Apple tree on Salt Spring Island in British Columbia, Canada

© Radius Images/Offse

Take your pick. A bite of ancient history

Did you know that apples can be traced back to the mountains of Central Asia? You see, in late 4th century BCE, Alexander the Great was busy conquering that region, and while in what is now modern-day Kazakhstan, he came across wild apples. Alexander’s military machine brought some of the plants back to Europe, and over the centuries, cuttings and seed splices began to produce the fruit we know and love. The apples ready for harvest in this photo are on Salt Spring Island in British Columbia ¬¬– a long way from Central Asia.