Out of all the temperate fruits, apple is the most ubiquitous. It was known to the Greeks and Romans, and was mentioned by Theophrastus in the third century B.C. (Janick & Moore, 1996) It has been cultivated in Europe and Asia from antiquity and since then it has been distributed into almost all parts of the world. (Janick & Moore, 1996) Due to the genetic variability found in the apple, it has allowed itself to be selected for different environments. Orchards are now found in cold regions of Siberia and Northern Parts of China, and straddle the equator where Apples are found at high elevations in Colombia and Indonesia.(Janick & Moore, 1996) Until the middle of the last century, hundreds of different cultivars were grown. In the medieval times cultivation was concentrated around the monasteries. Cultivars have been selected and propagated since the early times. By the end of the thirteenth century, many named cultivars were known, heritage varieties like ‘Pearmain’ and ‘Costard’ were highlights of the 13th century. (Janick & Moore, 1996)
The fruits of the heritage cultivars were characterised by very unconventional quality traits – different fruit shapes and skin colour, varying nutritional values and organoleptic traits. (DONNO et al., 2012) A great example of this is ‘Calville Blanc D’hiver’ known from Normandy in France in the early 1600s. The ugly exterior of this apple contradicts its sublime interior. It has a spicy flesh with the fragrance of a delicate banana. The amount of Vitamin C packed in this apple, exceeds not only all other eating apples but also oranges. (Ltd, 2012)
The epitome of vast variety of heirloom apple cultivars is known to be found in North America. European colonists, in the early seventeenth century, introduced the sweet apple and other fruit trees to North America.(Routson, Reilley, Henk & Volk, 2009) In the United States, the diversity of heirloom apples historically found in orchards, backyards and hedgerows consisted of about 16,000 distinct named varieties. This is greater than the diversity found in any other crop domesticated or introduced to the North American continent.(Watson, B et al. )
In the United States, the late 19th century is often alluded to as the golden years of apple growing. (Routson, Reilley, Henk & Volk, 2009) Farm and kitchen orchards were planted with a range of fruit trees to suit various family needs. (Routson, Reilley, Henk & Volk, 2009) Historically, livelihoods in rural regions were maintained by growing apples and pears that ripened in summer. The apples were then “kept” all winter in the cold cellar, were used to produce desirable ciders, and those that were amenable to cooking and baking, were used for the same. (Routson, Reilley, Henk & Volk, 2009) Apples were also used to make vinegar and apple butter, they were also dried for use during winter. European cookbooks from the 1600s and 1700s used in America included numerous recipes requiring apples: ciders, vinegars, pies, puddings, fritters, jellies and marmalades (Viney, 2016) Today, some of the many 19th century varieties can be seen at The Seed Savers Exchange’s Historic Orchard in Iowa, United States. (Creasy, 2009)
With the diffusion of commercial apple varieties since the second half of the last century, hundreds of different local cultivars have rapidly disappeared from orchards throughout the world. Even today, particular quality attributes of these fruits are still at the risk of being lost. (DONNO et al., 2012) In the modern scenario, apple production has become reliant on relatively few cultivars, however, traditionally hundreds of ‘heritage’ apples have been grown. (Brown, 2015) With changing consumer demands and consumption patterns, there had been a need for growers to produce fruit that fill these new markets. (Brown, 2015) Since the 1960s, with the spread of commercial varieties because of orchard specialisation, the local germ-plasm has lost its importance and have begun to be forgotten by growers and consumers. The most widely grown cultivars these days are ‘Golden Delicious’ and ‘Delicious’ and its red sports.(Janick & Moore, 1996) Many apple varieties which were commonly planted in the United States, and around the world, only a century ago can no longer be found in today's orchards and nurseries. (Routson, Reilley, Henk & Volk, 2009)
In Northern Italy, in the last few years, various conservation and development research programs studying the local apple germ-plasm have been carried out as a cultural initiative. The initiative has been put forward in order to preserve a resource that is so closely linked to the natural history of both Human and Apple. In United States, local markets, such as roadside stands and 'pick-your-own' operations, have been playing an important role in the preservation of heritage varieties of apples (Goland & Bauer, 2004) In various parts of Europe and specially in Northern Italy, the identification, characterisation and valorisation of ancient fruit cultivars is becoming essential. It is an important step undertaken to preserve the special quality of these heirloom cultivars, and to avoid the loss of precious and useful germ-plasm. (DONNO et al., 2012)
In Tasmania, the Government of Australia owns a collection of over 850 apple cultivars. (Brown, 2015) Since the government does not actively manage this collection, it has been leased to Australia’s largest pome fruit nursery – Tahune Fields Nursery. Over the past few seasons, the Nursery has been cataloguing the heritage cultivars documenting the fruit characteristics, similar to the program in Northern Italy. (Brown, 2015) This information is then being put up on the internet and is being used to identify heirloom cultivars with desirable traits. The identified cultivars are being propagated and small experimental orchards have been set up to judge their commercial potential.(Brown, 2015)
‘Heritage Apples’ are the apples of our ancestors, they represent an important part of our natural, environmental and cultural history. In order to know our present better, there is a need to acknowledge and preserve this historical past. Not only do these heirloom varieties offer a diversity of shapes, sizes, colours, textures, and tastes they contribute a lot towards the local gene pool of a particular area and the overall biodiversity. In preservation, we may lose out on traditional names, but these heirloom cultivars will still represent a snapshot of the diversity of apple varieties available over a century ago.