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. 
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.
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Interesting blog, Reggi. I never knew Johnny was a real person. I never really gave much thought to the apple tree, other than, like you, my favorite is the Red Delicious.(And the Apple Cider donuts at the local apple farms in NY state.) These past months I've been eating more apples, so it's nice to know the origins of the fruit. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHi Reggi: Interesting that one man could make such a difference in our lives. I vote for Honey Crisp, have several crabapple trees, the dear love those in the fall.
ReplyDeleteHi Julie, thanks for asking me to join Cowboy Kisses! And yes, for me, there is nothing better than Red Delicious Apples. I'm looking forward to the new crop this year. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Gini, it is surprising what one man can do when they have a focus. BTW, I've never had a Honey Crisp. I will try them. Thanks. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat info, I learned a lot. My favourite apple is Macintosh, I like the crisp tangy taste.
ReplyDeleteHi Anonymous, thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. I like the Macintosh too, they make great pies. :)
ReplyDeleteHi
ReplyDeleteReggi - great piece. I’m in Southern California but in a mountain pass. We live right down the road from a ton of orchards and one of my favorite things in the summer is stopping in for an apple cider popsicle! So good!
As a Brownie and then Girl Scout, I sang a blessing about Johnnie Appleseed:
ReplyDeleteThe Lord is good to me,
and so I thank the Lord
for giving me the things I need,
the sun and the rain and the apple seed.
The Lord is good to me.
My favorite is a Cox's orange pippin - not often seen around here. Mixing red delicious with Granny Smith makes a superb apple pie.
LizAnn Carson
Hi Cali Black, how wonderful, an apple cider popsicle! Yum. :) Thanks for your comment.
ReplyDelete.
Hi LizAnn, glad you could stop by! I hadn't heard of that song. Thanks for sharing it. A Cox's orange pippin apple, wow. This is a new apple to me. I will look for it. :)
ReplyDelete