Heather Elizabeth Apple (born 1948) is a Canadian writer, artist, and educator, with an interest in
organic horticulture
Organic horticulture is the science and art of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, or ornamental plants by following the essential principles of organic agriculture in soil building and conservation, pest management, and heirloom variety preserva ...
. She was awarded a
125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal
The 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal (french: Médaille commémorative du 125e anniversaire de la Confédération du Canada) is a commemorative medal struck by the Royal Canadian Mint to commemorate the 125th anniversary of ...
[ in 1992.
]
Early life
She attended Branksome Hall, and graduated in 1967,[ ] then earned a B.Sc. Honours degree in 1972[ in biology ]
Heritage and organic agriculture
In 1984, Canadian Organic Growers
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
(COG) organized a conference on the loss of genetic diversity in food crops, with Kent Whealy
Kent Whealy (April 27, 1946 – March 23, 2018) was an American activist, journalist and philanthropist who co-founded Seed Savers Exchange and promoted organic agriculture and the saving of Heirloom plant, heirloom seeds. Raised in Wellington, ...
the director of the U.S. organization Seed Savers Exchange
Seed Savers Exchange, or SSE, is a non-profit organization based near Decorah, Iowa, that preserves heirloom plant varieties through regeneration, distribution and seed exchange. It is one of the largest nongovernmental seedbanks in the United Stat ...
as keynote speaker. Inspired by that conference, COG's Heritage Seed Program (HSP) was initiated to help salvage Canada's crop-plant heritage, with Alex Caron as coordinator. In late 1987, after the HSP had lain dormant for about two years, Heather Apple, as a long-term organic gardener, past president of the Durham, Ontario
Durham is a community in the municipality of West Grey, Grey County, Ontario, Canada. Durham is located near the base of the Bruce Peninsula.
Location
Durham, Ontario is 44 kilometres South of Owen Sound and 89 kilometres North of Guelph on Ont ...
chapter of COG, and a Seed Savers Exchange contributor, responded to a request from Alex Caron and volunteered to reinitiate the programme.[ which became a magazine by December 1988.
The Heritage Seed Program/Semences du patrimoine grew to become Seeds of Diversity Canada/Semences du patrimoine (SoDC), incorporated and renamed in 1995; Apple served as president of SoDC thru 1993. She also served as vice president of the Society of Ontario Nut Growers (SONG), 1990–1991.
]
Art
Heather Apple has been a member of the board of directors of the Gibsons Public Art Gallery in Gibsons, British Columbia
Gibsons is a coastal community of 4,605 in southwestern British Columbia, Canada on the Strait of Georgia.
Although it is on the mainland, the Sunshine Coast is not accessible by road. Vehicle access is by BC Ferries from Horseshoe Bay in West ...
, and of the Gibsons Landing Fibre Arts Festival. She is an active member of the Sunshine Coast Spinners and Weavers Guild, and the Sunshine Coast Fibreshed.
Writing
Heather Apple began writing seriously about gardening for the Heritage Seed Program, and this grew into freelance work as a garden writer, primarily for magazines.
Selected appearances
*
Selected works
* Heather Apple produced the first two editions, 1990 and 1992, of the Seeds of Diversity publication ''How to save your own seeds: a handbook for home seed production''.
* National Magazine Award Winner 2000, Honorable Mention, Category 18: How-to
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Apple, Heather Elizabeth
Canadian garden writers
1948 births
Living people
University of Toronto alumni
Canadian women non-fiction writers
Organic gardeners
Writers from Toronto