The cultivated apple, though it may be quite American when made into a pie, is not actually native to these shores. European settlers brought apple seeds with them and they quickly took root, becoming popular dried, as preserves, in cider, for use in household products like cider vinegar, in recipes such as the ubiquitous pie, or straight off the tree. Thousands of varieties flourished because each apple seed possesses unique genes. (The only way to reproduce an apple variety is to graft a cutting from the original tree onto new rootstock; trees grown from seed will differ one from the next.)

Mass production and the year–round availability of apples in grocery stores changed this picture drastically in the past 100 years. Those thousands of varieties are down to around 200, with 15 in particular accounting for more than 90% of U.S. production. Those 15 varieties are bred to look attractive and withstand long–distance shipping and long periods on shelf–with a resulting lack of flavor and freshness.

Heirloom apples, those “antique” varieties that still exist, sometimes look ugly by modern–day standards, can be small, and may not last too long after being picked. But their taste and uniqueness can't be beat. Heirloom apple farms often sell cuttings from their trees as well as the apples themselves, so you can even grow your own!



Further resources on heirloom apples

Fedco Trees
www.fedcoseeds.com/trees/TreesList.php?TreeName=apple

Heirloom Apples in Central and Southern Appalachia
www.main.nc.us/LBEEC/pubs/apples.html

The ARK USA
Saving Cherished Slow Foods, One Product at a Time American Apples–A Slow Food Ark of Taste Initiative
www.slowfoodusa.org/ark/heritage_apples.html

Apples of Maine: Heirloom Apple Orchards in Maine
www.applesofmaine.com/heir.htm

Apples of Your Eye
Fruit sleuths and nursery owners are fighting to save our nation's apple heritage...before it's too late
www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian/issues02/nov02/apples.html

Home Orchard Society
www.homeorchardsociety.org

Heirloom Apples
clark.wsu.edu/volunteer/mg/gm_tips/HeirloomApples.html

The American Gardeners: Excerpt from A Taste of the Past: Heirloom Apples
www.ahs.org/publications/the_american_gardener/0209/excerpt.htm

Trees of Antiquity: Heirloom Fruit Trees for your Home
www.treesofantiquity.com/apples.html


Resources on organic growing

The Organic Pages Online
www.theorganicpages.com/topo/index.html

The National Organic Program
www.ams.usda.gov/nop/indexIE.htm