Michigan Apples: History & Tradition

French Jesuit missionaries planted apple seeds in the Michigan wilderness more than a century before the travels of Johnny Appleseed. Seedlings grew into giant fruit-bearing trees that provided tangy apples to pioneers who followed. As the Detroit settlement grew, grafted apple trees were planted. By the late 1700s, orchards that bloomed with Fameuse, Calville Blanc d'Hiver, Pomme Gris and Detroit Red rivaled those of New England, and even President Thomas Jefferson received scions of Detroit trees to plant at his Monticello estate. Today, 850 farms boast over nine million apple trees. Sample the seasons of Michigan’s apple history with author Sharon Kegerreis, from early settlements to today’s vibrant industry.