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118 THE ENGLISH HOMEFEATURE``````SUZANNA BALL``````PHOTOGRAPHS``````P6 (LEFT) ALAMY, P8, P9 CLIVE NICHOLSOne of the oldest festive traditions is todecorate the house by hanging up a bunchof mistletoe tied with a brightly-colouredribbon. For mistletoe grower Marks Adams his historywith the enigmatic plant also dates back a long way.“One of my first memories is of being four years oldand the BBC children’s television programme Playdayscame to our orchard. We filmed my dad [MichaelAdams, pictured above, on the right] cutting mistletoeout of the tree, so it is indoctrinated into me thatwhen Christmastime comes it’s time to pick mistletoe.”The plant’s green spheres are found festoonedamongst the branches of trees, like nature’s ownChristmas baubles, and it grows in the biggestabundance in the fruit-growing counties ofWorcestershire, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire.For Worcestershire fruit farmers, the Adams, thebusiness of selling mistletoe came about as a happyaccident. Mark explains: “It grows in our apple trees,which are grown for the apples, not for the mistletoe.We don’t really encourage it, it encourages itselfand we just manage it.”Although the Adams family had been growing andselling organic mistletoe for generations, three yearsago Mark returned from university and changed thedirection of the business from selling to wholesalebuyers at the Tenbury Wells mistletoe market to sellingto the public online, year round.During the rest of the year, mistletoe is popular forweddings and other events, but it is primarily bought``````for the Christmas season, “On the first of Novemberthere is a massive jump in orders, because everyonestarts thinking about Christmas.”The Adams’ mistletoe is freshly picked and packedon the same day. Whether there is a shortfall or a glutof mistletoe depends on how well the bees have beenable to pollinate the plants during the spring. It isall hands on deck when the bunches are harvestedin the latter half of the year. “We cut it in the wintertime when it has value, which is October toDecember,” Mark reveals.Ripening at this wintery time of year, mistletoe wasseen as a mysterious symbol of new life by the pagans.However, Mark believes its continuing relevance is lessmystifying. “In the last 50 years, its popularity isprobably more to do with the romance behind theplant,” he says. In the eighteenth century, kissingunder the mistletoe was seen as an act of good luck forfuture romance and marriage prospects; conversely itwas bad luck for a lady to be caught under themistletoe and not to kiss her suitor.The Adams love to hear customers’ stories about thepersonal traditions they associate with mistletoe – fromkeeping it all year long, to sentimental tales that seemto resonate with its legend, “A lot of people tell methey had their first kiss with their husband under themistletoe at Christmas,” Mark divulges.``````To purchase bunches of organic mistletoe, visitkissmemistletoe.co.uk nTHE MISTLETOE FARMERIn keeping with the magic of the season, mistletoe has a fascinating past scattered withfolklore. Mistletoe grower, Mark Adams is fond of regaling tales as he harvests the crop``````ABOVE, FROM LEFTGathering themistletoe requiresmany pickers. Here,Michael Adamsselects bunches withhis friend Rob Mapp,who helps with themistletoe harvest.Mistletoe can beincorporated into avariety of naturalfestive decorations; itmixes beautifully withivy and roses tocreate an eleganttable centrepiece,bedded in moss.Keep mistletoe freshby leaving it outsidefor up to three weeksbefore bringing itinside to use.TEH US DEC15 Making Xmas Special.indd 118 14/10/2015 11:29