The French Connection: The Lost Fruit and Farmers of Acadie with Todd Little-Siebold

Before the town-wide celebration for Bastille Day (the national day of France), learn about Castine’s surprising French connection through the genetics of apples with historian Todd Little-Siebold.

This talk will explore the largely undocumented introduction of European agriculture in North America by examining the forgotten farmers of La Acadie. French settlers and missionaries introduced European apples to the region (and much of North America) very early on, and this presentation will dig deep in to the question of how these habitants, or settlers, and the missionaries who lived alongside them shaped the apples we eat today. Using archival research and DNA analysis, the research presented here will reveal the central importance of a handful of French apples to almost all early American apples that have been beloved over centuries. The somewhat surprising French genetics in American apples led to the current research of the Maine Apple Lab at the College of the Atlantic and a group of local volunteers along the Penobscot River Basin to find old apple trees that may reveal more of this complex history. Places like Castine play an important role in this history, so come learn more about this fascinating and forgotten history.

This presentation is free of charge with donations to the museum encouraged. No registration is required for in-person attendance. To attend virtually on Zoom, register here.

Hutchins Education Center
112 Perkins Street / Castine, Maine