Some Interesting Apples (SIA) is a project co-founded by William Arnold and James Fergusson, the primary aim of which is to record and, where characteristics make desirable, preserve wilding apples (i.e., Malus domestica growing on their own roots as the result of a discarded core). Having grown and often thrived in seemingly unfavourable circumstances, these trees present opportunities to propagate hardy novel cultivars, something of ever-increasing relevance in an erratic climate. As warmer winters and drier summers threaten the viability of traditional UK heritage varieties, the ability of M. domestica to adapt makes apple wildings a potentially valuable resource for future food production.

Since 2019 SIA has located and mapped over 600 unique apple wildings in Cornwall’s hedges, verges and marginal lands, identifying each tree through a unique what3words tag. The project has worked with Kestle Barton rural arts space to host three Wild & Seedling public taste trails, which fed into selection of promising novel cultivars. In 2022 SIA began to work with Caitlin DeSilvey of the Environment and Sustainability Institute at the University of Exeter’s Penryn Campus to develop ideas for shared research. A blossom time workshop and fieldtrip in April 2023 sparked discussion about propagating SIA wildings in a dedicated orchard. Following this event, SIA worked together with the Lizard and Penrose National Trust team to secure support from Forest for Cornwall for a new orchard of selected wildings – The Wilding Mother Orchard on National Trust land at Penarvon, Helford (a sister site to the National Trust’s Mother Orchard at Cotehele). In February 2024 80 apple rootstocks (MM111, M26 and M. sylvestris) were planted out at the site and grafting of the wilding scions began a few weeks later. The National Trust and the SIA team will jointly manage and maintain the orchard as a community and research resource.

The Wilding Mother Orchard is the first orchard in the UK dedicated to the propagation of wilding apples—no previously known cultivars will be included, and apples grown from seed will be included only if they are descended from known wildings. The project is currently working to secure funding for ongoing research, including genetic fingerprinting of the selected wildings and participatory activities to address the problem of plant blindness. The University of Exeter DEES Strategic Research Fund has supported the labelling of the orchard to facilitate future research at the site. Follow Instagram @someinterestingapples for updates about the project and opportunities and to get involved.

Continuing the success of the previous  iterations, Kestle Barton is pleased to host the 2024 Some Interesting Apples pomological exhibition and taste trials – led by William Arnold and James Fergusson.

Saturday 12 October 2024, 11am – 3pm
Click here to book tickets

The trial will be open to a small number of participants, who will have the opportunity to personally engage with the apple submissions and give discerning thoughts and feedback.

As a participant, you will be guided through a taste trial of selected fruit and have the chance to rate your findings. You will also be invited to take part in discussing the process with the project leaders and the other participants, and to collectively ponder the possible relevance of these fruits. Your participation will contribute to the ongoing ideological development of the project and your findings will be lodged in the trial archive.

The session will involve tasting many apples in this manner, before enjoying lunch together – complete with drinks made from local apples. There are limited spaces available for this unique apple experience.

Visit here for a write up of the Wilding Mother Orchard project on the Forest for Cornwall webpage.

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