History1

The History of Minnesota Fruit Part One
Introduction	Long before any people came to the Americas, wild grapes and crab apples spotted the southern Minnesota landscape. These plants however, barely resembled the edible varieties we see today, and were of little practical use to either the American natives or later European settlers. Upon their arrival, Europeans introduced their fondness for both sweets and alcohol to the new world. To satisfy these desires, they brought European apple and grape seeds in the hopes of starting vineyards for wine and orchards for cider. The few heirloom eating varieties of apples and grapes were brought as clones, as neither plant grows true from seed (doesn’t produce a plant like the parent). The settlers quickly discovered that their heirloom plants grew poorly if at all in the new world, and didn’t have the genetic adaptability to produce hardy offspring. For the apple it was people like John Chapman (A.K.A. Johnny Appleseed), who sowed the unpredictable and highly varied seeds (exclusively for hard cider) on the new frontier that provided the neccessary genetic diversity for new American varieties. Natural and human selection acted upon these apple trees, leaving only those tolerant of the weather, and with the qualities desired most out of the fantastic variety available. Some of these trees became wildly successful as they were cloned and re-cloned. Many of these seedling plants have since become household names like Macintosh and Jonathan (Pollan). As settlers moved westward into Minnesota and beyond they brought apples in the hopes of continuing to propagate the sweet fruit. While some were able to eek by in the harsh Minnesota climate, virtually all of these early apples were failures, or at least disappointments, for the individuals who bred and nurtured them. More, but still limited, success was realized when some 150 varieties of apple were imported from Russia for breeding in 1865 (MAES). Around the middle of the 19th century Minnesotans realized that they had an image problem as a cold, inhospitable state. The sentiment was summed up in 1860 when prominent New York journalist Horace Greeley remarked, "I would not live in Minnesota because you cannot grow apples there,"(MSHS). Continued Image: A Crabapple much like those native to Minnesota
Challenges of Minnesota Part 1 Part 2
Fruit History in MN Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
Timeline
Our Relationship with Crops
Future Directions

Long before any people came to the Americas, wild grapes and crab apples spotted the southern Minnesota landscape. These plants however, barely resembled the edible varieties we see today, and were of little practical use to either the American natives or later European settlers.

Upon their arrival, Europeans introduced their fondness for both sweets and alcohol to the new world. To satisfy these desires, they brought European apple and grape seeds in the hopes of starting vineyards for wine and orchards for cider. The few heirloom eating varieties of apples and grapes were brought as clones, as neither plant grows true from seed (doesn’t produce a plant like the parent). The settlers quickly discovered that their heirloom plants grew poorly if at all in the new world, and didn’t have the genetic adaptability to produce hardy offspring.

For the apple it was people like John Chapman (A.K.A. Johnny Appleseed), who sowed the unpredictable and highly varied seeds (exclusively for hard cider) on the new frontier that provided the neccessary genetic diversity for new American varieties. Natural and human selection acted upon these apple trees, leaving only those tolerant of the weather, and with the qualities desired most out of the fantastic variety available. Some of these trees became wildly successful as they were cloned and re-cloned. Many of these seedling plants have since become household names like Macintosh and Jonathan (Pollan).

As settlers moved westward into Minnesota and beyond they brought apples in the hopes of continuing to propagate the sweet fruit. While some were able to eek by in the harsh Minnesota climate, virtually all of these early apples were failures, or at least disappointments, for the individuals who bred and nurtured them. More, but still limited, success was realized when some 150 varieties of apple were imported from Russia for breeding in 1865 (MAES). Around the middle of the 19th century Minnesotans realized that they had an image problem as a cold, inhospitable state. The sentiment was summed up in 1860 when prominent New York journalist Horace Greeley remarked, "I would not live in Minnesota because you cannot grow apples there,"(MSHS).

Continued

Image: A Crabapple much like those native to Minnesota