Where do apple trees come from

Where do apples come from? – History of apples

The history of apples starts in Central Asia

Where do apples come from?

Apple trees grew wild in Central Asia and western China beginning – as new DNA studies show – about ten to twenty million years ago, around the time that the first humans were evolving.

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That was the Tertiary Period. Apples are related to roses, berries, peaches, almonds, and many other fruiting plants.

What else was going on in the Tertiary?
Where do almonds come from?
Find out more about peaches

History of apples: this is the wild apple tree – Malus Sieversii – that is the ancestor of our apples.

When did apples get so good to eat?

Early apples were small and sour – more like crabapples. Birds ate their seeds. But then mammals like deer, pigs, and bears moved into Central Asia, about seven million years ago.

Some kinds of apples – – Malus sieversii – evolved to take advantage of this new way to spread their seeds. To get animals to eat them, these apples became bigger and sweeter. Apples evolved to have tear-drop shaped seeds that would pass right through the animal’s digestion.

Horses, which also lived on the steppes of Central Asia, were eating apples about five million years ago.

Where do pigs come from?
Where do horses come from?

Apples reach West Asia and China

When Homo Erectus arrived in Central Asia about a million years ago, they probably began to eat apples right away. That was in the Quaternary period.

What else was going on in the Quaternary?
More about early humans

Modern humans ate apples too, when they got to Central Asia, about 50,000 BC. By about 6,500 BC, people were carrying apple seeds west to West Asia and east to China, planting apple trees, and eating apples there too.

The Bible in English has Adam and Eve eating an apple, but actually in Hebrew it just says that they ate a fruit, and not what kind; the apple comes from a Latin translation.

What’s the story of Adam and Eve?

Shop with apples and other fruit on display. Mir Sayyid ‘Ali,”Nighttime in a Palace,” detail, Safavid or Mughal, ca. 1570 AD (now at Harvard)

Apples in Europe

Still, apples were among the first plants that people planted on purpose. By 2000 BC, people were eating apples in Greece and Italy, and by 1300 BC there were a few apple trees in Egypt.

What people ate in New Kingdom Egypt

Before the Romans came to England there were already apples there, too. People mostly don’t grow apples in Africa or south India, because it’s too close to the equator for apples to grow well. Apples need cold nights to ripen well.

Grinding apples and pressing cider (Vinetum Britannicum; London 1678)

Storing apples for winter

For ancient and medieval people, the best thing about apples was that they came ripe just as it was getting cold and they would keep all winter, so you could have food even when nothing was growing.

People sliced apples and dried them in the sun to make dried apples, and they stored them in underground cold bins just as whole apples, but mostly they pressed the apples with wooden presses to make cider.

Making apple cider

If you let the apple cider ferment with yeast, it becomes a slightly alcoholic drink, and the alcohol preserves the apple juice all winter. Apple cider was the main alcoholic drink of many people in northern Europe.

What people ate in Northern Europe
How does yeast fermentation work?

When the Spanish, and then the English, came to North America, they both brought apples with them in the 1600s AD, to make apple cider. All along the East Coast and in the Pacific Northwest, apple cider was again many people’s main drink until Prohibition put the cider orchards out of business in the 1920s.

What was Prohibition?

Did you find out what you wanted to know about the history of apples? Let us know in the comments!

Apple Project
More about Central Asian food

Bibliography and further reading about apples:

Food, by Fiona MacDonald and others (2001). For kids, facts about food from all over the world. A little preachy.

Food in Antiquity: A Survey of the Diet of Early Peoples, by Don and Patricia Brothwell (1998). Pretty specialized, but the book tells you where foods came from, and how they got to other places, and what people ate in antiquity. Not just Europe, either!
Food: A Culinary History from Antiquity to the Present, by Jean Louis Flandrin, Massimo Montanari, Albert Sonnenfeld. (1996). Hard going because it is translated from French, but Flandrin was one of the world’s great food historians.

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Where do fireside apples come from?

Asked by: Jaylin Casper

The Fireside apple tree originates from Minnesota where it has many admirers. The Fireside apple was developed in the early 1940’s when the country listened to Roosevelts’ «Fireside Chats» which likely beget its name. This large apple is extremely hardy.

What are Fireside apples?

Fireside Apple is a small tree that is commonly grown for its edible qualities. It produces chartreuse round apples (which are botanically known as ‘pomes’) with a scarlet blush and white flesh which are usually ready for picking from early to mid fall. The apples have a sweet taste and a crisp texture.

What do Fireside apples look like?

Large conical fruit. Green skin with scarlet stripes and sometimes a mottled orange flush. Crisp, sweet, juicy greenish white to yellow flesh. Excellent eating apple.

What apple did the University of Minnesota make?

The University of Minnesota apple team has done it again: Their newest apple cultivation has been named ‘Triumph’. The red apple was created by crossing ‘Liberty’ and the popular ‘Honeycrisp’ apple varieties, and boasts a “pleasantly tart and well-balanced” flavor, as well as a long shelf life.

What pollinates a fireside apple tree?

Recommended Pollinators: Honeycrisp, Jonathan or Golden Delicious.

How Apples Are Made In A Lab

42 related questions found

What are Fireside apples good for?

Very large fruit with a sweet flavor and fine-grained flesh good for fresh eating, salad, and baked apples. The tree is vigorous and weeping. Introduced in 1943.

Can a pear tree pollinate an apple tree?

Unfortunately, apples trees and pear trees cannot pollinate one another. You need to pollinate your apple and pear trees separately to produce fruits. Remember to pollinate your tree with a compatible variety or let nature take its course instead.

Where is the first kiss apple?

We will have First Kiss Apples available n limited supplies, at Gilby’s Orchard near Aitkin, Minnesota. The First Kiss™ apples ripen on average in mid-to late August in Minnesota, kicking off Minnesota’s apple season almost a full month earlier than Honeycrisp.

How long does it take for an apple tree to bear fruit?

Apple trees need at least 8 hours of sun per day during the growing season. Two varieties are required for successful pollination; one can be a crabapple. Dwarf apple trees will start bearing fruit 2 to 3 years after planting. Standard size trees can take up to 8 years to bear fruit.

What does a regent apple taste like?

Regent — The Regent is a mid-sized variety of apple that has a bright red outer skin with pale green markings and a cream-colored crisp, juicy inner flesh. This apple has a sweet flavor similar to a Jonagold apple and is an excellent apple for salads, baking, cooking, or for eating out of hand as a snack.

Are Fireside apples sweet?

Fireside was introduced by the University of Minnesota in 1943. They must have been excited. What a wonderful, unique fruit! It is big, sweet, firm, long-keeping, chunky to chew, complex-ly flavorful, and brilliantly named.

What are freedom apples?

What are Freedom Apples? Freedom is a variety of apple that was developed in the 1950s by the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station. It was created to be resistant to a number of diseases, like apple scab, cedar apple rust, powdery mildew, and fire blight.

What are the earliest apples?

• Gala. .
• Gravenstein. .
• Akane. .
• Jonamac. .
• Dorsett Golden. .
• Jersey Mac. .
• Paula Red. .
• Vista Bella.

What is a first kiss apple?

First Kiss is a cross between the Honeycrisp and a variety from Arkansas known as AA44. It hit the market in the summer of 2018 to rave reviews, so to speak, and perhaps the only downside is that it will take apple growers a few years to catch up to demand.

What is a Winecrisp apple?

A beautiful purple, late-season, disease-resistant dessert apple. Also known as Co-op 31. Winecrisp™ is comes from the disease-resistant breeding program at Purdue, Rutgers, and Illinois Universities. It is field immune to scab and resistant to fireblight and powdery mildew.

What is the quickest fruit to grow?

Strawberries, blackberries and raspberries are some of the fastest-growing fruits. They produce the fastest fruiting the second year, compared to blueberries that can take three to five years before producing berries. Fruits generally take longer to mature than vegetables, but some are faster than others.

Do apple trees produce every year?

Gathering homegrown apples only once every two or more years is frustrating, but there are several solutions to this problem. Apple trees sometimes crop bi-yearly, known as biennial bearing, due to bad conditions or excessively heavy or light crops. Some apple varieties are more prone to biennial bearing than others.

What are the stages of an apple tree?

Growth Stages: (1) dormant, (2) swollen bud, (3) bud burst, (4) green cluster, (5) white bud, (6) bloom, (7) petal fall, and (8) fruit set.

What do first kiss apples taste like?

First Kiss is the newest apple to be developed by the University of Minnesota. They were bred to have Honeycrisp juiciness and a refreshing tartness, while also being one of the first apples to ripen in the fall. Their very crisp texture along with tart to well-balanced flavor offers an incredible eating experience.

Why are Envy apples so good?

The sweet taste and crunch of an Envy apple makes it perfect for fresh out-of-hand eating. The flavor also lends well to cakes and pies. . Because this New Zealand hybrid doesn’t brown as quickly as other apple varieties, it makes a great sliced snack.

Are coffee grounds good for apple trees?

Coffee grounds contain a good amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, magnesium, and copper, all of which are important to maintain a healthy plant. They also increase the acidity of the soil, which is helpful for apple trees as they prefer more acidic soil with a pH of 5.8-7.0.

Will a single pear tree produce fruit?

If a pear tree is weak, stressed, or diseased, it will produce very little fruit or poor quality fruit. . All fruit trees require proper pollination in order to produce fruit. Most pear trees are completely or partially self-pollinated, so it is necessary to plant more than one variety if you wish to have fruit.

How close should apple trees be to pollinate?

For pollination purposes, the recommended planting distance for apple trees is within a 100 foot distance. To summarize, nearly all apple varieties need to be cross-pollinated with pollen from the flowers of a different apple variety to produce fruit.

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Where do crabapple trees come from?

Asked by: Dangelo Grant PhD

Crabapples are native to North America and Asia. They are widely grown for their attractive growth habit, spring flower display, and decorative fruit. The fruits are much smaller and more tart than the common apple ( Malus domestica

apple | Description, Cultivation, & Uses | Britannica

Where do crab apple trees grow?

Habitat: Crabapple trees are found in temperate regions of the northern hemisphere, including Kazahkstan, Russia, and China. Crabapples also inhabit the temperate regions of North America since they were introduced to the Western Hemisphere in the 18th century.

Are crabapple trees good trees?

The tree’s shape makes it a good small shade tree as well as an attractive flowering and fruiting ornamental plant. It also has good resistance to all four major crabapple diseases: Fire blight, apple scab, powdery mildew, and cedar-apple rust.

Are crabapple trees native to us?

Though it’s not clear how they arrived here, at least three crabapple species are native to North America: Malus coronaria, M. fusca, and M. ioensis. Most of our other crabapple species, native to Europe and Asia, prospered when brought here as seeds or cuttings by colonists.

Are crabapple trees messy?

Crabapple trees provide beauty in the spring but a mess in the fall once the fruit drops. During the summer months, a tree can throw shade and reduce air conditioning costs.

Crab Apples facts & history

30 related questions found

Can you eat crab apples?

Yes, you can eat crab apples. Generally, they’re too tart to eat raw, but their appliness is intense when cooked. Crab apples have a really high pectin content, great for jams and jellies. . They may be small and sour, but you can make some amazing recipes with the fruit of the crab apple tree.

Why are crab apples called crab apples?

Crab apples are technically called such because of their size—small—and not their cultivar, since no two apple seeds are genetically alike. Think of them as their own fruit for culinary reasons, since you can’t use crab apples exactly as you would larger, more familiar apples.

How long do crab trees live?

Whether you have a crabapple tree in your garden or want to plant one, expect it to live between 30 to 70 years. From what we found, most crabapple varieties have similar lifespans and will produce flowers each spring. When it comes to how fast they grow, crabapples are slower-growing trees versus other species.

What’s a crabapple tree look like?

Crabapple trees develop a thick canopy of ovate, oval or elliptical leaves in summer. Their lush foliage may be bright green, dark green or purple. In fall, many varieties clothe themselves in brilliant color, including golden-yellow, red, orange or bronze, before shedding to the ground.

Are crabapple trees good for anything?

Crabapples are an excellent source of vitamin C, which our bodies need for a strong immune system. While eating crabapples won’t guarantee a healthy body, the nutrients and vitamins will help your body fight off illness. There’s an ounce of truth to the old saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.”

Do crabapple trees attract rats?

Crabapples will not keep mice away. In fact, wild crabapple trees are a natural and important winter food source for mice, reports the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, Illinois. Leaving crabapple fruit on the ground will attract mice.

What are crabapple trees good for?

It all starts in spring with a riot of blousy white or pink blossom that draws in the pollinators as they stir from their winter slumber. The trees are invaluable as a pollinating partner for other apples, so plant one within your mini orchard and you’re sure to boost the fruiting prospects of your other trees.

Can squirrels get drunk off of crab apples?

Scientists say the poor creature could actually be intoxicated. Animals can get buzzed from the naturally occurring alcohol found in fermented fruit.

What month are crab apples ripe?

Crab apples have a really high pectin content, great for jams and jellies. These ancestors of cultivated apple have small, round fruit that rarely grow larger than a golf ball. They ripen in late September to October and are usually green with a pink blush or a golden yellow colour.

Do crabapple trees produce apples every year?

How Often Do Crabapple Trees Produce Fruit? Crabapples similarly bear fruit as their flowers. In general, your crabapple should produce fruit every year around the fall months. These fruits are considered persistent, which means that they will continue to cling to the branches throughout the winter.

How many years does it take a crabapple tree to produce fruit?

How long does it take crabapple trees to produce fruit? The climate and conditions in which your tree is growing will dictate how quickly it will fruit, but two-to-five years is a good range to plan on.

Is crabapple tree fast growing?

The growth rate of crabapple trees is slow to moderate, advises Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service, but some cultivars grow faster than others. . This tree only reaches 6 to 10 feet tall with a spread of 6 to 12 feet. It grows at a slow rate of fewer than 12 inches per year, advises Arbor Day Foundation.

How do you know when a crabapple tree is dying?

Yellowing and falling foliage, die-back of branches and flaking and removal of bark are symptoms of trees that are on the decline. Reduced flowering or strangely-timed leaf-out or blooming can also mark a final effort by a dying tree to produce seeds.

What are crab apples called?

Crabapple, also spelled crab apple, also called crab, any of several small trees of the genus Malus, in the rose family (Rosaceae). Crabapples are native to North America and Asia. They are widely grown for their attractive growth habit, spring flower display, and decorative fruit. . baccata), Toringo crabapple (M.

Are crabapples poisonous to dogs?

Dogs should never ingest crab apples! . Because, just like a full-size apple, crab apple stems, seeds, and leaves contain the chemical cyanogenic glycoside. This chemical is better known as cyanide, which is poisonous to dogs of any age.

What is the difference between crab apples and apples?

What is the difference between an apple and a crabapple? The main difference between an apple and a crabapple is the size of the fruit. A crabapple is a tree that produces fruit that are 2 inches or less in diameter. An apple tree produces fruit that are larger than 2 inches in diameter.

What is the rarest apple in the world?

• Top Fruit: Apple – Malus domestica (syn. .
• The fruits are striped pink, medium sized and have a distinct scent of lemon.

Are there poisonous apples?

The manchineel’s small apple-like fruit definitely won’t keep the doctor away — it packs such a poisonous punch that the Spanish conquistadors called it the ‘la manzanilla de la muerte’ or ‘little apple of death.

How big are crab apples?

The size of the fruit varies, but is between 1/4-inch and two inches. Anything bigger than that, and it’s considered an apple – not a crabapple. Crabapples are medium-sized trees, and typically reach a max height of 15-30 feet (though dwarf varieties do exist)

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