Nihonmachi Apples!

A product of the relationship between nature and humans, the history and transfer of domesticated plants as people migrated across the globe makes for a fascinating read. Karen and Kevin Lyons from plot #17 share one excellent story, which is also a great example of the commitment and dedication it can take to care for certain plants. In this case, a community came together to preserve a living piece of history! One can understand the enthusiasm of seeing the first fruit when it takes multiple years to achieve! Here's the story:

Four years! I started these grafted twigs four years ago and now one has fruit! The Nihonmachi apple - "Historic 80 year old apple tree removed to make room for an apartment building, but branches were grafted and the tree has been saved. Five grafted trees were returned to the International District and there will be a plaque with the history of the tree. Two of the trees will remain with the Solstice P-Patch.These trees were in the Japanese area of the International district and it is believed that they were brought from Japan to the orchard after WWII when the internment camps were closed." -- Elaine Ike, SGSC, Seattle Green Space Coalition. One of the board members found the tree while trying to save remnants of an orchard. Though the tree couldn't be saved, the builders worked with Seattle Green Space Coalition and Seattle City Fruit to save via grafting to create new apple trees. It is a very delicious apple and larger then I expected! We are still searching for its ancestor. I thought it might be a Japanese Akane apple, but it seems too large and it ripens later than an Akane.

Learn more:

#NoWasteWednesday: Saving Nihonmachi's Apples Historic Nihonmachi

Thank you Karen and Kevin for sharing this story!