I really enjoyed reading Thoreau’s Wild Apples. I like how it make me think about my personal relationship with apples and eating them in the fall. One of my favorite quotes that I related to the most was “To appreciate the wild and sharp flavors of these October fruits, it is necessary that you be breathing the sharp October or November air” (pg. 321). I liked this quote, first of all because I like how Thoreau described the October and November air as being sharp because that is exactly how it is in New England in the fall; sharp and crisp. I also enjoy this quote because it reminds me of own experiences with eating apples in the fall compared to other months. I eat so many fresh apples in the fall from orchards, because that is when they are the best, opposed to purchasing them in the winter from a grocery store.
When reading this, I took a special notice at the different section headings. They read: The History of the Apple Tree, The Wild Apple Tree, The Crab, How The Wild Apple Grows, Their Beauty and so on. I noticed this titles because they reminded me of Emerson’s Nature Address and the different categories he broke he address up in. In Wild Apples, Thoreau talks ver much about the wild apple and it’s interactions with nature, growing and the effects the different seasons have on it. This idea also reminded me a lot of Emerson’s Nature Address and his ideas about nature. Over all, I enjoyed this reading and love how it got me to think how I react with an apple; a simple form of nature.
I agree that Thoreau pretty much hits it spot on. I only crave to go apple picking in the fall. Of course, this is harvest for apples, but I never find myself saying, "Oh, I wish i could go apple picking right now!" in March or July. There are other activities to delve into then. It's kind of cool to think about apples and apple trees in this way; they exist all year long, but are only fruitful a few weeks out of the year. I also like Thoreau's idea that he states here, "But it is remarkable that the wild apple, which I praise as so spirited and racy when eaten in the fields or woods, being brought into the house has frequently a harsh and crabbed taste. The Saunterer's Apple not even the saunterer can eat in the house. The palate rejects it there, as it does haws and acorns, and demands a tamed one; for there you miss the November air, which is the sauce it is to be eaten with" (311). I have to agree - there's nothing like eating an apple in its natural state in the midst of the sharp November air.
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