Apple picking season is upon us. One never knows for sure if their apple trees are going to produce or not. Sometimes there comes a frost upon the apple blooms and this can mean there will be a no or low yield. This year, there is a bountiful yield of tasty apples.
Some apples are made into delicious treats such as jellies, applesauce, apple cobblers, apple cakes, apple breads, apple muffins, apple salads, cider and, of course, the all American dessert — the Apple Pie. Simple things like a baked apple, a candied apple or a juicy caramel covered apple are some of the tastiest treats. Yet, how can something so tasty be good for a person? We all remember that famous saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”
Apples are considered to be the third most important fruit worldwide. During the Roman Times there were three varieties of apples. Over the years, the number of varieties grew. Today there are from 20 to 40 varieties.
There are famous apples noted like God’s Forbidden Fruit that grew in the Garden of Eden and caused all kinds of problems when that fruit was eaten by Adam and Eve. There is the famous apple that fell on Sir Isaac Newton and gravity was discovered. Let’s not forget the apple as being a target when it was shot off William Tell’s head. I’ll never forget the movie, Snow White, where she ate the apple given to her by the old witch. More recently there are Apple computers.
As a youngster, a famous story often told in school was Johnny Appleseed. After researching, I found it most interesting. The Johnny Appleseed story was based on the life of John Chapman who was a nurseryman and evangelist, born in Massachusetts in 1774. His mission was to not only spread God’s Word to others but also make it possible to plant enough apple trees that no person would ever go hungry. He collected apple seeds at German built cider mills and began walking all over the American Frontier planting those seeds. He would plant them in open fields, along roadways and beside streams. He often planted in the open fields creating apple tree nurseries, fenced it in, and would often return to check on the trees and work the ground. When the trees were big enough, he’d dig them up and continue on his journey selling or trading with the settlers. If the settlers could not provide money for the trees, Johnny would ask for used clothing that he would either wear or give away to those in need. Wherever he’d go, he would pull out his favorite book, the Bible, and share a message with the settlers.
Legend has it that Johnny never wore shoes on his travels and enjoyed sleeping outdoors. He would continue his travels for more than 50 years before dying March 18, 1845 of pneumonia, which is said to be the only time he was ill. It was also said Johnny was a “good businessman” as over the years he was able to purchase and sell tracts of land. He developed thousands of productive apple trees. Though it is not sure where Johnny Appleseed was buried, a memorial stone was placed in his memory in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
So the next time you bite into an apple or eat a piece of apple pie, remember the efforts of Johnny Appleseed and appreciate the history of the apple.
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