Cowboy Kisses

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Johnny Appleseed, Fact or Fiction?

Blog Post by Reggi Allder

         Do You Love Apples and Apple Pie?

I do. I grew up with my grandparent’s apple farm nearby. If I needed an apple, I went to their place and picked as many as I wanted. I could choose from several varieties including my favorite the Red Delicious.

  In the winter, glass jars of apple sauce waited for me in their cellar.

In school, we learned about a man named Johnny Appleseed. Was he a fictional character? I wasn’t sure. Research told me that Johnny Appleseed was born John Chapman on September 26.1774 in Leominster, Massachusetts, in the United States.

      He was an American nurseryman who introduced apple trees to parts of Pennsylvania, Ontario, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and the Northern counties of present-day West Virginia. John was known for the proliferation of orchards throughout the American frontier.

Johnny gathered leftover apple seeds from the cider mills’ pumice stones and sold them to settlers. This led to John Chapman's nickname of “Johnny Appleseed.” Pioneers brought the apple seeds to the West.

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 He was a successful businessman who used his money to improve his Apple Enterprises. John planted a nursery that produced thousands of apple trees. He would sell or trade the trees, or in some cases, he would replant the trees elsewhere.

In the West, it was unfortunate that fresh fruit was not available on cattle drives. The chuck wagon carried food for the cowboys. The trail hands ate beans, hard biscuits (hardtack), dried meat, and they drank coffee. So, imagine their delight if they arrived back at the ranch to homemade apple pie, all thanks to Johnny Appleseed’s hard work.

 

 Johnny became a rich man, but he never married and had no children.

His legacy lives on through nursery rhymes, books, and a movie, not to mention all the trees generated from the seeds he assisted in planting.

By the way, seven thousand varieties of apples from as far away as New Zealand, Australia, and Japan are now sold in the United States. In North America, the Crab Apple originated in the U.S. and the Macintosh Apple is from Canada.

Do you have a favorite apple? Please leave a comment. :)

Thanks for stopping by, Reggi Allder.

   “If you love, cowboys, small towns, second chances, and real-to-life characters, the Sierra Creek Series books by Reggi Allder are for you!” Her Country Heart,  His Country Heart, Our Country Heart, My Country Heart, available in ebook and paperback too on Amazon! Please follow Reggi Allder on Facebook and on Bookbub and Amazon.Thank you.

If  romantic suspense that keeps you on the edge of your seat is your cup of tea, check out Amazon for  Dangerous Web book one in the Dangerous Series by Reggi Allder.