Wild Apples is a late essay in which Thoreau looks at the apple tree as a companion of human settlement that has run wild in the New England countryside. He traces its history and celebrates the odd, sharp, varied fruit found in pastures and woods, contrasting it with the tame orchard apple. With gentle humour he uses the subject to reflect on wildness, the seasons and the pleasures of paying attention. It was published in the year he died.
Quotes
The era of the Wild Apple will soon be past.