Apple history and tradition is taught and celebrated annually in March as Heritage Apple Day, hosted and
presented by The Cashiers Historical Society.
Not only do participants at this event glean knowledge of forefathers’ forbearance growing trees and harvesting fruit, but instruction is provided on how to DIY tree grafting. Plus, there are tree giveaways, apple treats, children’s activities, music, etc.
This year’s annual Heritage Apple Day takes place Saturday, March 27 from 11:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. at the Cashiers Community Center.
Americans consume an annual average of 26.3 pounds of apples, according to the U.S. Apple Association. Apples, in fact, are currently cultivated on 26,000 farms nationwide with a yield of approximately 11 billion pounds. In Western North Carolina alone, 10,000 acres of orchards produce 75,000 tons of apples every year.
While the only apples native to North America are crab apples, once called “common apples,” European apple cultivars brought seeds to the New World and apples thrived in many regions and became a staple in many settlers’ homes not only as fresh apples, but in pies, chutneys, butters, jellies, and more. Fresh apples and homemade apple goods were often used as payment and trade, especially in rural areas. Time-honored apple recipes circulated, and continue to circulate, throughout communities and families.
T.R. Zachary’s apple house, built in 1883, holds significance for Heritage Apple Day because his life conveys the importance of apples as a way of life and sustenance for the early inhabitants of the Plateau. During the mid-19th century, Zachary listed 21 varieties of apples he was either planting or grafting. As The Cashiers Historical Society shared on its website last May in “How do You Like Them Apples?,” “…one of the first things planted after the pioneers cleared their land was an apple orchard.”
For more information about Heritage Apple Day, visit cashiershistoricalsociety.org. Health safety protocol pertaining to COVID-19 will be in place during the event.
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