We have grafted over 300 known cultivars in our main orchard. These will be available for fresh eating apples and cider.

At the end of the 1800s America had over 2,500 different cultivars grown commercially. Many of these were based on local geography. What grows well in Northern Michigan is different than what might grow in North Carolina. Today 90-95% of commercial apple production are only 12 cultivars. We want to reserve some of the historic apples, educate consumers, and make them available to you.

Thus far we have grafted 200 local homestead apples. Some are known varieties. Most have yet to be identified.

Bliss Township was first settled in 1875. All of the original homesteads had an orchard. Remnants of many of the old orchards still exist if you know where to look and what to look for. There’s a chance that rare and even lost apples from the late 1800s are still around in this area.

We are collecting scionwood (with permission from landowners) to graft in our Bliss Orchard. This will ensure these cultivars continue. It preserves these trees. It also provides descendants from the original homesteaders the opportunity to have a tree grafted from our trees, to have a piece of their heritage at their own home.

We are also involved in apple breeding. Each apple seed planted is genetically unique. In order to preserve old cultivars, they must be grafted. We are actively involved with breeding new cultivars by growing out and evaluating apple seedlings. (We’re also out hunting local wild seedlings.)

In order to increase apple genetic diversity we are using heirloom apples in our breeding program. We are also growing malus sieversii to use in apple breeding.

Our modern domestic apples are descendants and hybrids (with other malus species) from apples originating in Kazakhstan. There are still wild forests of malus sieversii in the Tian Shan Mountains. We believe increased apple genetic diversity with malus sieversii can help with natural disease and pest resistance allowing both commercial and home growers to more easily grow apples organically.