The North American Fruit Explorers
NAFEX, a non-profit group of fruit enthusiasts, is committed to the discovery, cultivation and appreciation of exceptional varieties of fruits and nuts.
August/September 2002
By Doreen G. Howard
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Finding The Most Flavorful Fruit
When amber sap oozes down your peach tree and the books don't tell you what it is, whom do you call? If you're looking for an unusual apple variety such as 'Kandil Sinap,' who can put you in touch with nurseries selling the trees? The North American Fruit Growers, that's who.
Founded in 1967, NAFEX is a non-profit group of more than 2,500 fruit enthusiasts throughout the United States Canada and other parts of the world who are committed to the discovery, cultivation and appreciation of exceptional varieties of fruits and nuts. These amateur and commercial fruit growers collectively possess a wealth of wisdom about fruit and nut cultivation, pests, sources and oddities. And they share their knowledge liberally with all who join their ranks.
One member compare NAFEX to monasteries during Dark Ages, where knowledge and plant varieties were kept alive for future generations by cataloging, propagating and maintaining fruits and nuts. A splendid array will be available for our descendants, too, through the efforts of NAFEX For example, in the past hundred years, more than 5,000 apple varieties have been dropped from commercial markets. Yet NAFEX members have many of these antique apples in their own yards.
Finding, identifying and preserving fruit varieties from the past is one of the missions that defines NAFEX.
The organization also works to extend the geographic and climate limits of various fruits, and breeds, tests and selects new cultivars and rootstocks that display superior taste and/or disease resistance. +
Those who join can tap into the wealth of information and genetic stocks NAFEX has gathered. Members communicate through their quarterly publication, Pomona (after the Roman goddess of fruit), available only to paying members. The magazine's editorial content, a lively mix of articles written solely by members, covers organic methods, as well as chemical-management techniques. Minor crops, such as papaw, jujube and acorn, are given equal space next to apples, pears and walnuts.
"We maintain a pomology lending library with the catalog on our Web site (www.nafex.org). We also print the library catalog in Pomona," says NAFEX President Ethan Natelson, of Houston, Texas. "Books and videotapes can be obtained from the library for essentially the price of postage."
