A gift of love from nature. Apple is a worldwide symbol of love, love of nature, love of the divin and of course romantic love. The Apple tree has provided a gateway to the blissful lands of light and beauty for poets, painters and storytellers since time immemorial. Carrying or wearing an Apple Touchwood opens the door to the heart and expresses the jpy of inner and outer harmony. The knowledge of the connection between all things is bestowed on those who carry the Apple. The Apple reminds us to open our hearts to the abundance in our lives and grants us the vision to realise that all acts of love and trust will be returned in full.
 
Folklore and Mythology.
Norse mythology portrays the apple as the fruit of eternal youth and also fertility. In China Apple blossom represents female beauty. 'Apple' in Chinese sounds the same as peace so holding an apple is also holding a wish for peace. The apple is generally seen as a forbidden fruit throughout Greek mythology, and in Christian tradition as the symbol of temptation, knowledge and sin.
 
Irish folklore claims that if an apple is peeled into one continuous ribbon
and thrown behind a woman's shoulder, it will land in the shape of the future husband's initials.
 
In  Lower-Saxon Germany, the first bath water used by a newborn baby was poured over the roots of an apple tree to ensure that the child would have red cheeks and
good health and find true love.
 
In Cornwall gifts of Allan apples,large glossy red apples that were highly
polished, to family and friends were considered as tokens of good luck and good fortune to come.
 
The Apple tree has close links with the Celtic shaman, the wisewoman and the magician. It is used when undergoing otherworld journeys. One of these otherworlds as Avalon, the Apple Vale, a mythical paradise where hills were clothed with trees bearing flowers and fruit together.
 
Apple trees can be used as wishing trees’. Find a ribbon or strip of cloth that
represents your deepest wish, and tie it into the branches of an Apple tree. As the cloth weathers away your wish will come true.
 
 
In ancient Silesia (now part of Poland), the apple tree was a ‘dream tree’.
Sleeping under the tree would induce dreams. For a young woman placing an apple touchwood next to her heart would induce a midnight dream of her future husband.
 
Uses of Apple
Apples are the most diverse fruit – and in the UK alone we’ve bred more than 2,500 different varieties with names ranging from the familiar Bramley’s Seedling to the rare Broad-Eyed Pippin and Peasgood’s Nonsuch. They are used for eating, cooking and cider production.

The timber tends to be used for fine carving and speciality wood objects rather than everyday items. The wood is not widely available in large sizes and can be difficult to work with due to its high density.