Dear Kitchen Gardener,

You see a long line of parents and grandparents, over 500 people in all, waiting in line for something.  It's the holiday season and you ask yourself: "So which one are they waiting for: the new Sony Playstation 3 or the Nintendo Wii?"  If you are feeling cynical about humankind, you might even wonder: "Why aren't they fighting each other for better position like they usually do?"

Would you believe me if I told you that these peaceful-looking people aren't waiting in line for the latest electronic gift sensation, but for a free heirloom apple tree?

Welcome to Wanganui, New Zealand.  Some of us in the Northern Hemisphere may think of New Zealanders as an upside-down kind of people.  They drive on the left, their seasons are the opposite of ours, and they use funny names and words such as a "chilly-bin" (a cooler), "brekkie" (breakfast), and "kornies" (corn flakes).

While some of what they say and do may seem upside down to us, New Zealanders are some of the most upright and honest folks on the planet.  The global anti-corruption NGO "Transparency International" voted New Zealand tied for first place with Finland  as the least corrupt nation.   In case you're wondering, the UK ranks 11th, Australia 9th, Canada 14th, and the US 17th.  Chad tied with Bangladesh for last place at 158th.

Honest people like honest pleasures and what could be more honest than a  heirloom apple?  The idea for Wanganui's apple tree give away program came from Mark Christensen of the Central Districts Tree Crops Association who sees the project as being as much about public health as it home gardening.

The heritage variety being distributed is called "Monty's Surprise".  "There they go again with their funny names" you might be tempted to say, but there's nothing funny about cancer.  Of all the good eating apples tested by Christensen, Monty's Surprise had the highest level of cancer-fighting "procyanidin and quercetin flavonoid compounds", 4 times as many as other popular apples such as Red Delicious. 

Based on the public's response to the project, you'd think the organizers were handing out free drugs of a less wholesome sort.  In the end, Christensen gave away over 800 trees (including 200 to schools) and ended up having to turn hundreds of people away.   Local health officials were also stunned by the success of the launch.

“What blew us away more than anything was that people were prepared to give the time and energy for something that’s not for immediate benefit,” commented Anne Kauika of Wanganui's Public Health Center.

In an age that values instant gratification over patience, it's encouraging to see that there are still people who are prepared to take the slow and winding road (also known as the "scenic route") in life instead of the superhighway. 

Next year, Christensen is planning on giving away 4000 more trees and has started a similar research project to study which heirloom tomato varieties have the highest levels of the cancer-fighting antioxidant lycopene. 

I can already hear him at a future tree give-away: "Would you like a Brandywine with that Monty's Surprise?" 

Best holiday wishes,

PS: Thanks to all of you who contributed in some way to Kitchen Gardeners this past year.  We're bringing our 2006 funding appeal to an end and would appreciate whatever gesture of support you can offer, be it an online donation, a check, or something else you feel you can contribute.   We now have 2900 people from 60 countries on our mailing list.  Together, we can grow a better food system.

PPS: Mark Christensen has sent us a copy of the brochure (available here as a pdf file) handed out with each apple tree for anyone interested in exploring a tree or seedling give-away program in his or her community.  The free trees were distributed this year at a local nursery which apparently had its best day with many tree-takers staying on to do some shopping.