Old fruit varieties – Reencountering & Retasting

The “Naturpark Obst-Hügel-Land” (literally “Nature Park Fruit-Hill-Land”) in Upper Austria is characterized by orchard meadows with a large variety of strains and a rich must culture. Many of these fruit varieties are almost forgotten today and are on the verge of extinction - just like the traditional knowledge on the complex use of fruit orchards.

The numerous project activities help raise awareness among the population of the natural park for the value of old, traditional fruit varieties and the orchard meadow culture. Through planting campaigns, the preservation of these landscapes is promoted and, in consequence, important habitats for many animal and plant species are protected.

During the three-year project duration, we organized several events to promote fruit diversity. The inhabitants were given the opportunity to order fruit trees of old varieties, which were specially produced for them. The website www.meineobstsorte.at was developed to provide an information platform providing data on maturing time, use and taste. It is meant to help in the selection of suitable varieties. In workshops held in kindergartens, the differences between fruit varieties were playfully investigated. By interviewing elderly people, primary-school pupils explored traditions around the fruit culture. We created an educational trail as well as signposting for the “Varieties-Garden” of the nature park, and provided the local museum with a temporary exhibition on the project results and with a fruit horoscope.