush on one side—the side nearest to the sun, perhaps.

  “The trouble with farming,” said Nicholas, “is that it seems appealing in the midst of battle, but it might prove tedious in practice.”

  “Taste the apple,” said Godfrey. “I’ve already eaten two. There’s a sweetness to the flesh that is heavenly.”

  “And one’s family is more dear when distant, I fear. The last time I was with my wife, we had a terrible argument about her stew. I don’t think we have made peace even now.”

  “Nicholas! Just eat the apple.”

  His friend at last took a bite of the yellow fruit.

  “What do you think?” asked Godfrey.

  “Delicious.”

  “Honey or nectar?”

  Nicholas took another bite, considered for a moment. “Pear,” he said. “I think the taste is pear. What an extraordinary thing to eat an apple that tastes like a pear.”

  “It’s an extraordinary day, isn’t it?” said Godfrey. “You have returned from the dead. We have bathed and rested and dined on an apple sweeter than any we have tasted before. We are fortunate men.”

  “None more so,” agreed Nicholas, tossing his apple core towards the stream and watching it arc over the horses. “Let us stay here all day, my friend. We can ride to Windsor tomorrow. No one will miss us if we delay our arrival by one day.”

  “Daring,” said Godfrey.

  “Sadly, I’m more daring at rest than in battle,” said Nicholas. “Pass me another of those apples, will you?”

  They munched in silence for a few moments. The sun and the quiet were making Godfrey drowsy. He shook his head to clear it, but in another minute, it was sinking towards his chest again.

  “If I had a short nap,” he said, “would you watch over us?”

  “Of course.” Nicholas laid his sword across his knees and reached for another apple. “This fruit is a visitation from the divine. Do you remember that story about those souls who are conceived in orchards, and how their breath is always sweet, and that is how they recognize each other—from the apple scent on their breath? Did you ever hear that story, Godfrey? It is one of my favourites. I often think about it. Do you know it? I feel that we might have been conceived in an orchard.”

  He turned to his friend, but Godfrey was asleep, his head lolling on his chest, one hand still holding tightly to a
yellow apple.

  A GLOSSARY of LOST APPLES

  The following is a selected glossary of apples that used to exist in North America but are now extinct. I have tried to choose those whose names will convey some history and tell something of both the apple and the person who named it.

  I have listed, where it was known, the first date when a particular apple was mentioned in a nursery catalogue. This is not the date of origin but merely the date of first documentation for commercial purposes. Also, apples are described in particular, standardized ways, which is why the wording in my entries is repetitive. And finally, early season means the summer months, midseason is September to mid-October, late season is mid- October to mid-November, and very late season is anything after the middle of November. Winter apples can ripen anywhere from December to April.

  The number of apples in North America was once vast and practically unknowable. New varieties were discovered or invented all the time. This list is but a sampling of what existed. It is a glimpse of some of the more interesting, unusual, common-sense or puzzling varieties. It is a very small piece of a whole that is lost to us now, and for which I mourn.

  Where possible, I have highlighted the apple varieties of First Nations or Canadian origin.

  Adam and Eve: A medium yellow Ontario apple from 1890 with red stripes and juicy, tender yellow-and-white flesh of good quality. The apple was late season and the fruit was often “doubles,” meaning two apples were commonly fused together as one.

  Agathe: A late-season apple, originally from Holland, with an oblong to conical shape and of medium to large size. The Agathe had red skin with tender and juicy yellow-and-white flesh.

  Anglo-American: An Ontario apple from 1854 of medium size with an oblate shape and yellow skin with red stripes. The flesh was white, tender and juicy, with very good flavour. It was a midseason apple, and the tree was hardy and productive.

  Anti-Know-Nothing: All that is known of this apple is that it was from 1856 and is listed in the horticulture catalogue as being “Of Political Significance.” It was probably named in defiance of the Know-Nothing Party, a US political party founded in 1849, whose members were opposed to Catholics and immigrants.

  Arnold’s Cheese: A summer apple listed in a Virginia nursery catalogue in 1894.

  Aunt Hannah: A ribbed, oblong apple of medium to large size from Massachusetts. The skin was yellow with russet patches, and the flesh was fine and yellow with a mild sub-acid flavour. The apple was late season.

  Bachelor Blush: A New Jersey apple from 1864 that was large and oblong. A yellow apple, it had a blush on one side. The white flesh was tender, crisp and juicy, and the quality was very good. It was an early to midseason apple.

  Batingme: Listed in an 1897 catalogue from Kentucky, this apple was described as “the largest we have ever seen.”1 It was a bright red apple with white flesh that ripened towards the end of July.

  Bird Seedling: Found in a 1916 catalogue from Arkansas, this apple had no description attached to the provocative name.

  Black Michigan: A Canadian apple of medium size with an oblate shape. It was a red-striped apple and was late season.

  Bloomless and Coreless: Described as a “curiosity only,” this apple was from Virginia and had yellow, green and red skin. The quality of the apple was good, and it ripened late season.

  British Columbia: A medium to large Canadian apple with yellow skin and russet patches. It was late season and the quality was described as very good.

  Bushwhacker: A round to conical apple from New Jersey of large size and with yellow skin. The apple was of good quality and ripened very late in the season.

  Byson: An English russet apple of small to medium size with a crisp and juicy greenish flesh. A dessert apple of good quality, it was ready late season. Also known as Byson’s Wood and Byson’s Wood Russet.

  Calumet: A Quebec apple from 1893 that was described as both round and oblong, and of both medium and large size. It was a greenish-yellow apple with red stripes and fine, juicy white flesh. It was of good quality and was ripe in late season.

  Catface: A large Kentucky late-season apple of oblong to conical shape with red-striped, greenish-yellow tender flesh. Described as a good-quality apple with brisk sub-acid flavour.

  Cherokee: Also called the Cherokee Red, this very large red apple from the American South had somewhat dry, yellow flesh. It ripened very late. It was listed in gardening catalogues around the mid-nineteenth century.

  Chester: A white apple with a yellow blush from Pennsylvania. It had tender and juicy white flesh with a pleasant taste and was medium-sized and of oblong shape. It was a midseason apple.

  Cons: Another white apple, this one had red stripes and came from Pennsylvania. The white flesh was tender and juicy, and the quality was good to very good. It was listed as a dessert apple.

  Craven’s Winter: A small yellow apple with russet patches from Kentucky. It was mentioned in nursery catalogues in 1870. The flavour was described as sweet and good.

  Delaware Bottom: A Maryland apple from before 1868 that was primarily used for cooking. It was oblate in shape, with yellow skin with a blush, and was late ripening.

  Democrat: A New York apple from 1853, medium to large in size and round in shape. It was listed as white, yellow, red and crimson in colour, and had tender and juicy white-stained flesh. The quality was very good, and it was a late-season apple.

  Dobbin’s Everbearing: A striped South Carolina apple from 1878, medium to large in size. It was ripe from the beginning of May to the beginning of August.

  Dumpling: Also known as Crooked Limb, Crooked Limb Pippin, French Pippin, Watrous Dumpling and Watson’s Dumpling, this Belgian apple from 1853 was oblate and very large. It was yellow with red stripes and had tender yellow-white flesh. It was a late apple.

  Durable: Also known as Durable Keeper, this large, round red-striped apple from Indiana was listed in the nursery catalogues in 1861. It was of good quality and ripened very late in the season.

  Eardrop: Also known as Ladies’ Ear Drop, this was an oblong yellow apple from New York with a blush. Medium in size, it had good flavour and ripened late in the season. Described as “a beautiful lemon yellow, with a brilliant scarlet cheek,” and as “an ornamental fruit for the table . . . not surpassed in beauty of appearance.”2

  Early Breakfast: A large, red-striped Indiana apple, listed in the catalogues in 1891, this variety had an oblate shape and tender flesh, and was of very good quality. As the name implies, it was an early season apple.

  Edith: A Canadian apple of medium to large size, listed in 1886, it was yellow with red stripes and fine yellow flesh, and was used as a kitchen and dessert apple.

  Enormous: A Russian apple from Vermont in 1879 that was very large and had red-striped flesh. It ripened midseason and it was noted for its poor-quality fruit.

  Eureka: A Wisconsin apple from 1900, round to oblate and large in size. It was pale yellow with red and scarlet on its skin, and it had fine, mild and juicy white flesh that was sweet and very good in flavour. It ripened very late in the season.

  Fail-Never: Also known as Fail-Me-Never and Neverfail, this Scottish apple was oblate in shape and medium to large in size. It had dark red skin with a sweet taste and was of good quality. It was used as a kitchen apple and ripened late.

  Ferris Wheel: An oblate to conical, medium-sized apple from Iowa that was listed in catalogues in 1876. It was yellow-skinned with crimson patches, and had white, sweet flesh of good quality. It was a midseason apple.

  Fisher: A very large apple from 1852 with a very late season, it was described as “a handsome long keeper.”3

  Frazier’s Hard Skin: An apple from Greensboro, North Carolina, that was listed in the nursery catalogues there from 1893 to 1895.

  Frogmore: Also known as Frogmore Nonpareil and Frogmore Prolific, this was a large green apple with blush and fine, crisp and juicy white flesh. A kitchen apple, it had an early to mid-autumn ripening season.

  Fro
nt Door: A West Virginia apple with an oblate shape and of medium to large size. It was a yellow apple with red stripes and tender, juicy white flesh. The quality was described as good, and it was primarily used as a dessert apple. The ripening season was early to mid-autumn.

  Glass: A Russian apple, listed in the catalogues in 1886, it was oblong to oblate in shape, with a yellow blushed skin. The flesh was fine and white, and the quality was very good.

  Goff: This apple from Ohio was listed in 1856. It was medium to large in size, oblate in shape and pure white in colour. The flesh was fine and tender and also white, and the taste was brisk and sub-acid. It was a kitchen and market apple, and ripened in early to midseason.

  Golden Wilding: Used by Thomas Jefferson in his Monticello orchard to make cider in 1796, this round to oblate apple with gold skin had a profusion of brown dots on it. The flesh was yellow and fine, and the apple ripened as late as December.

  Gooseberry: A large apple from England, with a round to conical shape. The skin was green with a yellow blush, and it had yellow flesh that was crisp, tender and juicy. The quality was good, and the apple was used as a kitchen apple and ripened in late season.

  Granny Spice: A medium round apple with yellow skin that was listed in 1845. It had very good sub-acid flavour and ripened early.

  Great Bearer: A Pennsylvania apple listed in 1894, with an oblate to conical shape and yellow skin with red stripes. The yellow flesh had a texture that was fine, tender and juicy, and a good flavour that was mild sub-acid. The apple was a late-season market and cider apple.

  Great Keeper: An oblate russet apple with a sub-acid flavour and a very late ripening time.

  Great Unknown: An apple that was brought forward by Silas McDowell of North Carolina in the middle to late 1800s. It was named the Great Unknown because he didn’t know where it had come from or who gave it to him. It was a large, round to oblate yellow apple with red marbling. The yellow flesh was very tender, and the apple ripened in midseason.

  Guerin: A Quebec apple listed in 1896, it was large and had greenish-yellow skin with red stripes. The white flesh was fine and juicy, and the quality was very good. It ripened midseason.