Historic society’s fruity times

A VISIT to Peter and Silvia Allen’s Monbulk orchard is to take a step back in Australia’s very fruity horticultural past.
As members of the Heritage Fruits Society, their passion in life is seeing the type of fruit which our grandparents and theirs enjoyed in their childhood.
Silvia is president of the society and Peter is vice-president.
The group was formed 18 years ago as the Heritage Fruits Group, a special interest group within Permaculture Melbourne and is responsible for the society’s extensive collection at Petty’s Orchard in Templestowe.
But Peter and Silvia also have their own collection on their permaculture demonstration property at Monbulk comprising more than 1000 heritage varieties of fruits, nuts and other food plants.
The collection includes 450 apple varieties, nearly 200 pear and nashi and 90 plum varieties.
Peter said between three of the society’s members they have saved 150 plum varieties from extinction.
That was the fate of many of Australia’s original fruit varieties.
“Our aim is to preserve these fruits so they are still available to the Australian public,” Peter said.
“This year alone three collections were bulldozed,” he said.
“We saved 312 apple varieties and 29 more pears from Tasmania and two years earlier saved 150 plum varieties.
“Out of those I would think 90 would be available nowhere else in Australia,” he said.
Their aim is to get the fruit trees out into people’s back yards for they don’t disappear forever.
Peter and Silvia run a nursery selling heritage fruit trees and run grafting days.
“We run grafting days to show people how they can do it themselves,” he said.
“We have a tour, look at the trees and people can take home a piece of stick and a label and they will have a 97 per cent strike rate on growing a new apple tree.”
On Sunday 28 March The Heritage Fruits Society is holding its annual Apple Tasting Festival at Pettys Orchard in Templestowe with a full day of fruity fun. There will be guest speakers during the day, including Vasili Kanidiadis from SBS’s Vasili’s Garden program, music, orchard tours and apple folklore, lots of delicious food and gardening activities.
Best of all there will be the opportunity to taste more than 100 apples – the sort of apples that taste like apples used to taste like! For further information on Peter and Silvia’s Monbulk orchard visit www.petethepermie .com.
For information on the Apple Tasting Festival visit www.heritagefruits .org or phone Peter on 8665 880 or Meggs on 0407 860 320.