Editor’s letter

ISSUE 17, AUTUMN 2022

I’m not green-fingered. The only crop I’ve ever harvested has been the elderflowers that grow in my garden (and make a very nice cordial). However, I’ve just learned that the town I live in has an apple named after it — an orangey-red pippin that was, until recently, thought extinct. And, despite my horticultural limitations, I’m quite tempted to try to grow it. I suppose I’m seduced by the idea of uniting a local crop with the specific soil from which it evolved. Just like my elderflowers, this pippin tree would, in its own small way, help keep alive the story of the local landscape.

Of course, stories like these are told in other places by other crops, too. Some, like Greek olives, tell tales so old they stretch back further than even the most ancient artifact. Others, such as the garlic grown on the Isle of Wight, tell a more modern love story, of a chance encounter between crop and soil that blossomed into something beautiful.

But all these stories are told best during harvest time, which is why it’s such a great time to go travelling. Plan your next holiday around a harvest, and not only will you taste local ingredients at their freshest, but you’ll also form a greater understanding of their role in shaping the local cuisine and culture.

Whether it’s braiding onions in Brittany or picking pears in Kent, our cover story is full of ways to get hands-on with some of Europe’s iconic harvests. And don’t forget to check back in with me in seven or eight years… I might just have a pippin for you.

Glen Mutel, editor NATGEOTRAVELUK

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