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"The
custom of saluting the apple trees was practised in Devon and Cornwall
until quite recent times. A bowl of cider, often with a toast in it, was
taken into the orchard by the farmer and his men, usually on Christmas
Eve.
Fragments
of the toast, or of the cakes made for the company, were placed upon the
branches of one of the trees, and cider was poured over its roots, and
the following song was sung:
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Here's to thee, old apple tree,
Whence thou may'st bud, when thou may'st blow,
And whence thou may'st bear apples enow!
Hats full! Caps full!
Bushel-bushel-sacks full!
And my pockets full too! Huzza! |
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A
14th Century Cider Press |
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This custom seems to be a relic of the days when
sacrifices were made to the goddess of fruit trees." * |
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There's
another Devon wassailing rhyme, this time from
Cornworthy,
which is situated just north of Modbury. This version was recorded in
1805 and sounds like a jolly good excuse for getting plastered!. |
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Huzza,
Huzza, in our good town
The bread be white, and the liquor be brown:
So here my old fellow I drink to thee
And the very good health of each other tree.
Well may ye blow, well may ye bear
Blossom and fruit both apple and pear.
So that every bough and every twig
May bend with a burden both fair and big:
May ye bear us and yield us fruit such a store
That the
bags and the chambers and the house run o'er |
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The cider in the Wassail bowl was what is known in Devon
as "scrumpy" or "rough" cider. It is instantly
recognisable by its cloudy appearance and is very, very potent -
newcomers to the experience will find their legs weakening half way
through the first glass!
However, knowing what it contains may take the edge off a drinker's
pleasure. Scrumpy is brewed from crab apples sweetened with raisins to
which water and baker's yeast are added. What makes it special is the
addition of raw meat before fermentation takes place. Historically, any
meat was acceptable and that included rats and mice - hopefully, modern
scrumpy is made with nice cuts of beef or lamb. Scrumpy needs to mature
for a long time and even after three or four months of fermentation,
gives off a terrible smell. The trick is to let it stay in the cask for
at least a year when, after the first half glass, no-one notices that it has
what might be called a unique taste of its own! |
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*Taken from "Folk Rhymes of Devon" by William Crossing
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