Here’s one reason: an ancient, gnarly New Zealand apple tree found growing wild in a hedgerow turns out to be a nutrient bomb of healthy phytochemicals- apparently more than any apple tested so far. Burnt Ridge Nursery in WA is taking advance orders for this apple- Monty’s Surprise- for delivery 2017. I’m trying to find out if our American heirlooms have been similarly tested. A very interesting four minute video by the apple’s discoverer:
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Very interesting video. I never considered health benefits of apples like I look at other things. I’m not sure why but I should have been thinking about the health benefit from apples like the one in the video. Now we need to find out how to get one right?
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I emailed Burnt Ridge and got on their waiting list for one tree. It appears the apple is not patented.
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Thanks Hambone for bringing this one up. Looks like a good find!
Hambone,
Thank you for letting us know. Like Clark, I have not considered heath benefits. All I know is the saying that an apple a day keeps the doctor away.
If this apple variety will offer “an apple a day keeps cancer away”, I should find a space to plant one.
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Nice- easy to be tempted, but I’d have to do it as a graft. Maybe in a couple of years I can score a little wood for grafting.
You know, I’m of an age (middle sixties) when I now realize that not all the projects I start are going to be realized during my lifetime! I could end up having to move from this house in a few years, for example, if for some reason our health changed. I’m starting to look at trees a little differently now. Who knows, I may have to start growing soft fruit!
; -)
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I’m in my 40s and standard trees are going off my list soon. Pears for my heirs literally :0)
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Maybe Burnt Ridge will sell scionwood too, otherwise I’ll have to make my one tree grow fast to produce scions. I usually avoid feritlizing apple trees the first year so I don’t overdo it. How would you get max growth out of a just planted apple?
I get the impression Christensen just wants to get this apple out to as many people as possible and is not interested in making a ton of money. He intentionally did not patent or trademark it the best I know. I like what he’s doing.
Yeah the age thing has dawned on me too. Just hit 70, stay fit, but refuse to do ladder work. I’m still training a bunch of them- high enough to get above deer and low enough for me to reach! Good thing I’m tall. Are there any ladders that are safer than others? I’ll check the search feature above, don’t want to reinvent the wheel here.
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Yup
I like the three legged orchard ladders when working around fruit trees. I have 8 and 12ft size. 8-10ft is about all you need. 12ft gets heavy and isn’t needed on a 12ft tree.
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I’m never higher than the second-highest step on an eight footer, and then I always make sure I have one hand on a branch- although I am comfortable with one foot on the step, a knee or ankle consciously hooked in somehwere- and I’d rather not fall on concrete so long as there is nice loam and grass about … I try to be mindfull! Had a customer who fell from a ladder and nearly died from the concussion -a week in the hospital, six before driving. Doing OK now. But scary- things happen so fast!
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A lot of the so called heirlooms have a horrible flavor that is why they went out of style in the first place. Same way with vegetables. Try eating Country Gentleman an heirloom sweet corn then eat a modern variety like honey select and you will realize why the so called heirlooms have almost become extinct.
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A great find. Hopefully we can get some trees growing. I only have one apple tree at the moment but I’d make some room for Monty’s Surprise.
Regarding health benits of apples, a recent story said there are indications that a chemical in apple skins can slow down muscle loss as we age.
Hambone, what a great video! Shows there are still some treasures out there to be discovered!
Maybe in 100 years, someone will discover a tree that I planted. Pass it on to another generation.
I want to pass on some of the varieties and skills to others, so they can enjoy the harvests that I get. And pass on some historic varieties too. Last year I grafted scion from Granite Beauty, Porter, and others, onto my young Jonared tree. That is the only way I will ever get to taste them. Next year I have orders in for Newtown Pippin, Baldwin, and some non-historic uncommon varieties. Discovering those flavors is part of life’s enjoyment.
I wouldn’t say no to scion from Monty’s Surprise, either. Sounds great!
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That may be true with corn, but peas , tomatoes and rice heirlooms are way better than any hybrids. I’m sure it’s true with a lot of other vegetables too. Speaking of corn i heard some of the heirloom popcorns are fantastic.
I don’t care for the “super sweet” corn that I’ve had. It simply doesn’t have enough corn flavor to keep up with the sweet side.
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So, if this apple is so great and it’s been tested and then sent off to France to some unnamed scientist and whatnot, WHY is the apple they are offering a mere PIP offspring? That makes absolutely no sense, unless I misunderstood. 2:43 - 2:53 he says it’s a pip. It’s a seedling for Pete’s sake. There is absolutely nothing that says the pip seedling retains ANY of these great attributes he speaks of. That’s assuming these supposed attributes existed in the first place, which is imo a silly assumption . This is so incredibly counter to normal horticultural methods that it most definitely should at the very least raise some eyebrows.
What is the reason they could not have taken some wood and propagated like any other horticulturalist would have done? Probably because it was already a well known variety in the first place, or they suspected that it was. Now Burnt Ridge is taking orders? Burnt Ridge doesn’t know or understand apple genetics…or genetics period for that matter it seems. OR are they banking on the fact that purchasers will not?
I must have missed something. A pip is a pip. If alleles were that easy to push along, countries wouldn’t have university breeding programs. Absolutely nothing adds up here, and smells like a little scam to me.
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I’m with you Mark…a lot of the super sweet corns are just that…sweet. No corn flavor. Orchardman is right though imo, I’ve grown heirlooms at the same time as I grew a variety I think called honey and cream, a bicolor corn. There was absolutely positively no comparison whatsoever. The hybrids totally dominated…also a variety called Ambrosia (I think)…incredible.
Breeding works and works very well.
I would agree, although the more genes we have to work with the better. Heirlooms offer good breeding stock. With tomatoes breeding for shelf life, tough skin for better shipping and uniform size has apparently stripped the fruits of nutrients. Old heirlooms are more nutritious and this apple being so makes sense to me. With corn breeding was for taste. When that is done, you can get some excellent results. Back to tomatoes I grew Indian Stripe this year an heirloom, not that old of one, and man it is a fantastic tasting tomato. It sure beats anything ever sold in the grocery stores. In the south growing heirloom rices and peas have brought back the flavor to traditional southern dishes. Some old timers were complaining about using modern hybrids and the dishes not tasting the same.The result is now heirloom rice and peas are in extremely high demand in the south because of the superior flavor.
I think the world is big enough for heirlooms and hybrids, and well I think it is in our best interest to save as many heirlooms as possible. The super sweet corn came from somewhere, probably an heirloom. You have to have heirloom tomatoes to make the hybrids.
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Appleseed, the way I heard that was that the seedling trees were in addition to the existing tree, not in place of it. And at 1:28 he says that they are giving the tree away. But at 1:35 he says something I could not understand clearly and it may have been “patent”; after half a dozen listens I couldn’t decide.
I hope the wood’s available and that the fruit gets grown out and tested more.
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