I Now Want a Wild Apple

I must begin my post by saying how much respect I have for Thoreau after reading "Wild Apples." Not everyone could write 30 pages about a topic as simple as apples and actually make it fairly interesting to read. I really liked how he broke everything down by time, talking about the differences in the apples depending on the month. I especially liked when he was talking about apples later in the season, in October and November and about how sharp their flavors become.

"To appreciate the wild and sharp flavors of these October fruits, it is necessary that you be breathing the sharp October or November air. The outdoor air and exercise which the walker gets give a different tone to his palate, and he craves a fruit which the sedentary would call harsh and crabbed. They must be eaten in the fields, when your system is all aglow with exercise, when the frosty weather nips your fingers, the wind rattles the bare boughs or rustles the few remaining leaves, and the jay is heard screaming around. What is sour in the house a bracing walk makes sweet. Some of these apples might be labeled, 'To be eaten in the wind.'"

I think my favorite line in that paragraph is "What is sour in the house a bracing walk makes sweet," because it is absolutely true. When I am sitting around my house or my dorm room in early November, if I'm going to get a snack, it is very likely going to be something chocolaty, or salty, or just not-particularly-good-for-you because an apple just wouldn't be as good that time of year. However, when I'm walking around outside, if I pass an apple orchard and find those few apples that are still thriving on their branch, the thought of biting into that peel and tasting those sharp juices sting my tongue would make my mouth water. Maybe it's just me, but there's something about picking an apple off of a tree that is more appetizing than picking one up from the grocery store, no matter what time of year it is.