Part of John Chapman’s (Johnny
Appleseed) purpose in roving the new frontier planting apple trees to sell to
the new immigrants was to spread his religion. As you stated he followed the
Swedenborg religion, which I believe is a nature based religion. Based on his
deep religious beliefs, I doubt that his purpose in growing apples was to
encourage drinking alcoholic beverages to excess. Although, as has been
previously pointed out, making hard cider, vinegar etc. was very important to
the life and well-being of the early settlers. Chapman should be an honorary
member of NEFLEX.
Ro Chapman (no relation, but I do like to
grow apples)
From:
nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Lon Rombough
Sent: Saturday, November 20, 2004
8:43 PM
To: NAFEX
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] J. Seed
Chapman was a Swedenborgian (sp?). He was supposed to have gotten the apple
seed from the pomace at cider mills. From what I've read, vinegar was vital to
pioneers for food preservation, for pickling vegetables, in making ham and
cheese (wipe the cheeses and hams with vinegar to prevent/remove mold), as a
cleaner, and a lot more. Of course apple brandy (alcohol) was also used in
making herbal extracts for medicine, for food preservation (surprising how many
old recipes there are for fruit preserved in alcohol) and in making vinegar. In
the last case, apples usually didn't contain enough sugar to make hard cider
with very much alcohol. Since the strength of the vinegar depended on how much
alcohol there was to start with, they usually added brandy, or whiskey, to the
hard cider to get vinegar with more acetic acid in it.
-Lon Rombough
Grapes, writing, consulting, my book, The
Grape Grower, at http://www.bunchgrapes.com Winner of the Garden
Writers Association "Best Talent in Writing" award for 2003.
On Nov 20, 2004, at 5:26 PM, Heron Breen wrote:
Hi All,
From a few different sources, and with the details all gone fuzzy in my
head, I
have read that Johnathan
Chapman was a vegetarian, and a non-drinker. While this
does not preclude him from planting trees for cider for other folks, other
situations seem to explain his behavior. Apparently he was part of a Christian
sect, and I cannot recall which, maybe someone out there can remind me, and his
behavior, like vegetarianism, was totally bizarre for many people of the day.
He
eschewed money and material wealth in general, beyond what was needed. He also
had
many ideas on nature that apparently involved not pruning trees because it was
against divine guidance or natural way (? just a hypothesis, since I am not
privvy
to the religious sect).
Many sources have concluded he was basically a religious, possibly mentally
ill,
real estate developer. He would continue farther into the unsettled regions,
establishing orchards/nurseries, and the arriving settlers would have to buy
out
his claim, usually in the best sites. The price paid was fairly small, but
enough
to live off of, and he would take the younger stock and seeds and continue to
the
next perfect spot and wait. I believe he was not grafting as it seems against
the
above doctrine of no pruning, but I could be wrong. But established stock to
topwork and make cider and vinegar from were definitely a needed commodity by a
settler family, vinegar and cider being as good as money in a barter economy,
vinegar especially surprisingly.
I think it may be this person's religious conviction and lack of social skills
that
got him his mythical status.
Burnt Ridge Nursery has a similarly seemingly unbelievable story of another
nursery/grafter/farmer/black man/Oregon Trail person in their Winter 2004
catalog.
This person, named George W. Bush no less, lived a life that seems beyond
human.
Check this story out: George makes J. Seed seem pretty normal. PG 27, story
called:
George W. Bush and the Giant Butternut.
Happy Thanksgiving,
Heron Breen
Zone 4
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