Pendragon lends a legitimately Arthurian aspect to PNW apple culture. A dark-red-fleshed, ancient English heirloom, its bark, blossom, and leaves also have a red tint, making it a very attractive tree. Fruit is good, sweet, scab-free, and it is used as a dessert, cooking and cider apple. A recent scientific study claimed Pendragon contains higher levels of plant chemicals linked to health benefits than other varieties tested with it. It is not available commercially anywhere in the USA, but we propagate it hand-to-hand among the grassroots Agrarian Sharing Network (ASN).

What else makes this apple so special? First appearing in recorded history about a millennia ago, this exceptional variety carries one of the most revered of ancient English names. Pendragon or Pen Ddraig (pronounced Thraig), is a Welsh figurative title referring to status as a leader, means "head dragon" or "chief dragon" and is the name of several supreme war chiefs or leaders of the ancient Britons, including the father of King Arthur. Also, interestingly, this apple's provenance hails from the heart of the Cornwall/Wales bioregion - oft regarded as the original location of the fabled Camelot. ('Avalon', by the by, is Old Welsh for 'Land of Apples.')

Our initial efforts to secure this variety from the United Kingdom - led by a Eugene-based fruit enthusiast of Welsh heritage - were roundly rebuffed. But not long thereafter we discovered that Nick Botner had a Pendragon tree growing in his vast collection in Yoncalla, OR, and he graciously shared material with us to propagate. In the years since we have been actively sharing Pendragon throughout the PNW, this superb apple has assumed a legendary status. Indeed, with its geographic, historical, and etymological provenance, its striking appearance, and its blood-red fruit and juice, some of us regard Pendragon as a living door standing at the threshold between our world and the mythic realm of the Grail legend. Thus our name.

A certified permaculture designer, Alex is a transplant from the Seattle tech world. He came to the islands to build a permaculture homestead for his family and leave behind software development and program management. He soon realized permaculture was something that should be done for the island community, and began the Seed to Seed permaculture program at Orcas Christian School.

Now, he's compelled to help residents and newcomers who wish to make the most of life here through small scale agriculture. He is also a certified "map nut" and enjoys visualizing geographic and geologic data using GIS tools, which he finds particularly useful in the agriculture industry.

"If I had to do it all over again [moving to the island] I'd have done better research using GIS. It can save you time and money by supplying the data to make the best possible decisions...and it's just cool stuff."  

Emmet, aka the Woodman, is a lover of life, especially soil life. He is, literally, an earth scientist with a keen understanding of soil. Soil makes for a dirty profession, but it's where everything starts for us, and where everything got its start. Emmet knows the language of soil well, and how to build and improve it, how it contributes not only to agricultural production, but how it affects environmental quality and human health. 

Emmet's favorite projects are found at the confluence of science, nature and art. Also a Bullocks certified permaculture designer, he has earned on-the-ground experience working and work-trading on organic farms on the West coast and Australia, the birthplace of permaculture itself. He wrote a thesis on Biochar, and co-authored a paper on rice-husk-ash cement. In his spare time he is an EMT/firefighter and co-administers the produce department at his local food co-op.