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Gano, Golden Russet, & Virginia Greening
“ Apples from the Seed Savers Exchange grove are not your typical supermarket denizens , ” observed theNew York Timesin October 2014 .
That has been the guinea pig since the grove was planted in 1989 and remains straight to this daytime . And as temperature start to send away and schools start to open in towns and cities around the country , one C of Malus pumila form — some gold , some green , some ruby-red , but all precious and rare — continue to ripen in the Historic Apple Orchard at Seed Savers Exchange ’s Heritage Farm in Decorah , Iowa .
These uncommon yet versatile orchard apple tree varieties include Gano , Golden Russet , and Virginia Greening , all of which provided sustenance to immigrant and homesteaders during the nineteenth century ( and perhaps even earlier ) and all of which grew increasingly rare as advance in infrigidation and transportation helped fuel the decline of apple multifariousness . And while they may be impossible to determine in your local supermarket , all three varieties will before long be ripe for the picking in our Northeast Iowa orchard .
Apples ripen in the Seed Savers Exchange Historic Orchard at Heritage Farm in Decorah, Iowa.
The attractively colored Gano Malus pumila has light - yellow skin that work to a stunning regal - bolshie when ripe . Its firm , ashen anatomy is crisp , fresh , and juicy , making it unadulterated for baking pies and shoemaker . Popular in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia in the late 19th and early 20th century , the Gano is treasure for its taste and prodigious storage qualities .
While the Gano thrived in Virginia in the 1800s , the Golden Russet did the same up the Atlantic coast . discover in historic documents as “ the champagne of old - time cider Malus pumila , ” this golden bronze - gloss diversity jaunt to this country from England with immigrant in compound metre . Its crisp , sweet , saporous flesh is exceedingly various and ideal for fresh eating , cyder making , and baking . Even better ? It stores exceptionally well , string up on tree diagram limb until Robert Lee Frost and keep well into spring .
As its name suggests , the Virginia Greening likely originated in Virginia , which is take down in documents dating back to the 1700s . The variety bear medium to bombastic yield with thick and , yes , green skin with an occasional red flush and scattered large , cerise dot . Its yellow , coarse form sweetens as the yield ripens , make it idealistic for impertinent feeding . Like the Gano and the Golden Russet , the Virginia Greening is an first-class keeper that merit planting today just as much as it did in the days of Thomas Jefferson .
Apples ripen in the Seed Savers Exchange Historic Orchard at Heritage Farm in Decorah, Iowa.
you’re able to avail Seed Savers Exchange ensure that these three rare sort and the C of others being stewarded in our Historic and Amy Goldman Heritage Orchards at Heritage Farm continue to be preserved and shared , in turn ensuring that the diverse dish and taste perception of North America ’s 19th - century apple inheritance are here for all of us today and for generation to come .
Heritage Farm and both plantation are open to the public from sunrise to sundown year - round . The Lillian Goldman Visitors Center is subject 9 am -5 pm Central , seven Clarence Shepard Day Jr. a week , March - October . Edgar Guest are welcome to pick and take place apples from the grove .
hold on the apples off the orchard floor means less cleanup for our orchard staff and helps with pestilence ascendance since , at Seed Savers Exchange , we do n’t practice pesticide in our orchards .
The Gano apple, as depicted in a drawing from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Pomological Watercolor Collection.
Originally published on August 22 , 2019,by
With your support , Seed Savers Exchange can insure heirloom seeds are kept in our garden and on our board , today and for generations to come .
3094 North Winn RoadDecorah , Iowa 52101(563 ) 382 - 5990
The Golden Russet apple, as depicted in a drawing from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Pomological Watercolor Collection.
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Seed Savers Exchange is a tax - exempt 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to the saving of heirloom seed .
The Virginia Greening apple, as depicted in a drawing from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Pomological Watercolor Collection.
Orchard manager Jamie Hanson (right) talks with two orchard visitors.
Leashed pets are welcome at Heritage Farm.
