Botany of Desire Thoughts

First of all, who knew there were so many varieties of apples! From my sheltered consumer standpoint, I foolishly see what is available in the apple section of the market and think that that is all there is in the world. It was fascinating to discover the thousands of varieties that are out there. I’ve always said that macintosh apples were my favorite, but I think I should try a few more varieties before making such a statement.

I also enjoyed the backstory on Johnny Appleseed. Besides being the default name on all Apple products, I had no concept of who Johnny Appleseed. Now that I think about it, it’s quite clever that Apple products would have a connection with the apple seed spreader himself. With both this documentary and my knowledge from “Growing a Farmer” I now have a much more robust understanding of agriculture and how food is produced. I also learned a vital lesson about apple genetics, and that the best way to replicate a fruit is by grafting a blossom rather than planting a seed from a ripened fruit. Who would have known!

I found Stephen Woods to be a very interesting character. He sounded like a Master Sommelier as he described the flavor profile of his ciders which I found quite endearing. It boggles my mind that people have a sensitive enough palate to taste such small variations of flavor. Overall, I enjoyed this documentary and getting a snippet into the world of apples!