Fall apple picking is here!

Fall apple picking is here! It is a special time of year when we enjoy gorgeous fall trees covered in red, orange and yellow leaves and the delicious taste of fresh-picked apples. Grocery stores offer only a handful of apple varieties from the thousands once grown on every farm in America.

Tom Brown, a retired engineer, learned that over 11,000 varieties of America’s heritage apples have been lost since 1905. The thought of having only 1,000 apple varieties left, and just a few varieties sold in grocery stores, was appalling to him.

From his home in Clemmons, North Carolina, in 1999, Brown began his trek through mountains and valleys and farmlands and forests across the eastern U.S. hunting for lost heritage apple trees that needed saving from extinction. His Lost Apple Project has saved over 1,200 heritage apple varieties from being lost.

Heritage apples are varieties once grown and eaten by our great-great grandparents. They are hardy varieties adapted to the region where they have grown for generations. Their fruit comes in all sizes, shapes, colors and flavors and were once the mainstay of orchards found beside farms scattered across the eastern U.S.

It has only been three generations since every eastern farm grew at least one apple tree, if not an orchard. Saplings of these apples were shared with neighbors and were often carried cross-country by families moving west.

Why were apples so popular with our forefathers? Early colonists enjoyed fermented drinks since their source of drinking water was often contaminated. Fermented apple cider was the cheapest beverage the colonists could easily concoct, and different apple varieties created different flavors of cider. For centuries, apples were picked from June to November and preserved by drying, canning or making cider.

As decades passed and America’s population rapidly increased, urbanization caused farmlands to disappear as homes were built. Americans living in subdivisions began buying their fruit from grocery stores instead of growing their own. Hybrid apples were developed that shipped better and produced uniform-looking fruit to entice the public. Heritage varieties, with their misshapen fruit and delicate skins, were forgotten and neglected. As years passed, these historic varieties were not propagated and many eventually disappeared.

Through Brown’s diligent efforts, he located and reintroduced over 1,200 heritage apple varieties thought to have been lost. He takes cuttings from heritage apple trees he finds during his travels and grafts them to other apple trees. Some of his grafted saplings are donated to heritage apple nurseries and preservation orchards. He also sells saplings to individual gardeners to help finance his apple-hunting expeditions.

Traveling over 30,000 miles each year, Brown visits farmers markets where he talks to vendors and locals to learn if they might grow or know of heritage apple trees in their area. He also sets up shop at festivals each spring and summer where he advertises his search for lost apple varieties and educates the public about heritage apples and their importance to America’s history. However, Brown has reached the end of his travels and is retiring. He has turned his Lost Apple Project over to other enthusiastic people who are continuing the search for heritage apple trees.

Now is apple picking season and a time to enjoy apple pie, apple sauce, apple butter and apple cider! Happy Fall You All!

By Karen Bowen

AFGC Blog Manager

Photo 1 Lost Apple Project

Tom Brown shows some of the heritage apple varieties he has saved from extinction.