Mechelen park seeks guardians for historic apple orchard
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Vrijbroekpark in Mechelen, Belgium, launched a program allowing people to “adopt” one of the 90 unique apple varieties growing in its historic apple orchard.
The park hopes to protect these old, local apple types, like ‘Roem van Vlaanderen’ and ‘Ossekop’, by raising funds through the adoption initiative. Participants who contribute 40 euros will receive a certificate, have their names displayed on a plaque near their chosen tree, and receive apple juice made from the orchard’s harvest.
The orchard is unusual because each tree contains two or three different apple varieties grafted onto its trunk, allowing multiple types of apples to grow on a single tree. Provincial authorities are partnering with Pomko, an organization dedicated to preserving fruit heritage, to maintain the orchard and identify all the apple varieties present. Pomko currently maintains the trees and trains park staff, and is working to fully identify all 93 apple varieties, as some remain unknown.
Delmotte of Pomko explained that the organization believes it is important to pass on fruit heritage to future generations, rather than simply preserving it as a museum piece.
