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How 'bout these apples? What's an "antique" apple? Many popular apples - such as Red Delicious - have been cultivated for over 100 years. However, "antique" commonly refers to apples which are no longer grown commercially. Often these apples - such as Golden Russet - fell from favor because of their exotic appearance, or their limited storage capacity. Are antique apples in danger of being lost? Not really. Industry labs maintain a good repository of antique apple genetics, and hobbyists help keep old varieties alive through grafting. But it is rare to find antique apples for sale in a supermarket. What's grafting? Apple growers splice "scions," or new shoots, of one variety onto an existing apple tree of another variety. The scion's fruit remains true to the tree from which it came. Hobbyists trade scions from their favorite trees. In this way, fruit from one old apple tree can be replicated on hundreds of trees. Why try antique apples? Antique apples offer a world of flavors and aromas far beyond those of more common varieties. And the stories behind the antique varieties are compelling as well. Would you like to taste the same apple variety Thomas Jefferson enjoyed? Or maybe a cooking apple used by the French for 400 years?