Heirloom Apples

This definition is often applied to vegetable ‘fruit’ yet fitting to the apple. The American settlement by European immigrates, some of whom carried seed gathered from apple pomace from Old World farms then planted into the soil of the New World settlements, brought about the dramatic diversity we see in North American heirloom apple beginning in the 1600’s. Relative to the abundance of seedling trees planted, few settlers transported and planted rooted trees or saplings from the Old World during the 1600’s. One such tree, the Endicott pear tree has endured the test of time, planted by Governor John Endicott in 1632, the tree continues to bare fruit at the ripe old age of 385 yrs. in Salem, MA (as of April, 2018).

Heirloom Apple Origins & Descriptions

A valuable pomological reference on the origins and descriptions of apple varieties up to 1903 / 1905 (Vol. I & II) can be found in the Apples of New York by Beach, S. A. (Spencer Ambrose), 1860-1922; New York (State). Dept. of Agriculture; New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, NY. This free resource is the product of over 20 years of research on early apple, providing a concise foundation for apple variety selection and uses.

Seedling Diversity

Apple seeds, once planted and cultivated, produce a tree whose fruit may or may not have resembled the fruit or tree from which the seed was originally taken. The flowers produced by these trees were then cross pollinated by wind, rain or insect pollinators, such as the native ‘blue orchard bee’, Osmia lignaria, which carried pollen from other species of Mallus through random and open-pollination, produced a unique fruit that carry a mix of traits from one or both parent trees.

In genetic terms, the seed arriving in the New World from Europe are heterozygous, referring to a pair of genes where one is dominant and one is recessive. Seedlings produced either surprisingly different expressions in the tree and fruit or strikingly similar specific traits in color, texture, shape or flavor. In some instances the fruit from these seedlings are superior to their lineage, having been selected by orchardists and producing many of the heirloom varieties that have survived through the ages.

For New World settlers the rapid development of orchards using seed provided ‘an instant apple orchard’. In this fashion the prerequisite for settlers moving into the wilderness of Ohio could ‘establish a homestead on the 100 acre parcel of land they would be provided (Land Grant signed by John Quincy Adams in 1837). To prove their homesteads to be permanent, settlers were required to plant 50 apple trees and 20 peach trees within the first three years. John Chapman,an early pioneer in the development of orchards in America planted thousands of acres in this fashion, planting apple seed on wilderness land for future settlers to purchase from him as they arrived. When Chapman (AKA Johnny Appleseed) left this life he owned over 1200 acres of developed orchard land.

Although heirloom apple is often referred to as varieties descending from an ancient lineage, this is in fact true of all present-day and existing apple varieties. Yet, a thrifty orchardist, with the skills to graft winter dormant cuttings taken from a desirable tree, could transform his orchard to a variety better suited to his liking in the spring. In this way, the seedling would be retained and a more prosperous fruit variety grown within a few years without having to replant the entire orchard.

With this understanding, I take the liberty to define and constrain the term heirloom apple to varieties discovered and cultivated prior to the 19th century.

Crabapple plantings. Osborn School, Rye NY

Varietal Selection

The process of varietal selection was likely influenced very early in the development of settlements and plantings of orchards using seed. The apple in colonial life may have been used at harvest for fresh eating in varieties suitable for the pallet. Yet many of the chance seedling varieties of fruit were intensely acidic, high in tannins, astringent or bitter shortly after harvest. Storing these fruit during the winter and allowing them to mellow a few months before the first bite was required for high acid varieties with other tart and tannin strains used to produce hard cider during the long New England winter as a daily beverage. Utilizing the fruit for processing and storage within the first few years of the orchard, while incorporating earthen root cellars to provide a cool and stable temperature, prompted homesteaders to select early heirloom selections with winter storability. Bitter sharp fruit with high tannin and acid content provided balanced flavor for cider, with firm fruit varieties considered to be ‘winter keepers’, two important factors in farm family winter survival.

Esopus Spitzenburg 1817

The Next Best Variety

Undoubtedly environmental conditions such as extreme weather, pest pressure, growing habits, specifically biennial bearing, brought about shifts in apple variety selection. Increasing demands to effectively store and transport fruit, shifts in consumer demands for sweeter, larger and aesthetically pleasing fruit, preferences for fresh consumption and processing allowed certain selections of apple to withstand the test of time while others fell into obscurity. Trees were grafted over periodically to more appealing varieties over the past 300 year development of the apple industry in America, driven by market demands.

Early forms of grafting.

Grafting

As colonial orchards matured, greater refinement and selection of fruit tree varieties, providing a balance of sweet and tart eating qualities, became increasingly important as fruit was sold in local, regional and European markets in the 18th century. Marketing of fruit increased for those successful in developing larger orchards and higher yields with fruit packed and shipped in barrels.

Fruit trees cannot be reproduced “true” to the original cultivar from the seed of its fruit. To obtain the same fruit from a tree, the wood from the original tree, known as scion wood, is pruned and ‘grafted’ onto an existing tree of a different variety.

In apple grafting, scion wood is typically comprised of 1 year old cuttings of a selected variety, pruned in winter and kept moist, stored in a cooler for use in the spring. When the sap begins to flow in April-May in New England the existing individual trees of orchard selections would be pruned back to lower scaffold limbs, retained for sap to flow. This form of grafting, called ‘top working’, utilizes branches or the trunk (central leader) where a cut is made to remove the structural branching of the tree. The foundation for success is in the cambial alignment and maintaining the sap flow by creating a moist environment surrounding the graft.

Grafting can be done using a broad selection of techniques. The grafting and budding of fruit trees by Leonard B. Hertz is a good resource for grafting information.