Who found the Ambrosia Apple?
Finding an ambrosia apple at the store can be a quick experience if the produce foods are in stock. This sweet apple is perfect for making apple pie or adding some flavor to a bowl of oatmeal. An apple doesn't fall too far from the tree. In the context of Ambrosia apples, however, these kinds of apples have a family tree that branches off in many directions. The Ambrosia apple's story is a sweet accident. In the spectacular orchard-laden landscape of British Columbia's Similkameen Valley, where the hills contained a variety of apple trees. During the late 1980s, Sally and Wilfrid Mennell, stumbled upon a new apple that was not very well known to the community.
How did they find it?
The Mennell family, a very seasoned apple-growing family, was familiar with the routine of taking care of their orchard. Their eyes were trained to pick out the red, green, and golden hues of apples like the Golden Delicious and Jonagold. The Ambrosia apple looks similar to Jonagold on the outside. As the story goes, one fruitful day, they stumbled upon a tree whose fruit looked different from the rest. Amidst a crowd of green leaves emerged an apple, its skin a vibrant blend of red and yellow.
The Mennells discovered it was a "chance seedling", a rare, natural cross-pollination that had happened entirely by it's own. To their surprise, most of the apples looked like they were most likely linked between the Golden Delicious and a red apple variety. Here was nature in action, taking on the role of the matchmaker and cultivating a new variety of apple in the orchard.
When they took a bite of the apple, the Mennells experienced an explosion of flavor. The word "Ambrosia" derives from the Greek phrase "food of the gods," which is kind of goofy. This apple is crisp, sweet, and firm. It also has just a hint of honey flavor too.
From a single tree in the corner of their Canadian orchard, the Mennells began making these trees a new priority. The result was an orchard growing with rows of Ambrosia apple trees, a fruit that was new to the Canadian garden.
