Except I lack the world-changing genius he possessed.

I got to the core of a gala apple and saw that a seed had sprouted.

I kept the seeds.

They will be grown as rootstock.

Then scions from any number of heirloom varieties will be grafted to them.

Even George Washington (#4 in link) and George Mason were avid orchardists and Thomas Jefferson even bred his own favorite apple varieties, all near my farm.

Humans have destroyed apple’s genetic diversity leading to disease that requires numerous and multiple chemical applications each season just to get a usable crop. At the peak of its record keeping, the FDA found 36 different chemicals, 18 that are neurotoxins. 91% of apples (including juice and sauce) contained pesticide residue when reaching the consumer.

Despite this, I am already too mentally invested. I have a grafting knife and pruner that are sharper than my shaving razor and itching for use on apple wood. There is no turning back now!