The Unique Apple in my Novel Began its Controversial Life in Kazakhstan

Since it’s apple season, I thought it’d be fun to offer some interesting facts about apples and Kazakhstan. For instance, did you know botanists believe apples first evolved in Kazakhstan in the Tien Shan mountains? Today, huge forests of apple trees stretch on for miles there. The trees, over the course of millennia, have cross pollinated like crazy, in turn bringing forth thousands of varieties. Apples range in color from yellow to green to russet to red. In size they vary from as small as acorns to as large as baseballs. They vary in taste too, from inedibly bitter to grocery-store sweet.

Inspired by the Search for a Cure

In my novel, Harvesting the Sky, a special apple plays a key role. Horticulture professor Andre Damazy discovers a rare medicinal apple that can boost the immune system within a day. His personal goal is to bring back the apples to heal his mother who suffered a stroke. His larger goal is to grow more trees so he can bring its medicinal properties to the elderly and ill. But a threatening stranger stalks and vandalizes Andre’s work, hell bent on stopping him from succeeding. Why he does this is the overarching question of the story.

Years ago, I grew fascinated by the simple apple’s complex start in Kazakhstan. Here are some interesting facts I discovered.

1. Botanists estimate apples in Kazakhstan have been evolving for 4.5 million years.

2. The Russian botanist Nikolai Vavilov catalogued Kazakhstan’s apple forests officially in 1929. Those writings appear in his book, The Five Continents.

3. Scientists believe the genus and species of Malus sieversii is the oldest species of apple.

4. Unusual flavors of Kazakh apples include hazelnut, honey, berry, and licorice.

5. The oldest apple trees in the Kazakh forests are 350-years-old.

6. Development during the Soviet Era destroyed 70-80% of the forests surrounding the city of Almaty.

7. The capital of Kazakhstan, Almaty, means “place of apples.”

Because the forests of Kazakhstan are so rich with cross-pollination, it’s not beyond the realm of possibility that a white apple with medicinal healing power could emerge. So even though people refer to my apple as “magical,” I actually think of it as “speculative.” Regardless, what that new addition to botanical science launches is a whole basket of trouble for Andre. While nurturing his delicate saplings with care, he must passionately battle dark forces to bring his special apples to the world.

If you’d like to read a short excerpt of Harvesting the Sky, click here. To buy the book, click here.