New York City's Forgotten Fruit Orchards: A History of Urban Agriculture

NYC's Hidden Fruit History

• 🍎 New York City possesses a long and often overlooked legacy of growing fruit trees, with evidence found in community gardens, backyards, and even historical cemeteries.
• 💡 Examples include pawpaw trees reaching maturity in Greenpoint, old fig trees laden with fruit, and pear trees discovered in unexpected urban corners.

Historical Fruit Cultivation

• 🌳 Historically, fruit in NYC, particularly in Brooklyn during the 1700s, was primarily grown for cider making.
• 📈 The 1800s are considered a golden age for fruit growing in Brooklyn, with produce often barged across the East River.

The Open Orchard Project

• 🎨 Artist Sam Van Aken created 'The Open Orchard' on Governor's Island, featuring 102 multigrafted trees that represent the history of fruit growing in New York City from pre-European times to the early 20th century.
• 🤝 Based on the Lape philosophy, the orchard operates on the principle that nobody owns a tree, encouraging everyone to pick the fruit.

Replanting and Connection

• 🗺️ Van Aken conducted extensive research using maps from the New York Public Library to identify the original locations of fruit varieties.
• 📍 Trees are being replanted in community gardens in the outer boroughs, often in the same neighborhoods or even on the same streets where they were historically grown, allowing people to taste fruit from 200 years ago.
• 🌱 This effort serves as a reminder of the city's agricultural past and the roots that still run beneath our feet.