Me Again about my Sunset apple.

Another thing that I found one website mentioning is that the Sunset
Apple was a 'heritage' variety.

I have come across a number of places where they mention 'heritage'
varieties of this that and the other but I am becoming rather
suspicious that this isn't as rigorous a label as one might expect.

Can anybody tell me exactly what constitutes a 'Heritage' variety? Is
there a set guideline, or is it more of a marketing gimmick intended
to catch the romantic gullible gardener?

Thanks
Steve

Hi again Steve,
The term 'heritage' does not have an exact definition, like the word
antique which is
also vague. Generally, heritage apples have some kind of history
associated with them
as being known to have been grown many years ago. This can be recorded
in the literature, or old botanic books, etc. Thomas Jefferson had his
favorite apple, so that
would certainly qualify as a heritage variety. I'm not sure if there is
any specific cut-off date between heritage and non heritage apples. The
heritage apples have survived because of their superior qualities. There
are many more apple varieties that
were never recorded because of poor quality. All these surviving
heritage apples have interesting histories associated with them, and many
of them are not marketable because they are not bright red and shinny, or
don't hold up well in shipment, etc. Most of them were originally not
grown for commercial purposes and are suited more
for the interested amateurs, or people with private orchards. There are
probably some people who will abuse this designation, but you can always
check out the history of these apples to decide for yourself. As a
hobbyist grower of apples, I find the heritage apples offer something you
cannot find in the stores, and in some cases, the gardening catalogs.
There are some new modern apples, like HoneyCrisp, Fuji, etc. which are
good tasting varieties, but here again, certain things were compromised
in their
development to make them more appealing to the mass market.

Hope this answers your question,

Sherwin D.

Steve Newport wrote:

Me Again about my Sunset apple.

Another thing that I found one website mentioning is that the Sunset
Apple was a 'heritage' variety.

I have come across a number of places where they mention 'heritage'
varieties of this that and the other but I am becoming rather
suspicious that this isn't as rigorous a label as one might expect.

Can anybody tell me exactly what constitutes a 'Heritage' variety? Is
there a set guideline, or is it more of a marketing gimmick intended
to catch the romantic gullible gardener?

Thanks
Steve

Steve,
I checked on the Sunset Apple and it was developed in the UK in 1918
in Kent.
It is supposed to be very close to Cox's Orange Pippen, but easier to
grow. Cox
apple itself comes from a seedling of Ribston Pippen in the year 1830. I
would
tend to classify both these varieties as heritage because of their age.
I have grown
the Cox apple here in the USA for many years and it is one of the richest
tasting
apples I have ever tasted, and makes great cider.

Sherwin D.


Steve Newport wrote:

Me Again about my Sunset apple.

Another thing that I found one website mentioning is that the Sunset
Apple was a 'heritage' variety.

I have come across a number of places where they mention 'heritage'
varieties of this that and the other but I am becoming rather
suspicious that this isn't as rigorous a label as one might expect.

Can anybody tell me exactly what constitutes a 'Heritage' variety? Is
there a set guideline, or is it more of a marketing gimmick intended
to catch the romantic gullible gardener?

Thanks
Steve