Where Apples Come From

By ⋅ October 27, 2011 ⋅ Post a comment
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Hausner with an old Southern variety of apple tree, the “Terry Winter.” (Photo: Kevin Hauser)

Hausner with an old Southern variety of apple tree, the “Terry Winter.” This variety does well in heat and will be exported to grow in the tropics. (Photo: Kevin Hauser)

For our Geo Quiz, we want to know where apples originated, thousands of years ago.

Scientists point to a Central Asian mountain range. It’s located in a region where Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and China come together.

So name this Central Asian mountain range where the first wild apples are said to have grown.

The answer is the Tian Shan mountains in Central Asia, where scientists have traced the origin of apples.

Anchor Lisa Mullins speaks with Kevin Hauser who runs Kuffel Creek Apple Nursery in Riverside, California, about how apples migrated from Asia to Europe, then to the Americas, and about recent efforts to cultivate apples in warmer regions of Africa.

Tian Shan Mountains from space (Photo: NASA/Wiki Commons)

Tian Shan Mountains from space (Photo: NASA/Wiki Commons)

Discussion

4 comments for “Where Apples Come From”

  • Anonymous

    Enjoyed the interview, but Mr. Hausner made a major error in saying that growers in Africa were worried about “orangutans.” Those apes are unique to the jungles of Southeast Asia.

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1171324598 Kevin Hauser

      Oh my, I did make a terrible mistake, even more so since I lived six months in Kenya!  Baboons were the critter I was thinking about, although the 2-legged apple thief is still the most common.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Glenn-Shoaf/100001858643048 Glenn Shoaf

    Thanks Ashley for this infro!  Never relized apples were not native of US! Hope all is well!

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Glenn-Shoaf/100001858643048 Glenn Shoaf

    Thanks Ashley for this infro!  Never relized apples were not native of US! Hope all is well!