[Sca-cooks] apple commerce

[Stefan li Rous]

Adamantius answered me with:
> >> Its popularity soared during World War
> >> II when fresh apples were a luxury few could afford.
> > Why were fresh apples more of a luzury during WWII than say before
> > or just after that time? They don't have to be imported like coffee
> > or rubber.
>
> No, but they have to be picked by a largely reduced and redirected
> labor force, stored in warehouses co-opted for military use, and
> shipped on trucks and trains also co-opted for military use.
Thank you. This makes sense although I thought great efforts were made 
to have extra food. This may have been more true in Britain though 
which depended more upon imports than the US did. Similarly, the US had 
plenty of oil. It was rationed because they didn't have plenty of 
rubber since that had to be imported.
> > And on a more medieval note, were apples not exported from the apple
> > growing areas in Europe to other parts during the Middle Ages? Or
> > even cider? Wine did get exported from France to England, was
> > English cider not shipped the other direction?
>
> Apples, if you can go by the art and literature, seem to be pretty
> ubiquitous in medieval Europe. As 'Lainie stated, there wouldn't be
> much reason for non-local trade,
But cider doesn't seem to have been drunk except in apple areas. That 
doesn't sound like a glut in most areas.
> and then there's the fact that an
> ocean voyage is notorious for screwing up unstable, fermented 
> beverages.
Yes, there was a message from this group about wines being sent on ship 
travels, not to transport wine, but to create a vinegar. (See the 
vinegar-msg file in the Florilegium).

Stefan
--------
THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
    Mark S. Harris           Austin, Texas          
StefanliRous at austin.rr.com
**** See Stefan's Florilegium files at:  http://www.florilegium.org ****