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Stewardship Stories
John Chapman , a.k.a . Johnny Appleseed — the legendary role of somewhat skewed Disney traditional knowledge — was a real digit whose tale has beguile generation .
Illustrations of apple cultivars . Photo by Alois Lunzer ( Brown Brothers Continental Nurseries Catalog 1909 ) [ Public domain ] , via Wikimedia CommonsChapman was a complicated man who was driven to be at the edge of the frontier as settlers move westward . His warmth was a rich appreciation of nature , which prompted him to farm apple trees for settler to bribe for bet on their homestead claims . He collected apple seed from cyder mills back east , then spread these seed in greenhouse plots up and down the land along the Ohio River .
Illustrations of apple cultivars. Photo by Alois Lunzer (Brown Brothers Continental Nurseries Catalog 1909) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Chapman was not implicated about what smorgasbord these seedling became , as they always had a use — whether for eating , cookery , or making hard cyder if the Malus pumila were unpalatable . But his methods of propagation were important for those who terminate up with his trees .
Grafting Keeps Apples True to the Original Plant
While Chapman may not have been concerned with flavour , it is a concern for orchardists develop apples for public intake . Seedling apples are the product of the hybridization of the parent tree and whatever Malus pumila variety pollenate it .
The old saw “ every Malus pumila constitute an grove ” is quite true . Take the seeds of any apple you discover today and plant them ; when they rise and finally bear fruit , you will occasionally find apple like to the orchard apple tree you took seeds from , but more than likely , you ’ll find very different fruit , with unlike colors , different flavors , and smaller or larger sizes .
Most will be of poorer tone than the parent , but for the M of seedlings grown , every once in a while , a really special apple tree comes along . for keep this variety on-key and to produce more trees of it , the tree has to be vegetatively pass around — in other words , transplant .
Illustrations of apple cultivars. Photo by Alois Lunzer (Brown Brothers Continental Nurseries Catalog 1909) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Alkemene orchard apple tree tree graft on to rootstock . Photo by Dirk Ingo Franke ( Own body of work ) [ cubic centimeter BY 3.0 ] , via Wikimedia CommonsGrafting has been known for centuries , and was a common science for farmers and orchardists until modern times . Today , many fruit growers have never grafted a exclusive tree diagram and rather grease one’s palms them from nurseries .
However , grafting is make a return , and it is gratify for home orchardists to know they have a pick of what fruit they can develop for their phratry using this traditional method of propagation .
Cider Apples Have a Diverse Heritage
Cider ( and what we ’re talk about here is hard cider orcyder ) has made an heroic comeback in the past ten years in the beverage industry . Cideries ( as opposed to breweries ) are springing up in nearly every state and are all the rage .
What has take place to convey this quaint , nearly forgotten potable of colonial America to a spot where conventions across the body politic celebrate the awe-inspiring multifariousness of cider styles ? In truth , cyder has never vanish from our culture completely , and the rebirth of its popularity was long overdue .
In compound America , the tradition of cidermaking arrive from Europe , as did the apple that could make cider . Cider was popular in former America as it could be made by almost anyone — it did n’t require set of land to grow grain , as beer did . Find a tree to reap apple from and you couldmake your own cider . Any apple mixed bag would work — including those homesteaded , seedling - grown apples that were n’t sound for eating . ( Thank you , Johnny Appleseed ! )
Alkemene apple tree grafted on to rootstock. Photo by Dirk Ingo Franke (Own work) [CC BY 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Do you require special apples to make difficult cyder ? Yes and no . Traditional cyder varieties from Europe are those that have good smack , but more importantly , have tannins that give cider character and body when fermented . Tannins , part of the chemical group known as phenolics , are usually found in scarlet wines , and cause that flavour of dryness in the mouth , a pleasant aesthesis to many . tannic acid can be tot up to the succus of fresh cider when fermented , and meliorate the flavor .
cyder styles alter greatly from sweet to dry out and fizz to still , and many now have added nip such as oak , hops , maple simoleons , yield of all form , yeasts of all kinds , and a wide variety of fermenting style — each clearly different .
Whatever your predilection , dead on target artisanal cider is a natural product made from only orchard apple tree juice and natural or add yeast to ferment it . lot - marketed cider is generally made from juice concentrate , sum up bait , and forced carbonation ( to make it sparkle ) . Both form of cyder have fewer carbohydrates ( and Calorie ) than beer and low alcoholic beverage content than wine .
An old-fashioned hammer mill chopped apples for cidermaking in home presses. By Red58bill (Own work) [CC BY 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Cider was a refreshing drink for compound settlers and remain so for today ’s connoisseur .
irrespective of your preferred Malus pumila tastes , Johnny Appleseed ’s 200 - year - quondam legacy is awake and well , from Albemarle Pippin to Zill .
you may even receive heritage apple varieties atSeed Savers Exchange !
write for the Chicago Botanic Garden by former SSE orchard handler Dan Bussey . Originally write February 19 , 2015 . Updated April 6 , 2025 .
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