Canada can thank Samuel de Champlain’s arrival (what’s now) Nova Scotia in 1604 for its apple industry. One of one of his main objectives was to create agricultural crops, including apples. The first record of established apple trees in the country was at Port Royal in 1610.
The Annapolis and Cornwallis Valleys were the original site of Nova Scotia’s apple industry – the area was buffered by the Atlantic Ocean and nestled between the two mountains. Things were going so well that fruit was being exported to Great Britain in 1849 and in the 17th century crops were being harvested in Quebec, Ontario and New Brunswick also. The Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) was a large influence on the distribution of apple seeds across Western Canada; around 1670, apple trees were planted at each of its forts across Canada (if the climate was suitable).
Jean Laframboise settled in Chazy on the west side of Lake Champlain in 1763 (not far from the Quebec border) and established himself as an apple grower in the area. Some of his original acres are part of New York State’s famous Chazy Orchards, which is just south of the USA/Canada border. The first known reference to commercial apple growing in Ontario was in 1796 and when nearly all Ontario farmers were growing apples, usually there were several varieties in the orchard, some which matured in the summer and some in the fall – and some that kept well in the winter.
In the 1800’s seeds and seedlings were sourced from other countries such as the USA, France, England and Russia. In 1874 Quebec’s Fameuse variety was awarded a gold medal in Lyon, France, which helped boost Quebec’s notoriety as a superior cider producer. In 1882 an inventory of Quebec’s orchards included favourite varieties like Fameuse, Pomme Grise, Bourassa, Golden Russet, Tolman Sweet, Late Strawberry and Blue Permain. The newest variety is the Canadian-created Arctic Apple, which was created to resist browning.
The Fameuse was favourited as a dessert apple but in 1925 the McIntosh took over in popularity. According to Ontario Apple Growers a popular variety in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s was the Baldwin, which originated in the USA in 1740 as a seedling. Other notable cultivars were: Gravenstein, (European, still grown in Nova Scotia), Russet (from the USA), Greenings, Wealthys, and the Northern Spy, which originated in New York State.
The challenges growers faced early on were pretty similar to what farmers face today: climate. “Challenges most recently have been weather - the impact of weather on growing,” said Kelly Ciceran, General Manager of Ontario Apple Growers. In 2012 the province as a whole lost 85 per cent of its crop and then in 2015 there was crop loss again due to early spring frost. “Apple farmers are continually challenged by the weather and do their best with the strategies and technologies available to mitigate those risks.”
Technology and harvesting methods are changing, making it easier for growers when they employ uniform orchard designs. Some Ontario growers use orchard platforms, which helps speed up the process because there’s a lot less climbing up and down ladders involved.
It’s a fruit that’s embedded with history and overall good feelings. “Several years ago we held a focus group in Toronto,” explained Ciceran. We heard that people have a love affair with apples, and in fact that’s what Ontario Apple Growers called its promotional campaign that year: ‘A Love Affair with Ontario Apples’. “Apples are usually the first fruit you give to your kids. It’s the fruit of fall and all the sentiment that evokes with the change in season. Because there are so many varieties you can always find a variety you love.” She says about 89 per cent of people like a sweeter, juicy, “red apple” flavour and the remaining 11 per cent preferring a tart, juicy, “green apple” flavour. “I think that because they’re available year-round, there are so many different varieties to choose from and on top of that they’re so versatile; you can have them in sweet or savoury dishes, a fresh snack, it’s healthy. Apples have (and always have had) a broad appeal.”
For more information:
Kelly Ciceran
Ontario Apple Growers
Ph: 905-688-0990 ext. 241
Sources:
Ontario Apple Growers
Canadian Geographic
The Apple, A History of Canada’s Perfect Fruit, by Carol Martin