Far From the Tree: A Brief History of Apples, and the Heirloom Varieties Making a Comeback

Plus, 3 recipes to make the most of fall's favorite fruit

Buying from local, small-scale growers often gives you access to heirloom apple varietals. Arina P Habich/Shutterstock

A special kind of forest rises up from the rolling valleys of central Asia, surrounded by the jagged, snow-capped peaks of the Tian Shan mountains. Tangled among the brush grow Malus sieversii—the wild apple. Far from the neatly ordered rows of an apple orchard, these wild apple trees grow wherever they please, unfettered by the tending care of orchardists. Whole valleys light up in the spring with exuberant sprays of foamy white flowers before yielding small, plump yellow fruit in the fall.

This valley gave the world the apple tree, one of the most popular and widely cultivated fruits. It wasn’t until 1929 that Russian botanist Nikolai Vavilov traced the modern, domesticated apple (Malus domestica) directly to its wild ancestor, and this genomic connection was reconfirmed in 2010 by a team of international researchers.

The Spread of Apple Seeds

Migration, ancient trade routes, and the Roman Empire’s expansion spurred the spread of apples from this isolated, mountainous region. The little golden fruit was aided by one other benefit: It’s heterozygous, meaning it doesn’t grow true to seed. Rather, if you plant an apple seed, it’s unlikely to carry the traits of its parents. The seed from a sweet apple might yield bitter or sour fruit. Instead, you must graft apples to ensure that a sapling will eventually bear the fruit of its predecessors.