The truth about Johnny Appleseed

In my research for the historical fiction book, "The Journey of Johnny Appleseed", I uncovered some fascinating, lesser-known facts that I chose not to include in the narrative but felt worth sharing:

The apples Johnny Chapman carried to the frontier were unlike any you'd find in today's grocery stores or farmers' markets. These apples were not typically eaten but were mainly used to produce hard apple cider, the favored drink in America at that time.

Grafting is a crucial technique in apple, grape, and other fruit tree cultivation. Apples that grow from seeds are often so tart that they earned the nickname "spitters," because that's probably what you'd do after tasting one.

On the frontier in New England, it was common for people to consume 10.52 ounces of hard cider daily, a stark contrast to the average modern American's consumption of 20 ounces of water today. Hard cider was as staple a part of the meal as meat or bread.

John Chapman passed away in 1845, and many of his orchards and unique apple varieties did not last much beyond his death. During Prohibition, FBI agents chopped down many apple trees that produced the sour, bitter fruits used for cider. This act nearly wiped out the traditional cider apple, obscuring a significant part of Chapman’s legacy and America's alcoholic heritage.

These insights, while not included in my book, enrich the backdrop against which my story is set and highlight some intriguing aspects of early American life.

The article attached is just one of many that discuss this somewhat sad reality and ending.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-c...