Investigating the History of Indigenous Apple Orchards
Content Warning:As settlers and farmers who now grow apples on Native lands, we feel compelled to understand the history of the apple in this country, with special care for and attention to the suppressed story of Indigenous orchards and their vital influence on America’s relationship with this fruit. Our eyes were opened by the bookThe Ghost Orchard, the Hidden History of the Apple in North America by Helen Humphreys, which reveals critical elements in the origin story of apples related to Native communities and the North American landscape. We are sharing some of what we have learned here about Indigenous orchards with a content warning and a sense of grief that the story attached involves references to the brutality and traumatic history of Native genocide.
Most of us have heard the fabled tales of Johnny Appleseed and all the wild apple seeds he planted and then sold to settlers moving westward on the colonial frontier; but far fewer know about the role that Native nations had with the spread and story of the apple.
When Europeans arrived on the East coast of what became America, they brought many things from their countries of origin, including apple seeds and apple saplings. They planted them in the lands they stole through violence from the hundreds of different Native Nations living there, and soon after apple orchards became a common sight throughout the region. But it wasn’t just white settlers who were planting them. Many tribes, like the Oneida around the Great Lakes, the Algonquians up in present day Canada, the Shawnee in Missouri and Cherokee in Arkansas also planted, cultivated and propagated these new European apples in land surrounding their villages. Under their care the fruit flourished, and Indigenous orchards grew in size and popularity. Small, bitter crabapples were the only apples native to North America and these new varieties far outstripped crabapples in size, texture and flavor. The cultivated apple became a large part of a number of tribes’ diet year round, either cooked, dried, stored, fresh or pressed. Some varieties from the Indigenous orchards even became so well known they were grown commercially and their descendants exist in our markets today.
The value these Indigenous apple orchards added to the land that the tribes were living on did not go unnoticed by the settlers or their fledgling government’s leaders. It was not too long before tribal communities with apple orchards were targeted specifically in campaigns to harass, intimidate or forcibly remove them from their land so that European settlements could build on top of them and appropriate their land’s bounty. And as colonization accelerated, these orchards became a symbol of Indigenous prosperity to be destroyed by the growing military force. According to Humphreys, "The apple thus became, in its infancy in North America, a tool for colonialism.”
In 1779, the soon-to-be first President General George Washington, sent four thousand men to battle the Six Nations of the Iroquois or Haudenosaunee Confederacy which included the Oneida, Onondaga, Mohawk, Cayuga, Seneca and Tuscarora Nations. His goal was to determine “at a single blow, whether white men or red men should hold domination over these fertile vales and along these streams, and over these lakes and mountains.” [Source: Fredrick Cook. Journals of the Military Expedition of Major General John Sullivan Against the Six Nations of Indians in 1779] The invading soldiers marched through the area of upstate New York and around the Finger Lakes, decimating over 40 villages and cutting down or setting fire to the orchards they encountered along the way. The residents of the villages who had warning escaped, but had few safe places to turn. Some were given refuge by the British soldiers who they had fought alongside during battles of the Revolutionary War. But the British forts did not have enough room to house or food to feed so many, and hundreds of Native families died.
Even with so many powerful forces working to eliminate or assimilate them, Native nations and tribal cultures endured and continue to practice and restore traditional foodways. One such example is theOneida Nation of Wisconsin who were forced to relocate from their traditional home in New York State and lost thousands and thousands of acres of their land. In recent decades, they have purchased 30 acres of orchards in their original homeland and planted fruits, berries and vegetables as part of theirCommunity Integrated Food Systems project to provide traditional foods and agricultural jobs to tribal members. They also started an annualBig Apple Fest which brings the community together along with the greater public to celebrate Oneida culture, traditions, food and apples every fall.
“In school, all of us were taught the same thing - that Columbus was a great explorer who “discovered America.” As a kid, I didn’t realize he was actually lost, which eventually lead to the European’s attempt to colonize our ancestors. What they didn’t count on, is our strong warrior spirit, which sustains us to this day.” -President of the Seneca Nation Rickey L. Armstrong, 2020
Here on the Olympic Peninsula, the JamestownS’Klallam Tribe Traditional Foods & Culture Program “Emphasizes that humans are integral to, rather than separate from the natural world, that a relationship between these landscapes require human involvement with them if they are to continue to exist.” And at Naiome Krienke’sChemakum Longhouse for the People project property in Quilcene, botanists from the Olympic Peninsula prairie restoration initiative are working to re-plant camas and other native plants.
There are many myths about the apple. Learning more about the Indigenous influence on the spread of apple varieties across the North American landscape brings complexity to the story for those who have not been exposed to it, and challenges the prevailing myths that obscure Indigenous realties and colonization's many brutalities. It also allows recognition and respect for the depth and resilience of place-based Indigenous cultures and their traditional ecological knowledge. Growing apples on the farm, making cider, inviting community together to share in the fruits of our farming and fermentation — all of that happens in the context of larger, longer layers of stories requiring acknowledgment and commitment to healing relationships.
Co-authored by local writer Kai Wallin & Finnriver founder Crystie Kisler
Finnriver Resources
Indigenous Land Acknowledgement
DEI Statement and Action and Accountability Plan
Article Sources
Humphreys, Helen.The Ghost Orchard: The Hidden History of the Apple in North America.HarperCollins Publisher. Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 2017.
OneidaBig Apple Fest
Further Reading
How Native Farmers Shaped the NW Apple Industry, Part 1: Orgins
How Native Farmers Shaped the NW Apple Industry, Part 2: Snake River and Yakama Valley
Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation
Jamestown Traditional Foods & Culture Program
A Curious Tale: The Apple in North America
Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance
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We couldn't do it without the bees! According to the Pollinator Partnership, "Birds, bats, bees, butterflies, beetles,, and other small mammals that pollinate plants are responsible for bringing us one out of every three bites of food. Pollinators support healthy ecosystems that clean the air, stabilize soils, protect from severe weather and support other wildlife." At Finnriver, our farm and orchard rely on the work of pollinator, whose quest for pollen and nectar helps both feed their families and fertilize the trees. In our orchard, we provide home nests for mason bees, whose particular flight patterns and belly hairs make them very effective and thorough cross-pollinators for our fruit trees. We also have a handful of honey bee hives that promote pollination and make honey for the farmers. As organic farmers, we use an integrated pest management system to target pests and avoid or reduce the impact on pollinators and other beneficial insects, and we work to promote pollinator-friendly practices, such as planting the purple cover crop Phacelia. This wildflower produces lovely foliage topped with deep blue-violet flowers that produce heaps of nectar and attract an array of pollinators. Phacelia's common name is a translation of bienen-freund, German for "bee's friend." How Can You Help? You're helping pollinators by supporting small, local organic farms like Finnriver and all our neighboring farms. Grow your own pesticide-free garden with flowering plants, purchase organic foods and certified organic cotton clothing when you can, buy honey from local beekeepers, engage in citizen science and support legislation that protects pollinators.
Finnriver Orchard crew member Sam Scheidt and his partner Katelyn Porter were looking for an opportunity to get their hands in the soil, deepen their experience with production vegetable growing, and provide a needed resource for the local food bank. They found the connective tissue for their goals at the Finnriver farm when owner Keith Kisler suggested they dig into some underutilized space near the orchard. With the support of Finnriver, the Food Bank Farm and Gardens of Jefferson County, Sam and Katelyn began their first growing season this year. They are currently responding to a need for an intentional grow of greens, lettuces and salad vegetables for the Tri-Area Food Bank in Chimacum. This is different from gleaning unwanted, overripe, or lesser quality foods from farms and supermarkets—how much of the food makes its way to the food bank. Sam and Katelyn feel passionate addressing the divide between people with means and people without means and the land’s capacity to provide for everyone. The same land can and does provide food for the food bank as well as for the Finnriver kitchen Sam says. Vegetables don’t make distinctions based on income and class. Perhaps humans can learn something from that. Either way, Sam is interested in blurring the boundaries, and feels good about all the labor he puts into growing food when he feels it is a needed resource. The food bank and this Finnriver partnership has also provided Sam and Katelyn a relatively low-risk environment to hone their farming knowledge and experiment with what they enjoy growing. Experiences like this can be vitally important and encouraging to young farmers, Sam says. He wants to encourage more farms to partner with newer farmers to better utilize extra space, address challenges of land access, and grow food for everyone in this community that needs it. This food bank garden has been producing a variety of lettuces, kale, collards, cabbages, and summer squash so far. A bounty of onions and winter squash are growing bigger everyday and will supply both the food bank and the Finnriver Kitchen later this fall. Looking toward future seasons, Sam and Katelyn are hopeful to put in more perennial crops like herbs and berries.
Finnriver relocated our tasting and tap room in 2016 to a historic dairy farm at the central intersection in the rural community of Chimacum. Our goal was to show how rural economic development, land and resource conservation and sustainable agriculture can all converge and thrive. The old cow feeding trough was converted, using reclaimed barn wood, into a 75 foot long community table and the space covered by an open air pavilion. Alongside the pavilion, we restored an old feeding shed into our cidery tasting and taproom. These and other structures make up the Cider Garden, which looks out over the 50 acres of organic farm and orchard. This Cider Garden has now become an all-ages gathering space, music venue and local food court, offering a welcoming space for neighbors and visitors to gather and reconnect to the land that sustains us. In order to continue the mission of educating and inspiring wise land use, we worked with local renewable energy advocates and Power Trip Energy company to apply for the USDA Rural Energy for America program (REAP). With matching funds from REAP, federal tax credits, support from a Barnraiser crowdfunding campaign and loans, Finnriver was able to install an expandable, grid-tied 65-kilowatt system, using 212 solar panels. These panels cover 3,000 square feet of roof space here at the Cider Garden. Initially, we estimated that it would produce 65,000 kWh of electricity annually which would produce enough electricity to supply more than half of our annual power needs and send green energy back into the grid. After one year in service, the solar panels have in fact produced around 74,500 kwh – which is enough electricity to cover almost 80% of Finnriver’s portion of electricity use at the Cider Garden property. To commemorate this feat, a Sol Mandala was crafted by the ceramic artists at Millbrook Clayworks and with metalwork by Abraxas Crow. It celebrates the generous contributions of supporters of Finnriver’s renewable energy campaign. We recently installed an educational display that will teach visitors about the benefits of renewable energy near our North entrance. We hope that this renewable energy system will provide a venue to educate our community about the benefits of solar energy and give us an exciting opportunity to 'walk our talk' about sustainability and to showcase how the local food economy can integrate land conservation, renewable energy and watershed restoration!
That patch of yellow-flowering, wild mustard greens behind the Finnriver Kitchen aren’t just growing tall to look pretty; they’re working hard! Results are in from the first round of testing on our bioremediation project, revealing the decontamination efforts are meeting our goals of clean and healthy soil! The Remediators, one of Finnriver's land partners, took up the task of removing toxic levels of petroleum and lead from an area of the property where farm equipment was historically repaired. A network of specially selected plants, bacteria and fungus (locally sourced willow, rapeseed, PDN-1 bacterial endophytes, and a mushroom strain similar to the edible Stropharia rugoso-anulata) have significantly reduced the high levels of toxins detected on the site since the project began two years ago. In a decontamination method known as the Integrative Biological Approach, mycoremediation and phytoremediation are used in tandem to leverage each organism’s purifying talents. These living beings have proven abilities to grow in contaminated soils and take up or break down petroleum and heavy metals. “By combining this suite of organisms together, they work better than on their own,” said Howard Sprouse, CEO of The Remediators and lead of the project at Finnriver. For example, the chosen fungi strain are able to transform heavy metals into a soluble form that the plants can then take up and store in their tissues. In general, the methods of bioremediation transform toxic organic materials at the molecular level, converting them into more innocuous compounds. While full mineralization of contaminants is desired, it is sometimes not possible, as in the case of heavy metals. In these scenarios, the hyper-accumulating plant material can be removed from the soil and taken elsewhere to decompose. This will be the method utilized at Finnriver. The biomass of the plant and fungal matter will be significantly less than if the contaminated soil were to be removed directly, as is the case in more conventional forms of remediation. In some cases, the plant or fungi material utilized in remediation create useful byproducts, such as bio oils that can be turned into fuel. There is even consideration that edible mushrooms can be harvested as a food crop byproduct in instances where the organic soil contaminants might be decomposed without so imparting toxicity. Soil contamination, particularly involving heavy metals and petroleum, pose huge health burdens to society and to the earth. Conventional clean-up invokes a sizable financial strain as well. Through observation, appreciation and application of the natural capabilities of some specific plants, bacteria, and fungi, we can remediate the damage as we work in partnership with these incredible beings. The samples collected from the Finnriver farm this spring were from areas of the project where plants were growing well and that were expected to be cleaner. More complete testing will occur at the end of this year’s growing season.
Last Fall’s rains and harvests may have depleted our soils of the nutrients that will determine the fate of our crops and the health of our garden this year. Early spring is a great time to add soil amendments because the rain and warmer temps will awaken soil microbes and bring those nutrients into the root zone. It is often said that we need to put a healthy dose of NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) fertilizers on our lawn and gardens every year. However, it is important to first know the components of your soil in order to understand what you may or may not need to add. At the Finnriver orchard, we test our soil every year as it lets us track how our soils are improving or being depleted by our fertility management program. With a soil test in hand, you can apply the appropriate amounts of amendments. By adding amendments such as lime (for alkaline) and sulfur (for acidic), you help "unlock" fertilizers that are bound to soil particles and increase the absorption of other amendments you add this year. It is essential to be careful about over-applying which can cause problems downstream when leached nutrients travel into storm water and aquifers that ultimately pollute river mouths and other bodies of water. This is why we encourage the use of organic means to amend soils. For example, a gentle means of replenishing nitrogen is to apply a 2-inch layer of compost onto your beds or around perennials. Earth worms and other arthropods will break down the compost and slowly release its nutrients to your plants. After a few years of composting this might be the only source of nitrogen that you need to add. Homemade compost from kitchen scraps, coffee grounds and leaf debris is a fine way to start. Other good commercial options are NutriRich (pelletized chicken manure) or Mushroom Compost in bulk. For more detailed information about the health of soils, I recommend “Teaming with Nutrients" by Jeff Lowenfells and “Soul of Soil" by Grace Gershuny.
