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Johnny Appleseed Day
"An apple grown from seed tastes 'sour enough to set a squirrel’s teeth on edge and make a jay scream.'”
~ Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)
Johnny Appleseed Day is celebrated biannually during both spring and fall to honor John Chapman (September 26, 1774 – March 18, 1845), an American pioneer and nurseryman who significantly contributed to the introduction of apple trees across many regions including Pennsylvania, Ontario, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and the northern areas of what is now West Virginia. Chapman's adherence to his Swedenborgian church's prohibition against grafting meant that he planted seeds directly, resulting in the growth of wild, bitter, and sour crabapples ideally suited for making hard cider, a vital drink on the American frontier. Crabapples, known for their extreme sourness and rarely consumed raw, serve as an excellent source of pectin. Their juice can be transformed into a ruby-red preserve with a rich, spicy taste. The crab apple, referred to as Wergulu in Old English, is celebrated as one of the nine plants in the ancient Anglo-Saxon Nine Herbs Charm from the 10th century. Additionally, "applejack," a type of apple brandy first distilled in colonial New Jersey in 1698 by Scottish immigrant William Laird, adds to the historical beverages of the era. This apple brandy, once nicknamed Jersey Lightning, offers a glimpse into the colonial American beverage landscape. 🥃 🍎 🌸 🌱
Johnny Appleseed is an American folk hero based on frontier nurseryman John Chapman, who established orchards throughout the American Midwest.
Born September 26, 1774 in Leominster, Massachusetts. In 1792, 18 year old John persuaded his 11-year-old half-brother Nathaniel to go west with him. The duo apparently lived a nomadic life until their father brought the rest of the family to meet up with them in 1805 in Ohio to start farming. John left the farm to begin an apprenticeship as an orchardist under a Mr. Crawford, who had apple orchards, thus inspiring his life's journey of planting apple trees.
The trees that Chapman planted had multiple purposes, although they did not yield edible fruit. The small, tart crabapples were rich in pectin and useful primarily to make hard cider and applejack, bringing alcohol to the frontier. Planting orchards were one way of serving the critical legal purpose of establishing land claims along the frontier.
Known for his eccentricities in later life, which included a threadbare wardrobe, no shoes, and a tin hat, John Chapman was a staunch believer in animal rights and denounced cruelty towards all living things, including insects. He was a practicing vegetarian in his later years, and did not believe in marriage, expecting to be rewarded in heaven for his abstinence.
Johnny Appleseed is remembered in American popular culture by his traveling song or Swedenborgian hymn:
"The Lord is good to me, and so I thank the Lord, for giving me the things I need, the sun and the rain and the appleseed. The Lord is good to me. Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen."
This beautiful tartan, designed by Carol A.L. Martin, was inspired by her own flowering apple and crabapple trees.
For more about the real Johnny Appleseed, click the crabapple tree in bloom.