Apples are native to Central Asia, and have been imported and then cultivated over the centuries. The apple is a member of the rose family of plants (look at the flowers). The best harvests of apples are still in those years where the weather most closely resembles their homelands, with cold winter, wet spring, and dry, hot summer.

There are more than 7,500 known varieties of apples. Some are bred for cooking, some for fresh eating and others for cider production. Although apples will grow from seed, most apple trees are grafted in order to give the best apples.