The return of the yellow apple tree also restores other ancient Latvian crop varieties / Article

Astrīde Rozīte, the chairman of the board of the “Slow Food Straupe” association, in a conversation with Latvijas Radio, did not hide her satisfaction for several years of work, which has returned Latvian yellow apples to the gardens.

“The result of the project is very great – that pot has started to live again, and that was also our goal, so that the pot would not disappear,” said Rozīte. “It took about three years until the farmers grew, multiplied and got so much from the seeds that we can finally start thinking about something. In the fall we already sold the first crop, the demand was high, the colt disappeared in a few hours and, yes, he has started to live in our gardens.”

For eight years, the seeds of the yellow apple tree had been stored in Puri, until the idea arose to try to start growing them.

Farmer Aija Gobiņa responded to the idea of ​​the association “Slow Food Straupe”, who was ready to give it a try together with her sister.

“Astrīde offered that she has seeds from Pūre – don’t we want to try. I was like this – if we don’t get it, what then, there aren’t many seeds and they are eight years old, but the old man said – let’s try, if you don’t risk it, it won’t drink champagne,” recalls Gobiņa. “So we sowed with fear, so that something would grow. Then we already had our first seedlings, then little by little.”

The “Eicēni” farm is also involved in the revival of the yellow apple tree – its owner Elita Reinharde said that it will be the second year when they are grown.

“I was able to get the seeds, and it worked somewhere inside that I really wanted him, because this is the taste of my childhood days,” said Reinhardt. “Kales like my mom used to make, as delicious as she can make them from those apple apples, it’s something that’s left over from childhood and you want to keep it and share it with others.”

At the “Slow Food Straupes” market, there is also a small book “Kālis ir brāris” on the table, which contains informative information about this vegetable, as well as simple and even very sophisticated kale recipes.

Similarly, the association “Slow Food Straupe” popularized the large bean collection of the “Zutiņi” farm and Latvian sour cherries.

“[Skābie ķirši] also disappear from our gardens, because for some reason everyone wants to buy only sweet cherry, but as Erik Dreibants said, they are two different things, like wholemeal bread and white bread,” Rozīte explained. “That is the basic task of “Slow Food” – to preserve , arouse interest so as not to disappear. Because you also have to understand that if that breed disappears, then she leaves, and it is very difficult to reanimate her afterwards.”

Farmers Gobiņa and Reinharde believe that

the work in reviving and popularizing Latvia’s ancient breeds is even very important.

“First of all, many European varieties are not wintered, they are much more susceptible to diseases. The old Latvian varieties are for us, they were created for our conditions and our breeders were very popular and recognized in their time,” Gobiņa said.

On the other hand, Reinharde praised the custodians of ancient varieties: “Latvian seed cultivation was very strong, and in 30 years it has basically disappeared. It is good that there is Pūre and that there are seed banks where these seeds are stored, and that there are people who are willing to retrieve this in the sun, multiplying and putting into circulation. I have a tomato variety “Tīraine” that I got from Pūre. I grew it, I have a lot of seeds and I divide it , anyone can harvest the seeds, she is tasty, is hardy in our climate zone. Both cold and heat resistant, grateful, tasty and easy for anyone to grow.”

The leading researcher of the Institute of Horticulture, Līga Lepse, also supports the return of ancient varieties to gardens – in addition to researching vegetable growing technologies, she is also in charge of vegetable genetic resources.

“The Pūre Research Center of the Institute of Horticulture is located in Pūre and, as the name suggests, we hold the dowry chest, the dowry chest of Latvian vegetables,” said Lepse. “There is such a play on words, those species that reproduce with seeds, their seeds are safely stored in the gene bank in Salaspils.”

Now, similar to the yellow apple stalks, the plan is to return our garlic varieties and family onions to Latvian gardens.

“We also have in the collection the samples collected from the time of Ogre DIS, and we registered one of these onion samples, which was collected on the side of Valmiera, as a variety,” said Lepse. “These onions have a more pronounced taste, after all they are ours, they are local.”

There are still many vegetables and plants that are waiting to return, but Lepse also admits – one thing is that the seeds of many plants are stored and in a sense safe, but the climate is changing and plants need to adapt.

“We have a changing climate, changing weather conditions, changing diseases, changing pests, and we need this living folk breeding, but also professional breeding,” emphasized Lepse. “Because we have to keep up with these changes in nature all the time, but we can’t do that if we put the gene in the bank and he sits there for decades. Because after we wake him up, that seed will be surprised – what happens, where I are no longer the conditions in which I was raised. So it’s important that we keep these collections and rekindle them from time to time.”

At the moment, after the chilly April and the return of winter, the main desire for all those busy in the gardens is to have sunshine and warmth.