missouribendstudio: apples

Another week of to think about something else that's red....Malus domestica of the family Rosaceae...the apple!! I've just found out that there are 7,500 cultivars of the apple, that it originated in western Asia and the Alma, its wild ancestor, still thrives there today. A quick place to start for information of all kinds on the apple, including it's place in cultural history, can be found here. I was curious about how many types of apples there are and was astonished to learn it ran way into the thousands and at the site All About Apples you can find an exhaustive list of all the varieties of edible apples and crabapples that are available currently in the United States...it doesn't run to 7,500, but it must number in the hundreds. I was going to count, but the prospect just seemed too daunting....you're welcome to do and let me know what you find out!

I did happen to notice on that site a recipe for Bourbon Apple Pie, which I've bookmarked...I'm sure that will appeal to the other half of this dynamic duo! Snooping around on the site, I found another fascinating section here under the Resources tab...the art created for advertising on apple crates. Those beautiful labels were originally round and placed on barrels, but eventually the containters became the rectangular crates we recognize and so did the labels. I had no idea that these labels were ever done the "old fashioned" way...through stone lithography...a little section of the description:

"Originally, European immigrants combined their printing skills with local concepts to create art unsurpassed anywhere in the world. Bavarian limestones were imported to provide a surface upon which the original label art would be etched. Costly inks were used in a time consuming process done completely by hand. This "Stone Lithograph" process is seldom seen today in any art form. Over time more modern processes replaced this artistically demanding effort."

They're right about that one...stone lithography, very labor intensive, is a process seldom seen today...relegated to a few print programs in higher education, some fine art printmaking establishments and a limited number of individual artists. My husband teaches lithography at USD, but programs that teach it at the university level are dwindling year by year, I believe. Hope you'll check out the gallery of apple crate labels on All About Apples...couldn't seem to get any images to share here. Meanwhile....the apple is featured in a number of intriguing art works below...links provided to the artist's shop on etsy.