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  • From: "baylands" <baylands@cros.net>
  • To: "'North American Fruit Explorers'" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: RE: [NAFEX] J. Seed
  • Date: Sun, 21 Nov 2004 18:32:33 -0500

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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