The first apple tree

In our first house, there was an apple tree, an orchard to be precise. In our second house there was another apple tree, with small green fruits, very different from the pictures you see in magazines. We could climb it and I remember it being quite tall.

There was an apple tree in the vineyard, an old variety called “Annurca” that grandfather planted. There were apples in our favorite cake, called “Carla”, supported by Reinette apples, which melt when baked and are hard to find.

There are apple trees on the banks of the Alzette, in the oldest part of Luxembourg city center, near the walls of the Abbey. They recall a country which had millions of them before Napoleon and which is beginning to replant them to regain its former glory. In northern Europe, apples are a symbol of prosperity and rebirth after a long winter. The flowers yield apple honey, the fruits are used for meat, sweets and cider, which is regaining popularity.

There was an apple tree in my neighbor's house, a beautiful plant full of flowers in the Luxembourg spring. One day in March, the house and garden were sold and the tree disappeared to make way for an apartment. I was furious and felt helpless. I then went to the nearest garden center and bought an apple tree, which has been in my garden ever since. It is flowering today.