The Green Newtown Pippin—a “chance” apple that sprouted from a random apple seed, or “pip”, (hence the surname “pippin”) was first harvested in 1730 on the farm of Gershom Moore in Newtown, Queens County (now the Elmhurst section of the present-day Borough of Queens, part of New York City). From there it spread to Albemarle County, Virginia where it came to be known as the Albemarle Pippin due to the regional economic jingoism occurring at the time. It was a favorite of several founding fathers including George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson who grew them at Monticello. During the 19th century, the Newtown Pippin experienced significant commercial success. It was part of the “Select List of Apples” kept by the Horticultural Society of London in 1807 and commanded the highest prices at Covent Garden. Queen Victoria so favored them that the British Parliament lifted the import duty on Newtown Pippins until World War I at which time Parliament renewed the import duty on the Newtown Pippin, and its commercial presence declined.

I love New York city. There's a certain energy there that I find exhilarating, and every time I go, I feel it. As I know it, New York city is all city. It's not a place that I would think as where a heirloom variety of apple originated. Thanks to SlowFoods USA and its US Ark of Taste program, I will now remember that the Big Apple is among other things, the origin of the Newton Pippin Apple .

Now there is a group of partners, Green Apple Cleaners GreenThumb (NYC department of Parks and Recreation), SlowFoodNYC Cummins Nursery , Earth Day New York and Sage General Store that are working to get the Newton Pippin into the urban landscape and a symbol of the city's ecological future.

From Newtonpippin.org;

In 2009 we’ve promoted awareness of this wonderful legacy, and provided over 100 FREE saplings to community gardens, environmental groups, schools, and other public spaces. We hope you join us in 2010 and beyond!

The Newton Pipin has the support of of a NYC Councilman;



Also, please check out the Resolution 2009-2009 introduced by NYC City Council Member Gennaro, chair of the environmental protection committee, to declare the Newtown Pippin the official apple of the Big Apple!