History

We often heard the following questions: when and where was planted the first apple tree in Canada? Was it in Port-Royal in 1606 or in Quebec in 1608? Did the inhabitants of New England acclimatize the apple trees on their premises before those of News-France? M. F.-G.-J. Comeau from Halifax tried to answer to those questions.

“In Canada, there were wild apple trees before Poutrincourt and Champlain. We know that during the winter of 1604-1605, cider froze on Sainte-Croix Island. This cider must have come from France. We also know that Poutrincourt brought all kind of trees at Port-Royal. We can assume that he introduced Normandy apple trees in his colony. It was said that Champlain brought the first apple trees in Quebec in 1608. It’s possible but there’s no written proof of this fact. The important thing is that this delicious fruit is now available here all year round!