The Arbor Day Farm
Preservation Orchard
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| This distinctive apple, red to the core,
is the Almata. |
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| The unique Chenango Strawberry may resemble
a strawberry in color and markings, but is all apple in taste. |
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| Arbor Day Farm's historic Preservation
Orchard is home to many legendary apples, including the Wolf
River, an apple so large that it takes only one to make a pie.
The Wolf River is shown here next to another old variety, the
petite "Lady" apple. |
This historic orchard symbolizes much that is unique about Arbor
Day Farm itself—a place that preserves the best practices of
the past while keeping an eye to the future. In the 180 antique
apple trees, representing 165 different apple varieties, can be
found both a living record of some of the finest known apples, and
a genetic repository that may one day help create varieties well
suited to a changing climate.
Among these prized historic apples are the Esopus Spitzenberg,
a favorite of Thomas Jefferson, and the Wolf River, an apple so
large that it takes only one to make a pie. There’s also the
Almata, an apple that is red to the core, and the “Chenango
Strawberry, an apple that resembles a strawberry in appearance but
is all apple in taste.
Today, many apple varieties are chosen for their ability to withstand
commercial harvesting equipment, with a premium being placed on
apples that retain their pleasing appearance even after their fruit
is no longer at its best. While they may not always be known for
their beautiful appearance, many of the unique heirloom apples in
Arbor Day Farm’s Preservation Orchard are revered for their
legendary taste. It’s hard to find a more tantalizing education
and preservation demonstration than this orchard, filled with rare
apples that are the product of centuries of human selection.
Principles you can use…
The protection of genetic diversity is as important in the plant
kingdom as the animal kingdom. Landowners with small parcels of
land to develop can plant some of these heirloom fruit trees and,
by doing so, preserve some unique characteristics of these fascinating
apples.
Look for apples grafted onto hardy rootstock appropriate for your
region and hardiness zone. Some of these varieties may take up to
five years to bear fruit…but it will be worth the wait.
To learn more…
Visitors to Arbor Day Farm can learn more at the Apple House where
these unique apples are displayed as they are harvested. Special
apple tasting events can be scheduled during September and October.
Web sites:
More information on heirloom orchards and the importance of conservation
of genetic diversity can be found at the following Web sites:
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