Apples are good for you!

We are extolling the virtues of apples during our Autumn Open Week this week (September 19 until 25) and will be giving details of why they are not only good to grow but also represent an essential part of a healthy diet.

While researching for the event we discovered that there has been a great deal of scientific research about why apples are so good to eat. For example, we have found out that they are good for your lungs and heart. This gives credence to the old rhyme ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away!’

Medical experts say that apples contain high levels of an antioxidant flavonoid called quercetin which is also found abundantly in onions, tea and red wine, and may be important in protecting the lungs from the harmful effects of atmospheric pollutants and cigarette smoke.

Compounds in apples and apple juice called phytonutrients act in much the same way that red wine and tea does to delay the breakdown of LDL or ‘bad’ cholesterol. This delay is good for a healthy heart.

Our Autumn Open Week will include free tips from our in-house experts on how to get the best produce from all fruit bushes, canes and trees not just apples.

This is a perfect event for anyone who wants to learn more about selecting, growing and harvesting fruit. Even if you have a small garden there may still be room for some special varieties that are suitable for bijou spaces.

We’ll also hopefully take the mystery out of pruning and offer advice on how to keep your fruit trees free from pests and diseases, together with providing help on how to choose apples, pears and soft fruit including strawberries, raspberries and blackcurrants.

Ninety per cent of Somerset’s orchards have been lost since 1945 and the team at the garden centre is hoping more trees can be planted this year to help redress the balance in the county.

One of the reasons is that most orchards were used for making cider for farmhouse consumption. In those days, people had large families and work forces that could be paid in cider. It was also a substitute for the water.

Now people don’t have large families, are not allowed to pay employees in cider and water is cleaner.

As farming and social practice has changed, orchards have been neglected. The old farmhouse has completely altered. The farmer may even have sold the house and moved elsewhere. The trees get blown over and more often sawn up to keep them tidy.

Orchards also provided protection for livestock. In the past they gave shelter to young animals such as lambs and calves and provided a stockyard next to the farmhouse. Now farmers have sheds and huts for the job. But we can all do our bit by planting an apple of fruit tree this autumn to help increase numbers again even if on a small domestic scale.

During the Autumn Open Week we will also be giving away £50 worth of vouchers to one winner who signs up to its e-newsletter at www.tiny.cc/elmenews. Once signed up, subscribers will be sent an entry form to fill out and return to us during Autumn Open Week in order to be in with the chance of winning.

There will be a variety of offers on during the week, including free delivery with a £30 minimum spend and to within 15 miles of the garden centre, buy one get one free on 24 pack pansies and half price breakfast baps with a special voucher, which can be downloaded by signing up to the e-newsletter or by picking up a handout in store.

On September 22 the Elm Tree Restaurant, which will be open until 9pm, will be offering two free ice creams or mini desserts with the purchase of two main meals for £14.99.

There will also be double loyalty card points to all members through the week.